In Conversationwith -GrahamQuinn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Succeeding in the beautiful game
Graham Quinn, founder of cosmetics distribution company Graham Anthony, talks about life in and out of work.
I used to be a professional footballer. It was through bad luck and injury that I had to stop playing and that I fell into the cosmetic business. It was a friend of mine who introduced me to the industry. He had just set up a company and needed a sales rep.
I ended up staying in the industry and setting up my own company in 1988. It started off small, one man and his van, and I would travel around to salons selling suntan creams. Clients began asking me if I could provide waxing products, cosmetics and other beauty products. That’s when I fell upon the the Decléor skin care range.
I could not live without my horse Bart. I got into horse riding about 20 years or so ago. I had never been on a horse before, well I couldn’t when I was a football player, but a friend of mine had a horse and encouraged me to have a go. I was hooked and I now hunt as well as ride and showjump.
I’m usually on the road by about 6:30am, and in the office by about 7:15am. I get most of my work done when everybody else has left at the end of the day. I tend to have a meeting with the Sales Manager first thing and spend the rest of my day liasing with our staff on the road and in meetings discussing marketing plans for future products.
Cycling and horse riding are my top two hobbies. I also have three children, a son who plays rugby and two girls who both horse ride, so my weekends are spent being the taxi driver and travelling between rugby games and riding shows.
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“My role model was Bryan Robson when I was younger. Now it would be somebody like Richard Branson for the business and sport side to him.”
I get excited over launching new products and thinking of innovative ways to market them. I want to help the people I’m dealing with and my clients in order to be successful.
I never stepped away from the company or the industry, I just wasn’t as involved. I left my team in charge and they reported back to me. Due to the
economic climate I became concerned for my business and wanted to help my clients more, so I took up more of a full- time role again.
I would like to be remembered as somebody who is supportive and helpful as well as honest and hardworking. I’m a man in a woman’s business, which is unusual!
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