entrepreneurs 21
Pictures by Angus Thomas
Has your age been an advantage or an obstacle to your success?
My age has never been a barrier. I’m a great believer in the capability of young people to do great stuff. Sometimes businesses put too much value on somebody’s CV, but if people are talented, not knowing the rules is quite often the very best thing, because doing things the same way as everyone else is not going to get you anywhere. Funnily enough I don’t feel like one of the youngsters anymore, I certainly don’t feel like that in any boardroom situation or when I’m talking to the banks. I don’t feel like I’m this young kid chancer anymore, although I enjoyed feeling that way back in the day!
Do you think you would have done things any differently had you set up the business when you were older?
One of my only regrets is that I didn’t do it sooner. I don’t think I was much better equipped at 26 than I was at 21 – I’d done my 10,000 hours by the time I was 21. I had some brilliant ideas back then, but I just didn’t feel confident enough. If only someone had said to me “just give it a try”. That’s what’s wonderful in Silicon Valley, there is a special magic to that place but I don’t think it’s something that we couldn’t replicate right here in High Wycombe. The special magic there is people saying “yes, you can do it. In fact, here’s 10 million bucks!” We just need a few people in this country saying “you can do it, give it a try, you’ll figure everything else out along the way”. My father once said one of the greatest things anyone has ever said to me: “There’s one thing you learn along the way and it’s that the guy sitting opposite you, he’s winging it too. There’s no such thing as someone who knows what they’re doing.” In fact the day you think you know what you’re doing is probably the day to give up. I’ve retained that philosophy and it’s become my comfort zone. My comfort zone is being in a different universe where I don’t know the laws of physics and it’s time to figure them out to survive. That, for me, is an exciting day.
Your father was a sound engineer for Led Zeppelin and then built up his own audio business -- do you think entrepreneurialism runs in the blood? And how much is your passion for audio and music part of your success?
Very much – I come from a music family and many members of my family are associated with the music business, that’s how I ended up in business. I spend as much time as I can hanging out with bands, and the business stays very close to music – in the early years we brought unknown British acts together for a weekly new acts night in London. My father is the first entrepreneur in our family, but I think my grandfather was an entrepreneur, too – he was a teacher but his big achievement was getting canoeing to be an Olympic sport, in which he competed. People often ask me if I’m doing this because I want to be terrifically rich – I’ve got no
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – SEPTEMBER 2012
idea what I’d do if I was terrifically rich. The real goal is to create something, to become the global leader in accessories in a post-PC era; that’s what makes us get up in the morning. It’s exactly the same thing that drove my grandfather and that drives people to create families and to create a better life for themselves, it’s trying to create something that’s better or bigger. It must be something you’re born with.
Would you like your children to follow in your footsteps?
I’m delighted that they’re all very different. One has got a bit of what makes me tick making her tick: determination, belief, and a certain approach to risk – a clear idea of the risk and the willingness to push it to a certain degree. My greatest achievement is my four children, giving them opportunities in life and not allowing my obsession with this business to mean that I am an absent father.
Do you have any unfulfilled ambitions?
I haven’t fulfilled my ambition of turning this company into the global leader. I sometimes wonder whether this is a practice run for the next one – we’re constantly talking about new businesses and we’ve got a wellness business currently within the GEAR4 umbrella which we’re putting a lot of energy into, and that might ultimately spin out into something that has its own kind of life – but right now we’re still focusing on building the GEAR4 brand and getting to critical mass. I’ve got millions of unfulfilled ambitions: I’m starting to mentor other young entrepreneurs through a brilliant organisation called FEBE, I haven’t had more than a week off since I was 16 so I wouldn’t mind taking a month off one day, I’ve never owned a motorcycle, I’ve never seen Led Zeppelin play, I’d love to have more time for cooking, my big passion, and I haven’t yet been to one of my daughter’s weddings. There’s plenty more to do.
Details:
www.gear4.com www.businessmag.co.uk
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