Bouncing back
How to succeed when the odds are stacked against you
High levels of resilience and motivation to overcome challenges when faced with impossible situations are some of the qualities that give business leaders the edge as proved by two of Nottingham’s successful entrepreneurs. The founders of well-known local companies aim to offer inspiration and encouragement to business managers as they share their experiences with the audience at the next OnCourse Innovation Masterclass event on July 12th. The free event will take place at The Canal House, a Tynemill pub on Canal Street.
"Be bold and hold an unshakeable belief in your ability to succeed," is Ken Grundy’s approach to business. In addition to his role as chairman of Hello Telecom (UK) plc, a telecoms solutions provider and a Plus market quoted public company, Ken is also the vice chairman of Nottingham Regeneration Ltd, a company owned jointly between the private sector and Nottingham City Council.
A chartered surveyor since 1970, Ken’s career had always been biased towards property development and investment. But the crash of 1990 changed this significantly when the downturn wiped out a personal sum of £10 million from his property investment portfolio. "My comeback approach was not to put all my proverbial eggs in one basket again," said Ken, "and I created a number of trading companies alongside any future property interests." He built a document storage company from scratch and in five years sold it to TNT for £2 million.
Ken’s enthusiasm for his business ventures translates into sport, and in rugby in particular, where he is the chairman of Nottingham RFC.
Chris Holmes is the chairman and chief executive of the pub group Tynemill with pubs which include the Stratford Haven at West Bridgford, the Lincolnshire Poacher on Mansfield Road and a new £400,000 redevelopment of the former Judges Bakery site on Mapperley Plains. All specialise in real ales, continental lagers and fine wines with a home cooked food menu. A former higher education lecturer, Chris will talk about the ups and downs of business as he overcame numerous challenges to establish Nottingham’s characteristic pub chain.
Kicking off the event at 5.30 pm Paul Fileman, a partner of Strategic Planning Solutions, will outline how to introduce innovation to conservative customers.
The OnCourse Innovation Masterclass event is part of a three-year series aimed at inspiring the city’s business leaders of tomorrow by putting emerging entrepreneurs into contact with leaders who have succeeded through innovation. Launched in March 2006 it is run by Nottingham Development Enterprise.