Guy Rigby, Father to Katie and Head of Entrepreneurs, Smith & Williamson
“I’ve had a pretty unusual career. An addiction to having fun and playing the guitar during my later school years took over what might have otherwise been an adequate set of exam results and a stint at university. I then went travelling, and eventually, to save what little of my father’s hair remained, I joined a small accountancy firm.
Having pretty much gone off the rails I was convinced it was never going to work, so you can imagine my surprise when I found myself getting hugely interested in the fame and fortune of the firm’s clients and how they made their money. I even enjoyed adding it up for them! It suddenly dawned on me that work could be fun, as well as paying me what was then the equivalent of pocket money, most of which had been spent before it hit my bank account.
During these formative years, I was lucky to spend a considerable amount of time working at a growing music business, Chrysalis, attending the odd concert at the Rainbow Theatre (the then equivalent of today’s O2) and rubbing shoulders with many of the icons of the time. Looking back, the biggest lesson I learned in those early days was the need to have a purpose. If you haven’t got something positive to do, or think about when you get up in the morning, you can rapidly go downhill.
From a parenting perspective, keeping your kids focused can stop them going off the rails, so that’s what I tried to do.
Having qualified as a Chartered Accountant at the age of 22, the pocket money opportunities became more interesting. I got a job in a distribution business, working closely with the owner and replacing the Financial Controller, who wasn’t up to scratch. Although the sector wasn’t interesting, the
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opportunity to make a difference was. Over a period of about three years, a focus on doing things right transformed the company’s financial position, converting a seven figure overdraft into a similar sized credit balance and enabling the company to buy its own hangar-like warehouse and offices. The owner was happy and I was well rewarded, but working for a single company didn’t satisfy my wanderlust. I decided to move back to the accountancy profession, where I could work with multiple clients in different industries and have a more interesting and varied life.
And it’s gone on from there. I built and sold my own accountancy firm, made occasional (successful and unsuccessful!) investments in young and interesting companies, travelled widely to build an international accounting and legal network and, by the early part of the ‘noughties’, became obsessed with finding ways of building real value.
Now at Smith & Williamson, I’m busy working on the business, making it the natural destination for entrepreneurs seeking advice for themselves, their families and their businesses. It’s another exciting and purposeful challenge.
In 2011, I decided to write it all down. My book, From Vision to Exit – The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Building and Selling a Business was published by Harriman House and it made me proud of what I’ve done. I think Katie was too and that’s helped her learn the most important lessons of all – believing in yourself, keeping going and always doing your best. I’m delighted that Katie is now following an entrepreneurial path and I know she’ll be successful in her business.”
Katie, Guy’s Daughter and Founder of Paint me a Present
“The first thing I read when I had my lightbulb moment early
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