About me (the longer version) ??

Since early 2001 I’ve been inspired and impressed by entrepreneurs. Even though back then I didn’t even know what an entrepreneur was, such was the focus of the education system in those days. On the 18th April 2001 I took my first risk in my career.?I moved from a ‘Management Trainee Course’ at Jewson/Graham, part of the Saint Gobain Group, to an independent Civils merchant, because my girlfriend’s uncle convinced me it was a good move. And he was so right. A fact for which I’ll be forever grateful to him. Leaving the V-neck sweater & name badge corporate world to join an up & coming independent business was a great move. UGS Ltd, or Underground Supplies as it was previously known, was in its seventh year when I joined. They’d moved their head office to bigger premises in Banbury and were rapidly growing. I joined the ‘Channel & Access Division’ selling linear drainage & manhole covers - what dreams are made of for 21 year olds! I learned the business basics though. Buying & selling. Trading. Customer service, finding opportunities, making deals happen, adding value & getting sh*t done. Surrounded by people who loved what they were doing. Being part of a team who wanted to become something. Driven & motivated to succeed.

What I didn’t know at the time was that I was part of one man’s journey to change the world for a lot of people, myself included. Andy Bygate, started UGS Ltd in 1995, just himself & his Alsatian. Over the next 10 years he built the business to over ￡65million in annual turnover, with 13 branches around the UK. An achievement I have so much respect for, especially now I’ve realised just what a mammoth task that is.

Fortunate to have been able to experience this business growth first-hand, my eyes were opened to the positive impact business could have on people’s lives. I soon learnt that you truly can create your own destiny. It might not be easy and there are right ways & wrong ways to go about it, but it’s possible nonetheless and that was clear to me by 2007 when a new opportunity presented itself.

We started a new business, SCP Environmental Ltd, and began importing rainwater harvesting systems from German manufacturer and European market leader Otto Graf GmbH. We had a great start in 2007, but what followed in 2008/9 made for a challenging first few years in a new business. On reflection it was a perfect learning opportunity for me to experience the true challenge of business.

It was also a time of self discovery. Having lost my father to cancer in March 2007, I enrolled on a psychotherapy & counselling course later that year and spent the next 3 years learning about people. One of the books on the reading list in year one was ‘The Success Principles’ by Jack Canfield, my first introduction to the world of personal development (I highly recommend this book to everyone!). With the benefit of hindsight it seems easy to see now, but back then it wasn’t so apparent, that people were the key to the success of every business. I’m so glad I learnt all I did about human behaviour and why people do what they do.

Fast-forward to 2014 and our relationship with Graf changed from customer to subsidiary, as we became Graf UK Ltd and decided to really see what we could achieve in the UK market. My opportunity to make the most of everything I’d learnt from my mentors to this point was now here, as Managing Director of Graf UK Ltd I could now be the positive impact on other people's lives as others had been on mine.

Then we grew. Business grew, as did we, as people and leaders. Trying to become the positive role model to others as you remember people were to you, is not easy and takes some time. But it’s the best way of paying it forward to respect the people who had the biggest impact on you. People who changed your life. You now have an opportunity to do the same for others. Take it seriously. If you’re a leader in any environment, remember the people who shaped you & how grateful you are to them. You’re now that person, respect the responsibility and lead with purpose. That’s what I aim to do every day and I know I could still do better. And the better I do at this, the better our business will become. It’s that simple, in my opinion.

Look after people as best you possibly can - be kind, not nice* - and you have the chance to create a truly successful business. That’s my goal.

Since my introduction to the personal development industry in 2007, I’ve been addicted to reading, watching & learning from others. Jack Canfield, Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Darren Hardy, Gary Vaynerchuk and many more, have had a hugely positive impact on my life.

Like many people who follow these individuals, I’ve often fallen into the trap of becoming a ‘seminar junkie’ going from one talk to another, listening and getting hyped up to do stuff, but then not actually following through and taking action. ‘Shelf development’ rather than self-development as they call it - buying the books but not actually reading them, just putting them on your bookshelf.?I’m also guilty of actually reading them but then not doing any of the things I’ve read. Not taking action. Meaning nothing actually changes.

Having listened to Gary Vee for several years, and even going to watch him say the same things over and over again at live seminars, I eventually reached a point in early 2021 when I decided I was no longer going to listen but not act on the advice he put out into the world. And such was my introduction to NFTs.

I was fortunate that a friend & colleague had introduced me to cryptocurrency & Binance, Bitcoin & Ethereum early on in 2021, quite by chance. So when Gary Vee told us all to create our own MetaMask wallets and buy some ethereum ahead of his big announcement coming on 12th May 2021, I at least understood a little of what he was saying.

Then I did my learning. Two weekends locked away on my own in my office, learning about how to open a MetaMask wallet and how to fund a wallet in Binance and then send those funds to your MetaMask wallet etc.

Then we minted our first NFTs. The Spontaneous Seahorse was our first. One of Gary Vee’s VeeFriends. We almost had the patience to wait until the Dutch auction hit the floor price of 0.5 ETH, but FOMO kicked in just before and we paid 0.6 ETH for our first ever NFT. Swiftly followed by our second one, the Sophisticated Stingray, at the floor of 0.5 ETH. And such was our entry into a whole new passion & obsession. Welcome to the world of NFTs.?

After weeks of reading & research and lots of time spent on NFT Twitter, we decided to buy a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT in July 2021. Probably the best financial decision we’ve ever made - little did we know it at the time.

Fast-forward several months and IYKYK. Following several months of trading, collecting and thoroughly enjoying NFTs, we’re now the proud owners of Punk 3356. Plus, we’re still VeeFriends holders, including our GiftGoat, and we’re part of Logan Paul’s Originals DAO with big plans for the future.

We’ve also invested in our own Moonshot DAO with some friends and family as our very own NFT investment club. And I’m Co-host of the Moonshot NFT podcast with Elliott Botterill, sharing weekly episodes to help the average investor realise the opportunity that exists with NFTs and doing our best to educate people on the power & future of blockchain technology.

Talking of Botterill’s, I’m also proud to be the Ambassador in Banbury for the Entrepreneurs Circle - Nigel Botterill’s membership organisation which helps business owners and leaders grow their businesses. I host a monthly business growth evening on the last Thursday of every month, bringing business leaders and owners in & around Banbury together, to help us all grow our businesses and increase the positive impact we’re making in the world.

Whether it’s our Graf UK business, or my new love for NFTs & investments, or our Moonshot NFT podcast, or our monthly EC local meetings, or our soon-to-be-shared MatCha website & online community, I’m looking to meet likeminded people who want to have a positive impact on others & the world. I’ve always been a lover of individual sports over team games, but I’ve been in business long enough now to realise that however much we think we can achieve on our own, we can go way further and much quicker, if we do it with other people. So let’s connect & work together. Let’s have some fun.?