Career Interview
From accountant to renowned cheese expert - an ENTP entrepreneur's story
How would you describe your career in 30 seconds?
I was good in science and maths in school and did engineering at university, but that wasn’t
something that was worth pursuing for me, and I realised I was more interested in commerce. I
took an opportunity to join an accounting firm and got my Association of Chartered Accountants
exams and qualified.
I then worked with a large number of small to mid-sized firms, most of which were owner-managed. I found this area fascinating, and it cemented my desire to work in small companies where small stuff happens, happens fast, is interesting and gets developed.
I had an opportunity to work on a small property project which enabled me to gain some funds, and since then I have taken a more ‘passion-led’ path. I opened a delicatessen which was focused on cheese – and became one of the best cheese mongers in the area of the country I was in. I did that for 15 years – and as a team we grew to about 20 people. We specialised in cheese which give us a skill set at the centre of what we did and drove people through the door.
I didn’t expand significantly; we never opened a second shop, and this was pre-online ordering. I chose not to expand in bricks and mortar ‘land’. I found the opportunity of growing a business in a property that I was renting not owning wasn’t attractive, so I took the opportunity to go online to build an online wholesale marketplace for small specialist producers.
It is a fascinating opportunity though not as successful (yet) as I would like it to be, so I have launched a second business which is teaching people about cheese (over the past 20 years, I have become well-known in the world of cheese – I’m an international cheese judge, a cheese specialist, and I train, teach, and write all about cheese!). I’m also a founding director in the Academy of Cheese (the leading cheese organisation in the UK).
What have been the 'best bits' of your career?
Because the last 20 years have been passion led – the surface level pleasures have been
there all the time. The bit that’s really made the difference (because I have chosen a
‘passion-led’ career) is where they have been financially successful, which has been hit and miss.
When it’s going well, I am very jolly. When it’s not going well, I have sleepless nights.
Anyone who has run their own business knows that comes with the territory.
I’ve chosen that over being a cog in the machine.
What things would you do differently?
I would do less and do it better. Pretty much across the board. I would have had a much tighter
focus and I would have stayed in that zone and done it better. There’s an old expression
that retail is detail, and that’s not my best attribute. I am very good at face to face,
and not so go at being able to leverage myself. I should have found ways to get around that
and improve it.
If you were to meet the 20-year old verson of you, what career advice would you give?
The one advice I’d give any 20-year-old, not just a younger me, is that you have plenty of time.
Choose what you’re doing next. Do it completely. Do it narrowly. And if that’s not enough,
do something else afterwards. Do lots of stuff, but don’t try do it all at once
because then you’ll do nothing well.
Stay focused on the zone. Choose something. If it lasts for 6 months, then fine. If it lasts for 6 years that’s just as fine. Do it well, because you’ll get more pleasure out of that and you’ll get more success out of getting things done well and building the skills around that, than any sort of ridiculous idea of conquering the universe is going to get you.
I have a property that I rent out, and I’ve learned that having it occupied is more valuable than getting the right price. That accumulation of not having void periods, always having it doing something is the priority. In your career, I think the same is true – what you might think of as the ‘compound interest approach to a life’ – the continued self-development, is so much important than quick wins. Just keep adding, keep going forward.
What tips would you have for budding entrepreneurs?
Choose what you do. Stay focussed. Do it well. Be clear how you are accumulating value.
One of the mistakes that I made with my business is that every time our profit went up, our
rent went up. It’s not specific (that link) but the value was accumulating in the property. So
when I walked away, I wasn’t paying into something that was accumulating value. You don’t necessarily
need an exit strategy; some business is hard, and you won’t get the value you want.
But look at how you are accumulating value – that might be value in yourself, in the skills your
developing, the reputation you’re building, the network you’re establishing. Look at how you’re
accumulating value and focus on it, and then find your way to deliver on it.
For me, that was cheese. That’s worked for me.
Any final thoughts about managing a career?
You won’t be the same person all your life so don’t expect to do the same job all your life.
You’re going to change. You’re going to evolve. When you’re young, you have a tendency to look
at the headlines, the billionaires, the shooting stars that grab your attention. It’s not going
to happen to you. It’s not going to happen to me. That’s a very small number of people.
Career Management
Taking control of your career leads to many questions: what job should I do? Where should I work? How should I find a job? What jobs best fit my personality? The role of Higher is to help you answer these questions; build your self-awareness, give you confidence in being able to explain who you are, and give you support on the '4.5 million minute marathon' that is your career.
If you enjoyed this article, have a look at some other articles that might be of interest and then take your own personality assessment - it's free, quick and who knows where it might take you?
