When we asked Mateusz to describe himself he replied “I am the Father of Adriana and husband of Iliana”. It is obvious that he is a man that respects women. Mateusz is a famous psychologist in Poland but well known all around the world. He is also a PhD economist, scientist, internationally working educator, author, entrepreneur, 7 languages polyglot, wrestler, and as he says, he is also a “heavy coffee user”. In this fascinating interview to learn more, not only about him but about yourself as well.
How did you start your career as a psychologist?
I became a psychologist quite late in my career, because my first steps were connected with theatre – my father is an actor and I would spend years practicing acting as a child. As Poland was a communist country back then, we all believed in education being our salvation from problems, so I learnt a lot and was good in my class. My friends wanted me to help them in private curricula and this is how I started teaching. Mostly I focused on foreign languages. These three pillars – acting, education and foreign languages connected synergistically and I became a trainer, teaching soft skills – emotional intelligence, motivation, etc. After that, when I was already pursuing an international career and had an established business, I studied psychology and became a psychologist.
Suffering in different forms. Seeing my parents divorce and being unable to communicate effectively with each other. Experiencing poverty and realising how destructive it is. Being bored and unjustly treated at school by teachers. Disappointment which came from social rejection when I made money and became more famous. Health problems in which medical solutions were not enough. My ego driven shadows, when the archetype I created controlled me and I was unable to free myself from cultural and family mental boundaries.
Hatred and ignorance I see and feel on a collective level in different cultures, destroying, loving, and the evolving potential of all these unconscious human beings who do not know anything else. My story is not positive thinking based, that everything “will be ok”. It is not an American dream come true where from zero I become a hero, even though outside it looks this way. It a lifetime process of being hit, falling, standing up, recovering and learning and going forward till the next hit, but this time harder. The more I realise my dream, the harder my life becomes. But it is not my dream anymore. It`s everybody`s dream, to self-realise, be free, confront demons, and become more of who they want to be. If I treated it as “my dream”, I would have no motivation to keep going forward.
Who has been your role model?
Myriads of trainers, scientists, artists, teachers, business people. All of them have something special and out of the ordinary. So I respect people who are more clever than I am and learn from them.
You have just launched a course about emotional intelligence. How important is for people to develop their EI?
Statistically, EQ is three times more sought after than IQ on the professional market in the US. Some jobs or activities are based purely on your ability to manage emotions and behaviours – sales, management, parenthood. Without adequate emotional control you will not get or maintain a job, solve life problems, confront issues adequately.
What are some tips that you can share with us in order for people to improve their EI?
There are four pillars of EQ. One is self awareness – you need to know what you feel and how it influences your behaviour. The second is regulation – how you get to choose what you feel and how intensively. Third is about motivation, which is how to start, continue and finish given tasks. The fourth is empathy – the ability to feel what others feel, separate it from yourself, and react to it accordingly.
In your view what makes people stop achieving their dreams?
Fear and pain are connected with it. The bigger the dream you want to achieve, the bigger the nightmare you have to go through. People wanting dreams without the suffering is like using a very sharp knife with the premise that it will never cut your fingers. But it will. So people want an attractive fiancé but do not want competition from the desiring eyes of others. They want money but do not want greed that comes with it automatically. They desire big business, yet do not want to have problems with employees. They would like fame but without the hatred and gossip. But it does not work this way. You need heavy dumbbells to build big muscles.
From your experience as a psychologist, what is the difference between men and women in following their career?
Depends on the culture and macro-region. Crisis of masculinity is already visible in Western cultures where with the death of patriarchy, manhood only starts being shaped in a more complete version of humanness (embracing masculine and feminine traits). The discovery that emancipation is not about swapping traditional roles but about freeing oneself from limiting cultural belief systems is an important factor. Work life balance and the need of it is prevalent, and success starts being less important than happiness. Traditionally, men have always based their self-esteem on external results, mainly stemming from work. Women value themselves additionally by different factors, like family. These questions demands a deeper answer and it can only be delivered by a laser approach towards certain cultures to avoid generalisation. There will be a time in the future of there being no difference from a financial, emotional and intellectual standpoint between men and women following their careers. Yet it is a long way to go before we all get there.
What is your opinion about women leaders and entrepreneurs?
Let`s get science into it, knowledge is more important than opinions. And it clearly shows that employees look for the traits in leaders which traditionally belonged to women: building relationships, being empathic, using intuition and feelings in the decision making process. So it is a fact that women leaders are sought after and necessary. Of course leadership will always be also based on assertiveness, goal setting, and logical reasoning, which traditionally has been connected with masculinity. But is it not finally time to stop judging people by gender and focus on competences and wisdom in the first place? Personally it does not matter if my employee is male or female, Caucasian or Asian, Catholic or Buddhist, etc. What I care about as an entrepreneur is that they do their job. So my opinion is that we need to be humans with both masculine and feminine aspects embraced in our personas. Yin yang is a circle and only then it`s a whole.
You are also the author of many self-help books – what is the formula of the process of writing and publishing a best selling book?
Get your content first, so that you know what to write about. Decide on the length.
Find a good publisher who will sell it for you. Sign a contract. Start writing, combining these four pillars:
Education – because it gives value.
Practice – because then people can use this book to achieve something.
Entertainment – include interesting stories and examples so that people will actually enjoy it.
Science – so that you base it on some research to give it more authority.
What are three main tips that you would share with women who read this interview – what would be your tips for those who are still searching for meaning and creating a successful life?
Create yourself – imagine yourself three years from now and see in your mind`s eye what you look like, where you are, what you do, who the people around you are. This is planning.
Operationalise it – ask yourself which actions need to be taken to achieve that plan. Make a list of specific behaviours.
Put it into action and get feedback. Adjust what is necessary. Measure your progress.
Simply put, create your life in which you are the best version of yourself, have what you want, help others and make the world a better place.
Baybars Altuntas is a global entrepreneur, best-selling author, angel investor, columnist, star of the Turkish version of the television show Dragons’ Den, Chair of the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF), President of the Business Angels Association of Turkey (TBAA), President of Deulcom International, Vice President of the European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds, and Other Early Stage Market Players (EBAN), and the World Entrepreneurship Forum’s Ambassador to Turkey and South East Europe. He was recognised by the European Trade Association of Business Angels (EBAN) and received the Best Individual in Europe Globally Engaging with the World Entrepreneurial Ecosystem award in 2014, 2015 and 2016. He was the only entrepreneurship guru to be granted a special audience with US President Barack Obama at the White House at the first Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in 2010.
Baybars was a speaker at the Global Woman Entrepreneurship Forum on 1st November in London, UK. Ahead of this occasion, Baybars Altuntas has conveyed some very important messages for women entrepreneurs and proposed an interesting business model that will ease access to finance for entrepreneurs worldwide. Here in this exclusive interview for Global Woman magazine, you can learn more about the angel investment system and raising fund for your business.
Baybars Altuntas with the Founder of Global Woman, Mirela Sula after his speech at the Global Woman Entrepreneurship Forum in London, November 2016
Baybars Altuntas with the Founder of Global Woman, Mirela Sula after his speech at the Global Woman Entrepreneurship Forum in London, November 2016[/caption]Baybars Altuntas with the Founder of Global Woman, Mirela Sula after his speech at the Global Woman Entrepreneurship Forum in London, November 2016[/caption]Baybars Altuntas with the Founder of Global Woman, Mirela Sula after his speech at the Global Woman Entrepreneurship Forum in London, November 2016[/caption]
What is the biggest challenge of entrepreneurs today?
In the past, inventions were important for the economic development of societies. In the 21st century, however, it is not invention but innovation that counts. In those earlier times, entrepreneurial skills were not needed to get an invention to the market because it was a seller’s economy, where customers were ready to buy anything new. Times have changed, and the rules of the game have changed. Today’s inventors need more than just a clever idea. They need a complex set of skills to move their innovative idea into the market and to ensure it succeeds. Ours is the age of the entrepreneur (the buzz word of our century). The current, highly competitive economic environment means that scaling up businesses demands special skills of entrepreneurs, who are obliged to secure financing as quickly as possible. Yet finance alone is not sufficient to create global success stories. The entrepreneur needs not simply finance, but the best finance.
What is ‘the best finance’?
The best finance is a miracle that happens when one is able to combine money, know-how, mentorship and networking. This is perhaps better termed smart finance. Consider the various sources of finance available to entrepreneurs: Beyond basic bootstrapping, there are corporate ventures, angel investors, crowdfunding platforms, accelerators, VCs, banks, public grants, co-investment funds, business plan competitions, technology transfer offices, family offices, private equity investors and stock exchanges. With the notable exception of angel investors, all these sources provide only money, nothing more.
The only true sources of smart finance are angel investors, who are able to influence a country’s economic development by providing more than just money to entrepreneurs and SMEs. They contribute their own know-how, provide mentorship, and share their own networks in contributing to the businesses they invest in. They are thus the main drivers of innovation and the natural leaders of the world’s early-stage investment markets.
In 2015, more than 300,000 angel investors invested more than $25 billion in start-ups in the US, and more than 310,000 angel investors invested more than 6 billion Euros in Europe. The estimated total global market size of angel investment is over $50 billion every year. Angel investors support entrepreneurs in starting up, and they support SMEs as they scale up their businesses, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs worldwide every year. The World Business Angels Investment Forum invites all governments and policymakers to take advantage of the know-how, mentorship, and networking of qualified angel investors and to convert public money to smart money by establishing close collaboration between public institutions and private resources such as business angel networks, corporate ventures and VCs. As a global organisation, the World Business Angels Investment Forum is bringing together key players of the equity markets to discuss the benefits and challenges of achieving successful growth for businesses and to explore additional possibilities for empowering the world economy.
Why is it so difficult to raise funds for women entrepreneurs nowadays?
In the wake of the global economic crisis, it was far from easy to reach out for any kind of finance, smart or otherwise. The World Business Angels Investment Forum focuses on developing innovative financial instruments for entrepreneurs and SMEs as a part of its global agenda. To focus on the ‘smart’ factor in innovation in the context of entrepreneurial ecosystems, the World Business Angels Investment Forum directs its attention to developing smart investors, smart finance, smart exits, and smart entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs. By working together across borders, with a common vision, and with these smart dynamics in mind, we are well placed to bring about positive change in the global economy. As the Chair of the World Business Angels Investment Forum, I invite all delegates of the Global Woman Entrepreneurship Forum to join our global efforts to ease access to smart finance to create more jobs and more social justice worldwide. Your efforts to convert the world economy to a smart economy in cooperation with the World Business Angels Investment Forum will be highly valued.
Why is the work of WBAF so important for women entrepreneurs?
The 2008 global economic crisis produced an economic environment that resulted in unprecedented challenges for entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs seeking access to finance. It was clear that an entirely different way of working was required, a new approach to solving qualitatively different problems. The WBAF provides an international platform where all stakeholders can join forces to drive change, with a particular focus on linking the best entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs with smart finance opportunities afforded by qualified angel investors and institutions that work in cooperation with angel investors.
How do you differentiate yourselves?
As a global organisation, the WBAF is unique in its focus on a ‘smart’ approach to transforming the world’s economy to a smart economy — one that we believe will produce more jobs and more social justice. The Forum provides an open environment where key players from equity markets around the world can freely discuss the challenges businesses face in achieving growth and explore ways to empower the world economy. The Forum is also unique in its focus on five dynamics, all of which embed the ‘smart’ concept.
Smart Finance
We help ensure that policymakers, entrepreneurs, startups and SMEs fully appreciate the importance of smart finance, which can be provided only by angel investors.
Smart Investors
Different countries may face different challenges, yet as the world’s economies are no longer isolated, their problems are not necessarily country-specific. Solutions therefore need to be sought in the wider, international ecosystem. Virtually all types of finance sources beyond simple bootstrapping — corporate ventures, angel investors, crowd-funding platforms, accelerators, VCs, banks, public grants, co-investment funds, business plan competitions, technology transfer offices, family offices, private equity investors and stock exchanges, can easily be tapped for smart investing if they are paired with the right qualified angel investors and if they look beyond local financial ecosystems.
Smart Exit
In a country’s economic development process, an increase in the number of new business ideas is closely related to exit opportunities. We therefore invite stock exchanges to pursue more practical ways to increase liquidity for early-stage investment markets and we encourage corporations to set up their own corporate ventures that will invest in smart entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs. We focus on the long term, not the emergencies of the day. We understand that real progress takes time and sustained commitment, and that real success is not measured in terms of immediate results.
Smart Entrepreneurs, Start-ups and SMEs
Identifying the right entrepreneur, start-up or SME is crucial for any investor. On the other side of the coin, it is also crucial for entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs to receive investment from the right team of investors. We encourage entrepreneurs to target funds from smart investors, such as angel investors, or from financial sources that cooperate with angel investors. The WBAF believes that investment readiness training programmes can turn entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs into smart sources of innovation.
Converting Public Money to Smart Money
The WBAF draws the attention of policymakers to the risks posed by financing entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs. If finance is not backed up by know-how, mentorship and good networking, an investment can easily lead to the border of the proverbial valley of death. The WBAF therefore invites governments and policymakers to develop strong angel investment schemes to be used alongside public support for entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs. Policymakers should also develop smart policies to convert public money to smart money in cooperation with qualified angel investors. By working together across borders, with a common vision, and with these smart dynamics in mind, we are well placed to bring about positive change in the global economy.
President Obama greets Baybar Altuntas of Turkey at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship. President Obama announced in his speech that Prime Minister Erdogan and Turkey will host the next Entrepreneurship Summit in 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)President Obama greets Baybar Altuntas of Turkey at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship. President Obama announced in his speech that Prime Minister Erdogan and Turkey will host the next Entrepreneurship Summit in 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)[/caption]President Obama greets Baybar Altuntas of Turkey at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship. President Obama announced in his speech that Prime Minister Erdogan and Turkey will host the next Entrepreneurship Summit in 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)[/caption]
What does WBAF do to find a solution for the challenges of women entrepreneurs start-ups and SMEs?
In addition to conferences, talks, meetings, and debates, the WBAF gives importance to taking concrete steps that fuel the growth of the world entrepreneurial ecosystem. Examples of practical solutions include:
The World Business Angels Investment Fund
The WBAF is in the process of establishing this special investment fund with the participation of members and partners of the World Business Angels Investment Forum, with the aim of providing financing for high-growth companies, start-ups, scale ups, entrepreneurs, and SMEs. The fund will cooperate with corporate ventures, venture capitalists, public institutions and angel investor networks throughout the world to create co-investment funds that will leverage the investment market sizes, both locally and regionally.
Global CEO Alliance Club
The CEO Alliance brings together the best corporate CEOs to increase their awareness about angel investing and to give them an opportunity to invest jointly with qualified angel investors. CEO Alliance members can thus boost their investment skills in a short period of time. With this initiative, the WBAF wants to pave the way for CEOs to become qualified angel investors, which will lead to an overall increase in the number of angel investors worldwide.
Exclusive Investment Events
The Forum organises investment events where members, investors and executives of the World Business Angels Investment Fund meet with the best high-growth companies, start-ups, entrepreneurs and SMEs for investment purposes. These investment forums are organised either independently or in conjunction with the WBAF Annual Conference or the Global Collaborations Summit.
World Excellence Awards
With its Excellence Awards, the World Business Angels Investment Forum looks beyond borders. It seeks to promote and nurture start-ups, angels, and a dynamic business community throughout the world. From business angels to policymakers to academics, the Awards salute those who stand out in imagining, discussing, and shaping the future of an entrepreneurial World. Given the diverse challenges the world is facing in the twenty-first century, it is important to recognise that entrepreneurship can have a major impact on our future, offering new ways to increase economic opportunities and to foster social justice. The World Business Angels Investment Forum aims to contribute to that impact by driving positive changes that will facilitate entrepreneurship. Fostering entrepreneurship whose effects can be felt in both economic and social arenas is a hallmark of the World Business Angels Investment Forum.
WBAF International Investment Academy
It is the position of the WBAF Academy that when investors have had the advantage of training in the best practices of negotiating deals for early-stage investment, they are in a better position to ensure good returns on their investment. With this in mind, the WBAF offers a wide variety of training programmes using a range of input (case studies, panel discussions, and presentations, to name a few), all of which encourage active participation and interaction on the part of those attending. The WBAF Academy serves not just business angels; all types of stakeholders are welcomed, ranging from entrepreneurs and SMEs to banks and stock exchanges to incubation and acceleration centres. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the development of skills and expertise and to foster the kind of creative thinking that leads to innovation and eventual success in the ever-changing market environment of the 21st century.
SME Scoring
Another specific area of interest of the WBAF is SME scoring. The WBAF sees the benefit to the world economy of a well-developed SME scoring system. We believe that such a system will accelerate the investment process and that investors will facilitate finding suitable entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs to invest in. The WBAF is ready to cooperate on initiatives and action plans to develop a valid, objective and reliable SME scoring system that can be applied globally.
What is the WBAF approach to key challenges?
We focus on key strategic challenges, including filling equity gaps, encouraging stock exchanges to create more liquidity, involving chambers of commerce to increase the number of angel investors, encouraging corporations to set up their own corporate ventures, fostering cross-border investments, and fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems by providing innovative and workable solutions. Entrepreneurs are expected to produce a demo in order to seek funds from angel investors and others, but they often lack the financial capacity to develop the demo. With this in mind, we need a solution to fill the equity gap at the seed level. We invite seed funders, crowdfunders and public support groups to cooperate to fill this gap. This equity gap is generally up to $50,000. Start-ups who receive angel investment face a finance challenge at scale up. If, for instance, they need to raise $1 million, the possibility of raising that amount from angel investors is slim because angel investors do not invest over $1 million. Yet VCs do not invest below $5 million. This is the second equity gap. We encourage the creation of co-investments between angel investors, VCs, corporate ventures and public funds to fill this gap.
Stock exchanges should open their doors to scale ups and develop innovative solutions for scale-ups and SMEs who seek funding. Chambers of commerce should be converted to sources of angel investment financing, given that angel investors are usually chamber of commerce members in their own country. But we believe that a campaign to develop awareness of angel investment systems should be created for chambers of commerce worldwide.
Corporations should be encouraged to set up their own corporate ventures, which will bring together open innovation, intrapreneurship and investment, all under the same umbrella. We believe that more corporate ventures in local economies will mean more innovation and more exits, which will in turn produce more entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs to create new jobs. The WBAF says ‘Hello’ to entrepreneurs and ‘Good-bye’ to borders. Globalisation of smart finance should be encouraged by fostering cross-border investments. We support the entrepreneurship ecosystems of local economies by providing innovative solutions that lead to an increased investment market size in a healthy way.
What lessons from your own experience can you share with fervent but fledgling women entrepreneurs?
First of all, they should understand the difference between ‘wannapreneurship’ and entrepreneurship. They need to be aware that ‘wannapreneurship’ comes before entrepreneurship, but it means nothing without taking a step towards the entrepreneurship stage.
Secondly, they should also differentiate invention and innovation. With an invention that isn’t marketable or doesn’t sell, they will never have money to deposit into their bank account — they will have only patents to hang on the walls of their office to prove their intelligence. If, on the other hand, they can sell their invention, they have become not merely inventors but also innovators, and this can lead to the entrepreneurial stage and healthier bank accounts.
Thirdly, I would like to draw attention to the important difference between raising investors and raising investments. In many cases, entrepreneurs and start-ups try to raise investment funds when in fact what they really need to do is find an investor who will provide know-how, mentorship and networking.
Fourthly, fervent fledgling women entrepreneurs should pay attention to getting investments from the right teams, and by the same token, investors need to be sure they are making investments in the right teams. Securing money from an angel investor team can carry your project all the way to Silicon Valley, whereas getting money from an individual investor might carry you only as far as the next street.
Last but certainly not least is a specific skill that needs to be developed: how to convert idle capacity in the economy to cash to generate finance for their potential businesses.
What are the essential skills that a successful woman entrepreneur must be armed with?
Women Entrepreneurs must possess 3 important skills. They have to be:
Able to actually see opportunities, not just look at them. So smart eyes are very important for an entrepreneur.
Keen and discriminating listeners, to differentiate between legitimate and irrelevant criticism. Entrepreneurs will hear many comments, both positive and negative, as they start out in their businesses. Smart ears are therefore critical for the entrepreneur.
Able to sniff out money before setting up their business. In this respect, entrepreneurs need smart noses.
Can you explain in broad terms the essence of your unique system that you call ‘The map to success: Your rise to entrepreneurship’, and tell us the conditions for this system to work successfully?
In my opinion, the journey to entrepreneurship resembles the four seasons of the year. The first season is the level of ‘wannapreneurship’. The second season is the stage of starting a business. This stage has three important sub-steps: innovation, entrepreneurship, and marketing and sales. The third season is the growth stage, which comprises branding, institutionalisation, and franchising. Lastly, the fourth season is the maturity stage: leadership and angel investment. In the absence of a business angel network, I encourage entrepreneurs to become, in effect, their own business angel by applying the CICIC technique. What they have to do is apply the CICIC technique to initiate the business and then follow the rising map of successful entrepreneurship. The combination of these unique systems is called the Altuntas Principle of Doing Business From Scratch.
Why do people keep reading your bestseller Off the Bus, Into a Supercar?
As the son of a teacher and a retired army officer, I would never in my wildest dreams have thought that the company I started without a penny to my name would become a multi-mullion-dollar business. Or that the president of the United States of America — in the land of entrepreneurs, would invite me to the White House to talk about entrepreneurship, or that the Turkish prime minister, leader of the 16th largest economy in the world, would hand me a letter to deliver in person to President Obama.
I couldn’t have imagined that I would one day be on CNN International commenting on President Obama’s Washington summit or that I would be one of the 110 Dragons from 22 countries on the most important entrepreneurship TV show in the world, Dragons’ Den (Shark Tank in the US). I had no money, no one to help me or back me up in the beginning, but all those things really happened. I wholeheartedly believe that our beautiful world is one where dreams are capable of becoming reality so long as we work towards the realisation of those dreams. I wish for everyone to be able to look at the world in the same optimistic way as I do, to see the bigger picture in the same frame. If the son of a teacher and army officer can achieve huge success, then I am sure that you can too, but probably much more easily. In the final analysis, I am saying that if I did it my way, so can you! And the to-do list in my book is an excellent reason for people to keep reading my book.
What was your key message to the delegates of the Global Woman Entrepreneurship Forum on 1st November 2016?
While addressing thousands of university students all over the world for a number of years this is what I learned: almost all university students mistakenly believe that a person must have a family member, a friend in an influential position or a strong network, or that you must be rich in order to be successful as an entrepreneur. I had nobody who was in a position to exert influence on my behalf, nor did I have family fortune or a network. So my message is, do not think like university students.
Would you have believed these things possible if you saw them in your dreams?
I would say again that I had no friends or family backing me up, no money, and no network at the time. I could have easily just resigned myself to my situation with a “the heck with this world” attitude. But I did not. I believe wholeheartedly that our beautiful world was created to convert everyone’s dreams into reality. As long as you dream and continue dreaming.
Can you tell us your steps in the entrepreneurship journey?
I am here to give you the key details of each step of the entrepreneurship journey. I have noted down what l did in each step by giving examples from my life story and l want you to write down what you have done in each step so that you can determine the level of your entrepreneurship. As a matter of fact, I want you to write your own entrepreneurship story. I did it! You can do it too! I have grouped all the steps from beginning to end that an entrepreneur will take during his or her entrepreneurship journey. l refer to those steps as the rising map of successful entrepreneurship and l have given hundreds of speeches all over the world on this topic. This map that l produced for world-class entrepreneurs is also used in workshops, and in training programmes of many universities.
My way of doing business can be summarised as Converting Idle Capacity Into Cash™, which has been examined by many academicians and featured in internationally refereed professional journals in management; it is referred to as the Altuntas Principle by academic researchers. I am very happy to be not just a real role model for entrepreneurs but also a source of inspiration for academicians to study and discover unique and beneficial methods for entrepreneurs. I am here for the readers and followers of the Global Woman Entrepreneurship Forum because I would like everyone from 7 to 77 to look at the world from my perspective, to see what I see in it. At the Forum on 1st November I will explain with all frankness how I did this. I hope that you realise that you are no different from me in many ways. If I was able to do it, so can you and probably a lot better and easier than I did!
I will tell you how I managed to accomplish so much in a short time. I will explain to you what you need to do to become a successful entrepreneur and build your own business. I hope my advice will shed a light on the subject that will help you find success in building your business. By the way, I would be pleased to hear from Women Entrepreneurs from all over the World. I’d like to answer their questions about making money, setting up new businesses, becoming their own bosses, creating new jobs, and even becoming millionaires. I’ll conclude my remarks with a favourite quote from Henry Ford that I believe captures the importance of mindset in becoming successful: ‘If you are saying that you can do it, I totally agree with you! If you are saying you can not do it, I totally agree with you.’
Follow me on Twitter and find me on Facebook. Get in touch with me to start creating new jobs as soon as possible.
About the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF): The World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) is an international organisation aiming to ease access to finance for businesses from start up to scale up, with the ultimate goal of generating more jobs and more social justice worldwide. It is committed to collaborating globally to empower world economic development by creating innovative financial instruments for innovators, start-ups, and SMEs. The Forum interacts with leaders in all areas of society, first and foremost in business and political spheres, to help assess needs and establish goals, bearing in mind that the public interest is of paramount importance. We engage a wide range of institutions, both public and private, local and international, commercial and academic to help shape the global agenda.
The WBAF holds that, with the participation of individuals and institutions from multiple sectors and from all parts of society, real progress can be achieved.
John Rubinstein has taught A level maths for 30 years and is the Principal of Woodhouse College in North Finchley, an outer suburb in north London. Woodhouse is a high performing sixth form college for 16-19 year old students, co-educational with around 60% female and a broad multi-cultural intake. John shares with us his background and interests, an insight into daily life as the Principal, and his concerns about underfunding, the dated education model being fit for purpose in today’s world and the future prospects for the UK economy post-Brexit.
Tell us about your childhood in Hull, your parents, and what shaped you into who you are today.
My dad was a history professor at Hull University. He was also a keen walker and was for a time national chair of the Ramblers Association, so we spent many a weekend and holiday walking over dales, moors and hills. After my parents divorced, we would see my dad on alternate weekends, often going to see Hull City play, hence my lifelong passion for football in general and Hull City in particular. I am still a keen walker, and last year I did the coast-to-coast walk, over 200 miles from the Irish Sea on the west of Cumbria to Robin Hoods Bay on the coast of North Yorkshire. My mother was a social worker, who worked very hard supporting local people in need. She remarried a local writer, Alan Plater, who was quite well known at the time (he wrote Z Cars and The Beiderbecke Connection, amongst other things), and they moved to London and bought a house just off the Holloway Road, which is where my mother still lives today, just down the road from me in Crouch End. I never imagined I would come down south and thought I would stay up north all my life, but my girlfriend got a job down here so I followed her down, only to split up 6 months later. I never made it back up north.
My partner Caroline is someone I have shared 27 years with, and I have learned from her that relationships with other people are the secret of life, the meaning of life.
Who have been your greatest influences in life and why?
My friend Mark, my next door neighbour from when I was 5 onwards, taught me a lot about life. He taught me to appreciate music and he taught me joy. He is still my best friend 50 years on. My partner Caroline is someone I have shared 27 years with, and I have learned from her that relationships with other people are the secret of life, the meaning of life.
You have a first class honours degree in pure mathematics, and have taught A level maths for 30 years. Is a mathematical mind in the family genes or unique to you? What drives your interest in maths?
Music ran in our family. My grandfather was a composer and led an orchestra in Ohio (my dad is American), and many of my extended family are American. But there's a few mathematicians now too: my daughter just graduated with a first class maths degree, and my nephew is a mathematician too. Maybe music and maths are related?
Why do you believe that maths is important and how is it relevant in our everyday lives?
I don't really. I see maths as fun, as a game. I am very much a pure mathematician. Just as English literature doesn't have to justify itself, neither should maths. Thousands of people do crosswords and sudukos and other puzzles every day just for the fun and the challenge of it, and that's why I love maths. But there's no denying that the study of maths makes you smarter. Want to get smart, kids? Read a lot and do maths, that's the answer.
Can you tell us a little about your out of work and family life, and your personal interests?
I live in Crouch End, north London, with my partner Caroline and three children, although one is now interning with a start-up company in Liverpool. The kids all went to local schools, and the two girls both came to Woodhouse College. I run a lot – I have done the Crouch End 10 kilometre run now for 13 years in a row. I enjoy half marathons but have only ever done one full marathon (London) because they take up too much training time.
You were a part time Ofsted inspector for 14 years. How would you describe the changes you have seen in that time and your view of the future direction in education?
Massive changes have taken place. At first, inspectors judged the quality of teaching. They wanted to see all-singing, all-dancing performances. Then there was a change of emphasis from the teacher to the students, and inspectors tried to measure learning instead of teaching: that's not easy to do, of course. Stare at a student listening to the teacher: are they actually listening? Are they learning? So now there has been another shift onto progress. How much progress are students making compared with their starting level? That's a good thing, and liberating for teachers because they can teach in any style that's effective, but it is still hard to measure. Statistics are always open to misinterpretation and abuse. But I do think that Ofsted inspectors are good people who mean well, most of them. The future of education is less certain. Sixth forms, whether in schools or colleges, are criminally under-funded and that is leading to the loss of minority subjects, like languages, and a lack of support for vulnerable students. The current obsession with grammar schools is a red herring.
We have lots of girls doing chemistry, biology and maths, at least 50%, maybe more. Lots of girls want to be doctors and pharmacists. But physics remains male-dominated.
Why do you think that there is still a gender difference in educational and work choice decisions, with boys still the big majority favouring maths, physics, engineering, science and technology and what can be done to shift that balance with many more girls taking up those subjects and careers?
We have lots of girls doing chemistry, biology and maths, at least 50%, maybe more. Lots of girls want to be doctors and pharmacists. But physics remains male-dominated. I guess schools need to do more to make physics/engineering careers appealing and accessible to girls. But I also think physics is badly taught in many schools, and that deters more girls than it does boys.
Please give us a little insight into the daily life of being the Principal of Woodhouse College
A little bit of everything, every day. I have a lot of contacts with students. I still teach A level maths, and have a lesson most days, and I am currently a form tutor too. I wander around the college talking to students, and my door is always open – every day, students come and see me, asking advice about university choices or permission to put on an event. Sometimes they come because they are upset; I get through several boxes of tissues a year! I spend a lot of time with staff too, and I really enjoy my meetings with the senior team. They are very serious, highly focused, but we have a laugh too. I like planning change. For example, I am currently working on next year's timetable: we are increasing the amount of time per A level subject per week in the classroom and also expanding extra-curricular opportunities, and I am working out the best form that might take, which is challenging, detailed and fun
How do you see the future of further and higher education and the transition from education into employment?
I am pretty depressed following Brexit. It is hard to be optimistic about the prospects for the UK economy. Everything seems to be fixed until 2020, all our funding rates and the way education works, but everything could change in 2020, or sooner if there's an election.
Are we equipping and educating students today with the right knowledge and skills for a fast changing technological world? How is the education system adapting to the changes and what more needs to be done?
At the moment, our education system is still pretty much the same as it was 50 years ago. We still have exams based on writing essays, based on memory of learning over two years. We don't reward creativity or teamwork or emotional intelligence or any of the qualities that are increasingly needed in the new world. Many of our students are smart and funny and quick, but these are not academically prized talents. The trouble is that exams are, on the one hand, more important than ever as a means of deciding who gets the top university places and the top jobs but, on the other hand, less fit for purpose than ever. And schools are measured by exam performance so they teach to the exam more than in the past. The whole system needs a radical shake-up.
The world is being shaken up with some momentous changes coming. How do you see the future, the role of women, and is it bright?
Girls, women, are now doing better than boys in almost every sphere in education. They mature faster into impressive young adults and they seize opportunities. Despite the continued tide of misogyny, women are marching on, and I am cheering. Men have messed up this world good and proper; if there is any optimism, surely it is female.
When we ask Bernado what he has been doing for most of his life, he answers “I am an ongoing project that was started 52 years ago. Project "Bernardo" continues today, and I'm more interested than ever in learning and developing”. Bernardo is fifty-two but it seems that he has the curiosity and energy of a 26-year-old!
He has been an entrepreneur for more than 32 years and a husband for nearly 30 years to his wife Julia. Bernardo became a parent 25 years ago and he is a father of three: He has two sons, Max and Lucci, and Gigi is his daughter. If we were to try and describe Bernardo in a few words, it would be, honest, loyal, very motivated and driven – and one who creates his own path and vision. He usually feels comfortable interviewing other people for his magazine, The Best You, but here he is sharing his story for Global Woman magazine in this exclusive interview.
You have created a global platform for self development – how did it start?
It started with a book, curiosity and having lost it all. The book was Change Your Life In 7 Days by Paul McKenna; the curiosity came from starting to ask myself, when I was thirty-something, "surely, there must be more to life than working in something that doesn’t have a true meaning?" I thought there had to be more to life than just working, so I set out to find out what my true meaning was. That brought me to NLP training and to Dr. Richard Bandler. Back then I was running a real estate company. Then, when I lost it all to a property crash in Spain when I was 40, I decided to start all over again. I did that by founding NLP Life Training and 5 years later The Best You.
You have achieved a lot of success but have also faced many challenges on your journey; How have they impacted on who you are today?
I personally think we are very lucky. A lot of people all over the world have real, life-long struggles. They have lived all their lives in places with no electricity, in poverty, with no running water, refrigeration or internet. They have poor health care and live hard lives, or they've been brought up in war zones. So, in the West, our challenges or what we think are challenges, really aren't so bad. My first real difficulty came when I was 15, when I lost my father. Since then I suppose I have convinced myself that life throws things at you, and it’s your choice how you deal with it and if you let it affect you or impact you negatively or not. My grandfather was still alive and he tried to step into my dad’s shoes. I can only imagine what it must be like to lose a son. Unfortunately, he passed away six months later. So, I suppose that from an early age I discovered that my family and I were on our own. My uncles and aunts carried on with their own lives and my mum was left alone to bring us up and work very hard to do so. I stepped up and tried in a very small way to fill my dad’s shoes.
My first real difficulty came when I was 15, when I lost my father. Since then I suppose I have convinced myself that life throws things at you, and it’s your choice how you deal with it and if you let it affect you or impact you negatively or not.
Over the years I have discovered that I have had to do that in different ways many times. So, what I know is that I am resilient, that I keep going. I understood and learned early on that change is good and also necessary, and I have never been scared of re-inventing or improving myself. I have had many very hard days, but I have always brushed myself off and started all over again.
What are the most important events in your life that have influenced your personality?
Apart from the death of my dad, and the responsibilities I took on those early years, I would say losing all my money twice was a wake up call to work smarter. The first time was at the age of 26. My son was six months old, and my wife was pregnant again, when there was a real estate crash. I had a moment when all my savings were in a box of Roses chocolates, and I literally used my last 100 pesetas. That was a wake-up call. There was a moment when I thought what that last coin meant. Basically from then on, I started working in Timeshare and eventually real estate and I built my wealth all over again. The second time I was 38. That was much more of a challenge as I had accumulated more wealth, several, cars and properties, I was living the life, and the second real estate crisis caught me completely unprepared. It meant a time for big decisions, starting all over again, moving to England, and starting something new, promoting seminars while I left my family in Spain.
How do you remember your childhood?
I had lovely and loving parents. I was born in London and lived here until I was nine. My parents were both immigrants, who worked as staff in the homes of very wealthy people. Because of that, we used to travel all over Europe: Austria in winter, Venice and Spain in the summer. Then my parents moved back to Spain. In Marbella, I had a very nice, easy-going time. I lived in a lovely villa where my parents worked, so I have always lived in great properties and surrounded by wealthy people. My parents paid for me to go to private schools – so yes, I was fortunate. I had lots of fun growing up and I enjoyed all the pleasures a place like Marbella had to offer.
How was your relationship with your parents?
It was great with both. Unfortunately I did not get to know my dad well enough. They were both hard working. My dad was a maître d', so he had vast knowledge of good wines and good food. My mum is a chef, so I was brought up in that environment. I remember from a very young age, helping, shopping, drying dishes, washing cars. They met in England, and they brought us back to Spain. My mum is a force of nature, an amazing character that worked very hard to support us and educate us – especially after my dad died. She's old school Spanish from Sevilla!
You were born in the UK and then moved to Spain and then back again to London – how would you describe this transition?
I was lucky because when I left the UK I was fluent in English. It took me a bit of time to become fluent in Spanish but I then became completely bilingual. When I left Spain at the age of 40, even if I hadn't worked in the UK, I was lucky that I could speak the language and knew how to get around. It made me think about how difficult it was for our parents who came as immigrants to this country with no knowledge at all of English. It must have been so difficult. So for me, the most difficult thing was to leave my family in Spain for the first three years and to commute back and forth. To be honest I never thought in a million years I would have left Spain to work in England! But you do what you have to do! I miss Spain and I wish I spent more time at home – that’s my plan in the coming years.
How did you manage to keep the balance between family and your career?
Well, my wife has always been great at making a nest. We have moved many times, but home became home very quickly! I have always been very business-driven, In Spain life is different, there is more sunshine, more outdoor activities. It's true that I missed out on quite a few things – like when my boys were teenagers. I am sure it wasn't easy for them, but they are all great, independent and very hard-working. I am very proud of them, they are my real legacy to the world. When I work, I work very hard and long hours – but I do try to holiday or travel more and plan to do a lot more in the future. I really would like to dedicate my future years to learning and doing new things, and to speak around the world. To live life to the full!
Bernardo with his wife Julia
What is the role of your wife Julia in your career?
She is my "Consigliori" – my advisor. I share all my ups and downs with her; especially the downs, unfortunately for her. We have had a few. She has always been a part of all my dreams, my visions, my successes and my failures. As they say, behind every man (great or not!) there is a strong woman.
You now lead very successful enterprises – what is the goal and the plans that you have for the future?
It’s exciting times at The Best You. We have many exciting things on the go. It started with NLP and launching NLP Life Training 10 years ago, then five years ago I launched The Best You Magazine. This year we promoted our first EXPO. It was the first personal development EXPO in Europe. We have our second one planned on the 4th and 5th March 2017, and we are very excited about it. We will have 8 seminar rooms, the main stage, more than 112 workshops, 140 exhibitors and we are hoping for more than 6000 visitors.
During the evening of the EXPO on the 4th of March we will run our first Best You Gala and Awards dinner for the most inspiring professional developers and personal growth leaders. I think it's important to recognise people who've made a contribution to helping others, and to celebrate that. I'm sure it's going to be fantastic. For the last four years we have been recording our seminars and interviewing so many great people, and with all that content and the content of other partners, The Best You TV channel and E-Learning Platform will go live in the second quarter of 2017. So our plans are to get into the U.S. market and provide inspiring stories, events and products all over the world and in many languages.
What would be your message for all women entrepreneurs?
My message is we need you. The world needs you, Men have been in charge for far too long. Women bring something very unique to business. Of course, it's too corny to simply say "they are more empathetic, more caring, they are loyal" and so on. But my experience with women entrepreneurs is they often bring something different to the role. Perhaps it's a different perspective, a different way of looking at things. Perhaps it's a different experience of life from most of the men. I don't know, but whatever it is, when I am always pleased to meet a great woman entrepreneur and hear what she has to say. To encounter her drive and her passion is all part of the reward of working in business.
My personal belief is that thanks to the era we live in with technology at our disposal, we have not only the opportunity but also a duty – a social, personal, professional and global responsibility to make the world a better place. Getting more women into business, getting more people taking control of their lives is part of that – and then going beyond that to make others' lives better. So, working with women and seeing women empowered is all part of the industry I work in.
But, whether we are talking about men or women, I believe we all have to find our purpose, we have to find out what our mission in life is, what we want our legacy to be. Don't just live, really LIVE!
Situation in Turkey – Letter from Baybars Altuntas
Baybars Altuntas
Baybars Altuntas is a global entrepreneur, best-selling author, angel investor, columnist, star of the Turkish version of the television show Dragons’ Den, President of the Business Angels Association of Turkey (TBAA), President of Deulcom International, Vice President of the European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Funds, and other Early Stage Market Players (EBAN), and the World Entrepreneurship Forum’s Ambassador to Turkey and the South East Europe. He has been recognised by the European Trade Association of Business Angels (EBAN) and received the Best Individual in Europe Globally Engaging with the World Entrepreneurial Ecosystem award in both 2014 and 2015. He was the only entrepreneurship guru to be granted a special audience by US President Barack Obama at the White House during the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship in 2010.As a popular global speaker on entrepreneurship, innovation and angel investment, Mr Altuntas was invited by US President Obama to speak at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Kenya in 2015. In the same year he was recognised as Junior Chamber International (JCI) Ambassador, following Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations. The JCI is a non-profit international non-governmental organization with chapters in 182 countries and now has more than 200.ooo members worldwide. It has consultative status with the Council of Europe, with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and with UNESCO. He currently serves on the international advisory board of the South-East Europe Research Center in Greece. Holding an MBA, he is known as the creator of ‘Startup Compass: Starting from scratch by converting idle capacity to cash’. He has also developed a roadmap for entrepreneurs who want to start from scratch. An avid follower of quiz shows for years, Altuntas currently enjoys hosting the Turkish version of the highly successful BBC quiz show, The Weakest Link.Mr Altuntas is married and is the proud father of two daughters.
Dear Friends,
As you know, we experienced one of the biggest, maybe the biggest shock of our lives on the night of 15 July in Turkey. I was in Thessaloniki to attend some events when all these terrible things happened. I had woken up early on Friday morning (15th) to the shocking news of the death of 80 innocent people in Nice on the previous night. Going to bed Friday night, I never expected that on Saturday morning I would wake up to the news of a coup attempt that would cause the death of more than 240 innocent people in my own country.
How ironic it is that I am writing this message from Nice, sitting in the lobby of a hotel not even 50 metres from the square where the incredible terrorist attack happened just a few days ago. I extend my deepest sympathy to the families of those 80 innocent people.
Around 10pm on Friday, I received a whatsapp message from my wife telling me that tanks had closed the Bosphorus Bridge to traffic — something very odd (and puzzling), especially since it was a Friday night. I said, ‘Don’t worry, there must have been a tip about a terrorist attack, so probably they sent tanks to close the bridge, as a security measure.
BAYBARS ALTUNTAS
10 minutes later, I received another whatsapp from my wife. Her aunt living in Ankara had informed her that F16 fighter jets were flying over the city!
I said, ‘Don’t worry! You see? I was right. There must be a serious terrorist threat’.
After another 10 minutes, my wife and I understood that I was right! There was indeed a very serious terrorist attack. But it was an attack from inside Turkey on its own citizens, not from the PKK or ISIS.
Some ‘official’ terrorists, wearing army uniforms, had attacked their own people, their own President, their own Prime Minister and other Ministers, and tragically, their own parliament. A group of army officers had come together and planned the attack.
When we heard on TV that generals in different regions of Turkey were announcing that it was not in fact an army-organised coup but an action of a group of officers in the army, we somehow felt a bit better.
But then when we saw tanks running over people and weapons being used indiscriminately on those who got in their way, the shock increased. We were totally traumatised by the sight of ordinary citizens being shot at and run down.
I needn’t go into the details of this terrible nightmare (it still feels like a bad dream) because it is everywhere in the media.
At this point, the situation in Turkey is this:
Everybody was expecting there would be a run on the banks on the Monday morning after Friday night’s coup attempt and that the dollar and euro exchange rates would be doubled. This didn’t happen: Nobody ran to the banks, and the dollar and euro rates haven’t changed dramatically. 1 USD was 2.90 TL, now it is 3.03 TL.
The stock exchange decreased only by around 10%, which, I think, is very normal after such a huge shock. Because there is quite a sizeable amount of foreign investment, the relatively small decrease shows that foreign investors still have strong confidence in the Turkish market.
Turkish Airlines suspended its flights for one day only. On Sunday morning, all domestic and international flights had begun operating as usual. Turkish Airlines really deserves a big applause!
I had no problem arriving at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport on Sunday evening Congratulations to the airports, as well!
I was pleased to learn that the government has stated that those responsible for the attempted coup will be dealt with in line with international law and universal human rights norms.
Startups, entrepreneurs and SMEs are now more motivated because they understand they are living in a country where people really care about democracy.
The young generation now has a better understanding of the importance of democracy.
I will be pleased to answer questions if you have any, but now I have to go to the messages box coming from startups to see what great business ideas they have!
Adam Stott is a man on a mission and clearly knows where he is going and why. Everything this young gentleman does reflects that sentiment. He has mapped out his path early on and taken the necessary steps to reach the goals that he has set for himself. His can do attitude and why not thinking has laid the path for each step in his journey and no doubt will continue to do so. This journey has taken him from humble beginnings to the visionary entrepreneur, international speaker, innovator and philanthropist that he is today.
Having to face life changing choices as early as aged 15, Adam took this in his stride and made the difficult decisions of doing whatever it took to survive and to better himself. Notwithstanding the terrible jobs he accepted or his living standards as he grew up – he used this to drive himself to learn as much as he could in his chosen field and come out on top. Step-by-step he progressed up the career ladder and made sure he cemented his position, always standing out and standing strong, so that at the age of 25, he quit his well-paid job to start his own business. Within eight years built it up from zero to 40 million UK pounds in turnover and employing over 70 staff members.
His story is very inspiring for many men and women who want to enter the business world and be determined to succeed in overcoming all challenges and obstacles they face on their journey as entrepreneurs. This interview with him will teach you more than you think.
You have managed to grow your business to a very high scale at a time where many are complaining about the financial crisis. How did you achieve this?
My mentality has always been not to let what I cannot control concern me, the economy I can't control, but my work ethic and my persistence and what I do within my business I can control. There have been times in my business where the economy had a huge impact, what you have to do is to adapt to those issues. Business is never smooth sailing and that is what I love about it, it is a constant challenge and battle of wits, it weeds out those who have a poor mentality. For me the business owner mentality is very important, it's something that I believe you have to develop, as it is not natural to a lot of people to be able to take the ups and downs that come in business.
The more you develop yourself as a business owner the more your business will grow.
The more you develop yourself as a business owner the more your business will grow. I have a zero tolerance for excuses or complaining in my business, everyone that works for me knows that, because I firmly believe we create our own results. Once you remove the excuses you are free to work and create the results. Also we worked very hard to make sure we used innovation in our business. We haven't followed the crowd. We do things differently and pride ourselves on that, which has helped us create explosive growth, by just taking the time to think and create strategies on how we can improve our business is a key factor.
How did you start with ‘Big Cars’ and what motivated you start this business?
What motivated me was the glass ceiling I had working for other people. In my business I always look to provide growth to the people that work for me, and frankly had I been able to grow when working for others I may have not been in the position I am today. I also wanted freedom and the flexibility to create something and that is something I enjoy. Once I started my business I viewed that as a commitment. I have always been successful in my other roles and starting my own business no matter how hard it can or would get, I always saw that as my responsibility to see it through and ensure I was equally successful in running a business. There have been times where I lacked certain skills but when those times arrived I either got the people who had the skills or developed myself. As I mentioned earlier, in my opinion working and investing in yourself is key to becoming successful in business.
In my business I always look to provide growth to the people that work for me
What was your dream as a child? Did you always know that you have this entrepreneurship spirit?
I knew from the age of 16 that I wanted to be a millionaire, I told people who laughed but that spurred me on more. What I didn't know was how much I would enjoy growing a company and developing people, I am now coaching other business owners and am able to quickly raise their levels and help them to achieve massive success in a very short space of time, and I find this extremely satisfying. I don't think it matters if you are 16 or 50, if you decide and make the commitment to become a success and you get the right people around you, I believe you can achieve it.
Many successful business people say that before they reach their success they have faced many challenges. What are the biggest challenges you have faced to become who you are today?
I have had lots of challenges from lack of funding, to staff and friends betraying me, stealing from me, setting up rival companies, stealing data from me, and other companies trying to discredit my business. All sorts of challenges but I just see them as an opportunity to grow and learn from these issues as lessons, when something challenges you it's a great opportunity to refine and improve your business to make it better and more resilient.
Can we know a little about your personal and family life? Who is Adam when he is not doing business?
I spend most of my time with my partner Hannah and my young son, Samuel. I like to spend as much of my spare time with them as possible, we like doing things together and going on nice holidays and visiting new places. I do weight training around 3-4 times a week and I love football. I am a big Tottenham Hotspur fan and have followed them my whole life. I have a close group of long-term friends and love to socialise with them, like going to nice restaurants, horse racing, sporting events etc. I am perhaps one of the only men that also enjoys shopping, ha ha. I also like watching films and reading motivational and inspiring books and biographies.
You have many employees in your company – what is the role of women in your company?
We have increased staffing this year with the opening of two new showrooms during 2016 and have 70+ staff. The role of women in my company only depends on the skill set of the individual. I have always liked working with women and find them to be more approachable, more pragmatic to situations and they have a higher level of attention to detail. That, of course, isn't always the case although those are traits over the long term that I have found.
I have always liked working with women and find them to be more approachable, more pragmatic to situations and they have a higher level of attention to detail.
I have quite a few females in senior management, my Head of Marketing, Head of Events and Head of Accounts among others, who are all female, and they are all excellent at there respective roles. Our actual ethos is to promote from within, however, when we promote, we want to make sure that the individual has the skill set to do the job they are promoted to. This is why we always train and educate within my business, to allow people to continue to grow. Even when promotion opportunities are not there yet, we find it is best to prepare people far in advance for the job that they want, to ensure they are successful.
How do you promote and encourage women who work with you?
We encourage women to be confident. We are always encouraging, especially when people are performing highly in their role. We have schemes including ‘Employee of the Month’, ‘The People's Champion’, as voted for by their peers, ‘Manager of the Month’ and ‘Department of the Month’. Everybody has an equal opportunity, which is how we have always done it. We find that females often make great leaders.
Many business people complain about being “Busy” and not having enough time – how does a business person like you manage time?
I'm action orientated, I ensure I have a clear plan of what I want to achieve daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. I stay focused and don't let things deter me from the goals and targets I have set. I do use software to help organise myself, like trello, which if used well is very effective. I understand that you can't do everything yourself and have mastered delegating tasks, I also don't allow myself to get overwhelmed. Instead I break things down and focus on the most important tasks first.
What is the biggest ambition that you have in life?
My biggest ambition has always been to create the largest used car brand in the country. I have other important focuses like being a good Dad and ensuring I am there for my family. Also with the coaching for other businesses I am doing, I take it very seriously when I take on a client, I feel I have made a commitment to them and their business. I must deliver success to those individuals, it's a challenge that I enjoy immensely.
What would be the wisdom that you can share for people who aspire to achieve success with their businesses?
My advice is simple:
Invest in yourself, you only get one of you
Commit to things and follow them through to the end
Master what you are doing before you do ten more things
Don't quit, you never know where the next breakthrough is coming from
Get the right voices around you and listen, you have two ears and one mouth
" I have persistence when it comes to business and a never say die attitude. I have an ability to solve people’s problems in business quickly and practically. I am not afraid to take sensible risks, or explore avenues other people will not. I have an ability to take ideas, form a vision and create it."
"Challenges happened early on in my business which made me stronger and taught me to toughen up in business, not to involve personal relationships in business and to become better organized, more structured and improve everything within my business, including recruitment and lots of other areas."
Melissa is a single mother of two children, who inspire her each day. She was brought up through the UK Care system and was privileged during her childhood to meet many different people from different backgrounds. She studied PE teaching at university and then went on to work within the special needs sector. With her background and having the learning impairment of Dyslexia she thinks that she had a naturally empathy with learners that had barriers to learning, and so her journey began to help children with disabilities. Now she is the Head Teacher at the Stepping Stones School, a very outstanding institution that develops the resilience of young people with mild disabilities and hidden disabilities such as terminal illness, learning disabilities, mild ‘Aspergers’ and high anxiety.
Melissa Farnham
Working with disadvantaged and disabled children is a challenge. Can you describe your experience as a head teacher there?
A quote I have in my office is, “the kids that need the most love will ask for it in the most unloving ways.’ This is a true reflection of the young people I work with. They inspire me each day to evoke the staff under my watch to role model and guide each of the students to reach their true potential. Stepping Stones is a school full of young people that the mainstream couldn’t help or guide. I have the pleasure in seeing them flourish and transition into young people that society understands and can see the potential in. My job is to make sure that potential is uncovered and a light is shone on it.
The kids that need the most love will ask for it in the most unloving ways
Can you share a positive story with us that will inspire parents who have children with similar problems?
You have to ask yourself this question – What happens if the basic expectation of having a child is taken from you in the earliest days? For whatever reason, be it nature, error or simply bad luck this is what happens to the families at Stepping Stones. You are simply thrown into a different world in which you are bombarded by a language that tries to explain what is wrong and what that means.
For us that happened when our son was six months old and we spent the next five years trying to understand why – a question to which we still don’t have an answer. What we did know quite quickly is that our life was different to those around us. Less time was spent at toddler groups and more at the hospital or in therapy. Our own reality was that we found ourselves daily growing away from the family life of our friends with young children. After all it is all too easy to look at the negatives and get depressed when you are told that your son would never walk, has a learning disability and at one stage may not even live the year out.
This was and is still is quite a lonely place to be most of the time. Many people ask us how we cope and keep smiling. My answer is often – ‘I don’t know’ – or ‘Because we have no choice’ – or ‘What else would we do?’
More than anything we have been taught it was a case of learning, to look at what we had in our child and not what was lacking. We learnt to see him for who he was and today many would use the same words to describe him as they did then. Our son is happy, he accepts who he is, he tries things and he works hard at what he enjoys. We did play in the autumn leaves and we did carry him down onto the beach to build sandcastles but there is so much more. If we hadn’t begun to look at the positives we would never have seen him play wheelchair hockey at the Italian national finals, win gold in wheelchair slalom at the UK national athletics finals or more recently take to the skies to fly a plane. He is only 18 and his and our lives are not what we hoped for and they never will be – but I still stand here today as a proud parent.
How have you tailored the curriculum to make the school easier for these children?
Our students access a curriculum that is informed by a transdisciplinary team to bring their potential to the surface. It is not controlled by the barriers to learning but purely by the different pathways we must weave through a harsh curriculum that schools have to follow. Creative Arts is extremely vital and is at the heart of what we do from Drama, Music and Art to creative writing skills that you cannot believe.
How do you collaborate with parents and how do they get involved in your projects?
Parents are at the heart of what we do regarding the journey we take our students on and the families and siblings must also come along. This includes everything from volunteering at the Cookie Bar through to a very proactive Parent-Teacher Association. Parents bring in new ideas and new ways of thinking, run workshops for other parents and our school for Parents (F.R. E. E. which stands for Family , Resilience , Enablement and Education ). It drives forward how we all look and reflect on the journey to adult hood these young people travel.
What is your New Year resolution?
To ensure I am a good role model to my family, to eat healthily and to take a little exercise every day.
