WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

THE APPRENTICE

I left school at the tender age of 16 to start an apprenticeship as a Machine Technician, working at the Lyle & Scott factory in Rosyth, Fife.

?It was a huge education into all things engineering, and I found my passion for fixing things that didn’t work.

?During the next 4 years, I would make many, life-long friends and become the adopted “wee brother” of many of the older men and women who worked there at the time. It was a fantastic environment for me.

The highlight of my apprenticeship though, was meeting the woman who would become my wife.

And all these years later, she is still at my side, supporting me in all I do.

My apprenticeship holds many great memories for me.

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AMBITION

My childhood dream, however, was always to be a policeman, and I was proud and delighted to achieve that ambition, shortly after my apprenticeship ended.

Unfortunately, that dream only lasted for 3 years.

I really enjoyed most of the work as a police officer, but following a disastrous period of 3 consecutive working days, where I was reporting officer at 3 horrific, fatal incidents, one of which was an infant. I realised policing wasn’t for me and I needed to resign.

Even today, 40 years on, I can’t forget the names of those poor people.

Yet there was no counselling or even empathy in these days, you were just expected to grin and bear it and I couldn’t.

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BREATH OF FRESH AIR

After the Police Force, I found a new role in the private healthcare sector, and what a perfect environment this was for me at that time.

Everyone was so caring.

Even though they had no idea of my recent experience, they just cared about each other’s well-being, and about their clients, it was great.

It was here that the skills I practice today were honed.

The training, support, and sales techniques were like learning a new language.

My sales training, a process called, “Structured Selling” was regarded at the time, as the best in the world, and I loved it.

One of my long-term idols, the legendary Bruce Lee once said,

“BEFORE I STUDIED THE MARTIAL ARTS, A KICK WAS JUST A KICK AND A PUNCH, JUST A PUNCH. WHEN I BEGAN LEARNING THE MARTIAL ARTS, A KICK WAS NO LONGER A KICK AND PUNCH NO LONGER A PUNCH. BUT NOW I UNDERSTAND THE MARTIAL ARTS AND AGAIN, A KICK IS JUST A KICK AND A PUNCH JUST A PUNCH.”

This perfectly describes how I felt about my training in the private healthcare sector.

It taught me that effective sales is only ever about great relationships and the right intention.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

After 12 years in healthcare, I was desperately trying to get a foothold into the IT industry, and eventually, through a mutual friend, my wish came true.

But in the early days, I found myself in shock, and often dismay at my employers’ views on their clients.

Was this what I’d been wishing for?

The salespeople I met at that time were only in it for the commission, and talked disparagingly about clients’.

And considering my healthcare training, where building relationships with clients was the panacea, it really went against everything I knew and believed in.

NEW APPROACH

I brought a new, better approach though. One that saw immediate and sustainable results. That saw vast improvements in client retention and drove a better, more focused level of support and communication across the business.

It caused one of my managers at the time to write a Memorandum (Google it) to the board of directors, asking if they’d invented “cloning machines” yet. (See picture)

Today, 28 years into my IT career, I still maintain this “client first” mentality.

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DIFFERENT MINDSET

Of course, it was this “mentality” that led to the name of my business.

The future is never certain, but as long as I continue loving what I do, and who I do it for and with, I think everything will be just fine.

Message me if you’d like to know more.

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