I’ve said before that one of the best things about my role at Jak Inc is that I get to meet so many different people, and many of them are business people with goals and visions to better themselves, create success and prosperity, and to give back to their community.
Sometimes, this kind of drive stems back to a past disappointment or a ‘lightbulb moment’, when that person says stop. I’m not standing for this anymore. I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired, and something has to change.
These stories come out time and time again. Sometimes they can be traced back to financial worries, trouble with fitness or weight management, or a feeling that something is missing.
This week I met up for a coffee with (I believe) one of the most inspirational business leaders in Teesside: Lee Flanagan from Bespoke Financial.
Lee told me his own story, charting his struggles with finance and confidence. One day, Lee was given the opportunity to change his life and pursue a career in sales with a financial provider. With just £20 in his pocket, borrowed from his Dad, he went on a week long ‘make or break’ training course that would lead to a self-employed position.
He had just one shirt to last him the full week, and he would spend each evening studying relentlessly, and washing his shirt whilst roommate was painting the town red.
The night before the final day, his shirt didn’t dry, so he sat his exam soaking wet. Regardless, Lee passed the exam, and turned his life around. He now runs an extremely successful company, and this year has taken on sixteen new advisors.
Some stories are told in confidence, and some are never told at all. Some are aired on national TV, like Jak customer Francis Jones’ of Sparta Security. Lee’s story was a real inspiration to me, and (with his consent) I’m sharing it here in the hope that it might inspire budding entrepreneurs, or those in a dark place, to have their own lightbulb moment.
And speaking of being inspired, I’d like to say how touched I was seeing Middlesbrough fans light up Old Trafford with their mobile phones in support of Teesside steel workers. There were countless great stories from the Middlesbrough v Man Utd cup-tie, but that one was my favourite.
As ever, it’s been a busy week in the Jak offices. The standard of work I’m seeing from the team is forever getting better and better, and the diversity of the projects is hugely exciting. Plus, In & Around Online has had a fantastically successful first fortnight, with traffic close to 10,000 readers. I foresee great things for this site…
By the way, an entry in the In & Around Business Directory is free throughout November!
We also welcome another two new Print Partners to the business this week, and they’ll be launching their e-commerce sites next week, just in time for Christmas, when I’m sure they’ll make a very respectable income.
As I write this, the rain outside is chucking it down, so hopefully that’ll get out of the way for the weekend. If you’re looking for something to do, I can highly recommend visiting the Sunderland Lights at Roker Park. I took my family last Sunday, and we had a fantastic time walking around the Alice In Wonderland themed displays, finished off with a ride on the miniature railway. Great family fun!
And meanwhile, Happy Halloween! I can always count on the design team to come up with something fun for holidays and special occasions:
Anything is possible,
Andy Knowles
Managing Director
