- Sector:
- Financial and professional services
- Region:
- Swansea
I currently have two businesses.
Business Partners was established in 1994 and delivers business development training and support. We have delivered leadership and management training to client organisations in the UK, Ireland, Holland, Germany, Turkey and Egypt.
CIOTEK Limited was established as a consultancy operation in 2003 to undertake evaluations of EU funded projects and provide support consultancy to growth businesses. Since inception we have supported more than 400 business in Wales with business and financial planning.
I was a 25% shareholder in a startup computing and software development business in 1983 that was successful in winning venture capital investment from 3i plc (then the largest VC company in the world). In 1994 an opportunity arose to sell my shareholding which provided the impetus and security to start my own business. In 1995 I led a team that bought back the entire company and re-launched it. I ran this business alongside Business Partners, selling my shareholding to the other directors in 1999.
Having seen others locally who were successfully running their own operations, I was inspired by the challenge of running my own business. Since that time, I have been the director in 14 different businesses.
As an entrepreneur I do not see problems. I see challenges that are there to be overcome. The only notable challenge I faced was having to deal with a person who I trusted and believed held the same ethical standards as I.