My Journey
It all began in a little Surrey flat..
...I learnt retail entrepreneurship and hard work through my parents, who worked in the two shops that we lived above. From as young as five, I was introduced to the mentality of working for your success, and I watched my own parents live by this. They instilled in me that the only thing more important than work, was belonging to and building a family - which is the trajectory my life took, when I was old enough to go into work myself.
From apprentice to entrepreneur...
...Lord Alan Sugar is a household name, but it was one heard regularly in my household for very different reasons, when I joined his electronics company, Amstrad, in 1986 . Referred to as 'The Original Apprentice' I used this experience to learn from one of Britain's most prolific entrepreneurs, and it was of very little surprise, when I decided to leave Amstrad in 1988 and begin my own business.
Aged 24, The PAR Group PLC was co-founder with Richard Alberg and Mike Raybone. Whilst this was my first venture into the world of running your own business, it was by no means my last, paving the way for a 30-year career of building businesses and being a Board Member in multiple companies.
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From apprentice to entrepreneur...
...Lord Alan Sugar is a household name, but it was one heard regularly in my household for very different reasons, when I joined his electronics company, Amstrad, in 1986 . Referred to as 'The Original Apprentice' I used this experience to learn from one of Britain's most prolific entrepreneurs, and it was of very little surprise, when I decided to leave Amstrad in 1988 and begin my own business.
Aged 24, The PAR Group PLC was co-founder with Richard Alberg and Mike Raybone. Whilst this was my first venture into the world of running your own business, it was by no means my last, paving the way for a 30-year career of building businesses and being a Board Member in multiple companies.
Becoming a family man...
The emphasis on building a family never floundered, and in July 1990 I married my wife, Penny - now, Penny Power OBE as of 2014. A pioneer of the online world in her own right, we built our own family, instilling in them the same business acumen and emphasis on support and integrity, that we'd grown up with ourselves.
For me, a large part of the excitement of bringing up children, is in passing down your values and your knowledge. When Hannah, Ross and TJ expressed their own interests in starting businesses, I was able to also pass down my network contacts and connections and emphasise the importance of building a brand. These lessons never cease, and as they've gone on to found their own businesses, it's now a reverse learning curve, and family always remains a priority.
The rise and fall of Ecademy...
It's 1998. I have three young children, and I'm attempting to navigate the business world whilst maintaining connections and balancing a family life. Myself and Penny are looking for ways to meet other business men and women, and the first ever social network, Six Degrees, has just been launched.
"I think we need to build a platform specifically for those in business. For entrepreneurs, and business owners." Penny said to me one morning.
And so, the journey of Ecademy began.
Ecademy became the first ever social network for the business-minded to connect, unite and virtually meet one another. We emphasised building real relationships, and prioritising friends over transactions.
As more and more people joined the site, we continued to meet our competitors; Myspace, Friends Reunited, Facebook, Twitter - and eventually, the competition won.
In 2012, we sold Ecademy after 14 years of giving it ever sinew in my mind and body. We amassed over 650,000 members across 60 countries. We spoke at over 100 conferences world wide, and the process, journey and people remain my finest piece of work.
The rise and fall of Ecademy...
It's 1998. I have three young children, and I'm attempting to navigate the business world whilst maintaining connections and balancing a family life. Myself and Penny are looking for ways to meet other business men and women, and the first ever social network, Six Degrees, has just been launched.
"I think we need to build a platform specifically for those in business. For entrepreneurs, and business owners." Penny said to me one morning.
And so, the journey of Ecademy began.
Ecademy became the first ever social network for the business-minded to connect, unite and virtually meet one another. We emphasised building real relationships, and prioritising friends over transactions.
As more and more people joined the site, we continued to meet our competitors; Myspace, Friends Reunited, Facebook, Twitter - and eventually, the competition won.
In 2012, we sold Ecademy after 14 years of giving it ever sinew in my mind and body. We amassed over 650,000 members across 60 countries. We spoke at over 100 conferences world wide, and the process, journey and people remain my finest piece of work.
Lessons learnt and the world today...
There's no doubt that the Ecademy period shaped the next phase of my life. Starting the first social network for businesses highlighted how critical it is to be aware of your market and competitors (or lack of). The objectivity and foresight necessary to continue as sites such as Ryze 2001, Xing (OpenBC) 2002 and Linkedin 2003 rose in popularity, was an invaluable learning curve and shaped my role as an Independent Director.
We live in a world today, where it's close to impossible to receive that objective, unbiased information. Everybody has a vested interest, everybody has stakes or skin in the game, and everybody is looking to please themselves, or somebody close to them.
It's never been more important to have an independent voice in your boardroom .
