Learn From My Expensive Scaling Mistakes

From Ringtones to 8-Figure Exits: My Entrepreneurial Journey

With over 20 years in business, my entrepreneurial journey began at 16 when I started selling ringtones for mobile phones — remember the Crazy Frog? That early venture proved surprisingly lucrative and sparked my passion for business.

After completing four years of automotive college in London, where I trained as a vehicle technician, I discovered I could earn more money fixing cars after hours and on weekends than during regular work time. This realization led me to launch my own car garage business.

What started as vehicle repairs evolved into car sales, and ultimately grew into one of my most successful ventures — a car finance and leasing company. I scaled this business to multiple seven figures before selling it to a larger company.

Following the sale, I relocated to Marbella, Spain, where I established a marketing agency focused on helping local businesses acquire clients and improve their systems. Once again, I scaled the business to multiple seven figures.

However, due to a relationship breakdown with my business partner, I sold the company for a substantial sum and returned to the UK.

The Real Story Behind the Success

While these achievements might paint a picture of smooth sailing, the reality was far more challenging. My journey included losing everything multiple times, experiencing complete business failures, and going bankrupt twice. There were periods when I was homeless, had my cars and houses repossessed, and dealt with destructive business partnerships that cost me dearly. Through it all, I was raising my son alone for 12 years without support from family or friends.

But I never let any of that stop me. Each setback became a stepping stone, each failure a masterclass in resilience. Those dark moments taught me invaluable lessons about my inner character, how to read people, and the critical importance of solid business fundamentals — proper management, bulletproof systems, and fool proof processes.

From Struggle to Success

Retirement didn’t suit me. Within months of my last exit, I launched a recruitment business that became one of my greatest successes to date. Starting from my home office, I grew the company exponentially — within 18 months, I had over 1,200 staff working as subcontractors worldwide. Managing daily operations required building a dedicated team to handle the scale.

A larger company approached us for acquisition, and after a successful sale, I worked through a six-month transition period. But after six months of inactivity, the familiar restlessness returned. Business isn’t just my profession — it’s my passion.

Why I Coach?

Today, I focus on coaching established business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs because I understand how hard building a business can be, especially if you haven’t got a clear plan. Having learned these lessons the hard way, I’m passionate about helping others avoid the costly mistakes that nearly destroyed me multiple times.

I help them implement the systems and client acquisition strategies that actually work, guiding them to scale their businesses and achieve successful exits worth over eight figures.

If you need help starting or scaling a business, I’ve got the battle-tested experience and hard-won expertise to guide you there — without the unnecessary scars.