'Forever Growth'

Last week, the RDLC hosted another of its amazing keynote super lunches. And let me tell you, it was one of the best!???

The theme of the day was "forever growth" and how to keep your business booming even when times get tough, and those around you are starting to faulter.?

We all know that when things are going well, everyone is a superstar, but when the going gets tough, well that’s just the market’s fault??

But good people and good businesses endure, learn, and expand from the tightest of spots and the harshest of conditions.

For business, just as it is for people, if it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger. You don’t win and lose; you win and learn!

So guess what?

If the best in the business knows that there is always opportunity in chaos, then we found four of the best – because all of our amazing speakers explained the ways in which they conquer problems that see many fail:?

? Luke Johnson,?

? Darren Ryemill,?

? Scott Parsons?

? Nick Thomson

(speaker profiles at footer)

Although each speaker spoke from a different background, with their own unique perspective on how they have tackled challenged markets, the lessons they shared had such a common theme, they could be boiled down to the same fundamental principles.?

Whether in troubled times or good times, it's all about having purpose, passion, vision, and of course belief in yourself and your enterprise.?

Good entrepreneurs will always make the best of any slowdown. It’s how we separate the wheat from the chaff! ??

So, what did Dean learn at the RDLC super lunch??

Well, to be honest, it wasn’t so much that I learnt anything new, BUT…I did rediscover things I had let slip or become a little lax on. Areas that maybe I just wasn't giving enough time and attention too, the things at my centre that I needed to re-engage with.

The traits that determine your potential for success is not just a record of your past, it is about your full commitment to the future.

It was like an intense refresher course for me and everyone else in the room??

The room was full, 60 founder-CEOs, each one at a different stage in their journey, so their time is precious – and of course time is money. A true testament to the speakers was complete attention throughout the entire day. The energy and focus in the room was palpable.

Our CEOs received a crash course in entrepreneurial back-to-basics, a view on the market that cut through the negativity and how to reengage, to cement a connection with their purpose, the why, how and when of laser execution to fulfil their vision.?

Changing the way, they look at things, ensures the things they look at change!?

Super lunches are just a great way to take a step back and to see your enterprise in its totality so that you can breakdown any issues and augment the positives, but in digestible bite-size actions.

We all know that?‘Fortune really does favour the brave’, but the term ‘to be brave’ has changed, it's been overdone, even being used for those who lack the ambition, resilience, and determination to cut their own path life.?

To be brave you must do something that really fills you with fear of failure, that has serious consequences should it not go your way.

Entrepreneurs are generally optimists at heart, but they also know how to calculate the risks, pragmatically, it's just that they will always back themselves to get through the smallest of windows and leverage the tightest of opportunities. ??

Our first speaker, Luke Johnson, offered a scenario to distinguish entrepreneurs from the rest of the population.?

If you were offered a coin flip, with a 50/50 chance of gaining everything you've ever dreamed of for your career and life, but if you lose, you lose everything you currently have and start from the bottom run all over again, what would you choose??

However, if you stick, you get to keep everything you have, continue as you are now and see what the future holds.

Well, statistically, 90% of people will stick with what they have, as the fear of losing is far greater than the fear of not winning.

The other 10% are our entrepreneurs, the leaders sat in our Super lunch—Those who are willing to take that leap of faith once they know their purpose and have the passion, vision, and self-belief. ??

I was keen to have Luke speak at one of our events, having shared a boardroom with him for seven years as my Chairman, I knew he had a deep insight into the characteristics of a successful entrepreneur, had seen several downturns and his directness was backed up by 40 amazingly successful years of growing and selling businesses.

Our next speaker, recruitment legend – Darren Ryemill –?was quick to point out, that if you truly back yourself and do the work as it should be done, the score will always take care of itself! (love that quote- so I’m pinching it!)

He nailed another point that has always been a struggle for all recruiters: that retention is an intrinsic factor, not an extrinsic one!?

There is always someone who will pay a fiver more. People stay and perform in a business or indeed any institution, when the culture is strong and cohesive, when career paths and expectations are clear and the meritocracy is one of equality of opportunity, not outcome.?

“No one ever stayed for an incentive trip, an extra day off or a slap-up lunch, as although they’re nice to do, they are not why they love to work with you”.

Scott Parsons reinforced the cultural bond he has with his recruiters. Explaining that as they have no assets, only human capital that sells human capital, bonds have to be emotional to be strong.?

Every successful agency has a tripartite process that requires the balancing of emotions, competencies, and requirements to seal the deal. So always leading with a positive mindset ensures your outlook is contagious, and it’s a bug we don’t mind our colleagues, clients and candidates catching!

Nick Thomson closed the show with the reminder that to win, you need to measure, and you need to measure what matters!?

Knowing where you are, what you’ve done and how far you’ve come is best measured in numbers, and in measured many ways. Understanding the data helps you to turn it up, turn it down or turn it off.

Believe me when I say that no serious businessperson or entrepreneur could have left that room without a full sheet of takeaways and plans for change! It's time to level up, embrace the entrepreneurial spirit, and create a more prosperous future. Together, we achieve great things!

An amazingly collaborative day, where we examined different solutions to the same problems and ideas that went against the grain, made me think, can schools change or can we change the schools to deliver critical thinkers, innovators, and pioneers!

So can we actually start to level up, not down??

Now, here's a thought: could we redesign the education system to nurturing more entrepreneurs and not just deliver conformist workers and professionals??

The school system was not set up to create innovators, wealth generators and entrepreneurs, it was started and funded as a factory for workers, professionals, and conformity.?

It isn’t the teachers’ fault or the general public, as they didn’t design the system, they themselves are a product of the system. We are told education is everything, yet there is no correlation between academia and being a millionaire or being happy!

In fact, statistically its shown that on average the higher the levels of academic achievement, the more myopic, gated and bias a person is as they lack a wider balance.

Schools don’t offer the need for time management as the day, month, year and even homework are timetabled then handed out….just follow the instructions.

The system pushes that there’s only one right answer, as well as better marks for completing the problem in a uniform fashion, the same way as everyone else.

Remember to speak when asked, don’t make mistakes, if you get it wrong you’re a failure and don’t collaborate on answers….[all rules that are broken immediately by every entrepreneur.]

Critical thinking and debate – without cancelling or discipling – should be practiced weekly, if not daily. The real world of finance, debt, securities, fractional banking and what is money, should be taught as these are now life requirements.?

Way before compulsory schooling and the push for universities, we had high levels of literacy, strong numeracy, philosophers, and constant innovation. In fact, as the number of degree qualified students increases, we see a corelating decrease in IQ!

As Luke pointed out, if we doubled the entrepreneurs we would be in a far better financial and societal position. We don’t want everyone to be an enterprise starter as we need collaboration and employees for these to work, we need the steadiness of the public sector, but both would be far better off if they understood how the world really works.

The UK's current situation sees almost 50% of our GDP spent on the public sector, with one public sector worker supported by only two private sector workers tax as 1/3rd of the working population is now contracted to the state.?

An imbalance such as this hampers productivity and sends a road to higher taxation and more government intervention, a completely unsustainable and vicious downwards cycle.

It's time to change the targets and rethink the role of universities, which have become a problem not a solution. ???

Schools could promote apprenticeships, manual trades, enterprise schemes and access to local business in the same way they entertain UCAS and personal statements.

If diversity is key, and differences are to be celebrated, then we need full diversity of learning within the system.?

The RDLC super lunches are amazing, not only for business leaders to connect and find solutions to growth, but also to help expand their minds, horizons and challenge opinions.?

Be better in your business and inspire others to do the same, you are not just an entrepreneur, you’re a leader and a role model!!

1. Luke Johnson,?is a true legend with over 40 years of business experience. From chairing Pizza Express and giraffe restaurants to Brompton bikes and Channel Four, he's seen the market change and has the insight, wisdom, and passion for entrepreneurship to inspire us all.???
2. Darren Ryemill,?the award-winning recruitment guru behind Opus talent solutions. With his business spanning multiple countries, Darren brought an energy and practicality to the room that left us with countless takeaways. ??
3. Scott Parsons,?the joint managing partner of Forsyth Barnes, a renowned talent agency, took the stage as our penultimate speaker. Despite downturns, their business has continued to thrive thanks to their positive mindset and knack for breaking down negative headlines. They showed us that riding high is all about staying positive and challenging misinformation. ??
4. Nick Thompson, the CTO of Access recruitment, shared his expertise on mergers and acquisitions. He showed us that by focusing on measurement and metrics, we can identify and solve the core issues in these complex processes. ???????

#entrepreneurship #growth #business #education