INTERVIEW


No time to Waste


Since its formation in 2002, Bakers Waste has grown into a multi-million-pound enterprise employing over 100 members of staff. Managing Director Paul Baker spoke with Business Network Editor Nathan Fearn about the rise of the business, his plans for the future and why collaboration is key.


Drive and determination have always made good bedfellows. Add vision to the mix, and you may really have something. It’s these ingredients that have allowed founder and Managing Director Paul Baker to turn Leicester-based Bakers Waste into a leading and multifaceted waste management provider, offering an extensive range of solutions to over 5,000 companies. And it’s Paul’s passion for the industry, as well as his


rounded knowledge of the sector, which helped sow the seeds for Bakers Waste’s success – with experience initially gained at his father’s company. “The removals industry is about services, and Bakers


Waste is certainly all about services, so that’s probably where the passion lies, in dealing directly and closely with clients,” explains Paul. “I worked in removals, then on the vans, then in the


office - answering calls, organising who does what and when they do it, buying products and doing my qualifications. It was a good grounding which enabled me to think outside the box and challenge myself to come up with solutions, which is often a challenge in any service industry.” Despite the holistic view of the world of work gained at


the family-run business, Paul was eager to start making his own way and to forge his own path. “Working for family for me at that time didn’t work,” he


explains. “I spent a short stint working for a recruitment company


and didn’t enjoy that one bit so I utilised my qualifications to get a job driving again with a different company. “I loved the job and would have stayed indefinitely had


the company not changed my terms. After 18 months they essentially told me to carry on as I was but that I wouldn’t be able to make as much money - so that was naturally quite demotivating and demoralising.” While Paul was eager to make the new arrangements


work, it was ultimately a challenge put to him by a colleague that led to arguably the most decisive moment of his career to date. “I was looking to either find a way into the office to


improve my income or to find a new way of working, but I grew frustrated - I was good at the job I was already doing. “Looking back, what this period enabled me to do was


give myself time to think, learn and develop opportunities in my head. It was at that point that someone told me to stop moaning and do it myself if I thought I could do it better – it then dawned on me that I needed to take that leap of faith.”


50 business network March 2019 Paul has overseen significant growth at Bakers Waste In 2002, Paul founded Bakers Waste. Both he and the


company – which moved into its new £2m head offices in Leicester two years ago and also covers areas in Northampton, Milton Keynes, Coventry and Bedford as well as across the wider East Midlands - have never looked back. “It feels like five minutes ago,” says Paul with a smile. “I have probably forgotten more than I can remember


about the rollercoaster ride that got me to where we are today. At the start my intention was never to stay small, I didn’t want to just make a good living. Some would call that a lifestyle job and I wasn’t interested in that, I wanted to work hard and grow the business.” And it was an existing model that convinced Paul that –


despite his business still being a fledgling one – there was definite scope for diversification and, ultimately, expansion. “When I first started I looked at the AA. What struck me


was that they were a breakdown company that was selling loans, insurance, other motoring services – there were essentially a number of highly effective, relevant add-ons to what its core business proposition was. “I realised the same concept could apply to waste too –


the idea is to say: “Yes, what’s the question?” and from that point build the business.” One area that Bakers Waste has maximised is recycling


and sustainability, areas that were arguably not as prominent in the minds of most businesses or consumers at the start of the Century.


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