I found the talk by James at today’s Cardiff Breakfast Club held at St David’s Hotel really inspiring. As founder and CEO of SuperStars, the child development organisation he set up nine years ago, he has grown the business to be a great commercial success, currently employing 240 staff and working with 80,000 children a week.
James’ awards are many, but surely the pinnacle was last year’s Institute of Directors annual national awards when he was crowned overall Director of the Year.
In his talk, James outlined some key essentials of being a successful entrepreneur. From the £1000 he used from his parents to start his business, James explained that while academically not the highest achiever, he had an idea and saw a gap in the education sector which he subsequently exploited. He was glowing in his praise of Cardiff as a super place to live, and of the ability for individuals to get help and access to politicians, and to those in positions to help a young business grow.
He gave numerous examples of the need to strongly believe in what you are doing, to be tenacious in selling your services/products, and to be absolutely passionate about your offer. It took him 10 visits to various schools before getting his first order!
James is equally passionate about supporting young people in Wales who seek to be the entrepreneurs of the future and sits as Chairman of the Entrepreneurial Board for Wales. He appealed for all networking events attended by business people to encourage young people with aspirations to be an entrepreneur to attend. He also confirmed the need for role models and mentors to visit schools/colleges to encourage youngsters to follow in his footsteps.
By hard work, spotting a gap in the market, and being passionate about what you do, even with the ups and downs which every business goes through, young people of Wales have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams and bring prosperity not just to themselves, but to the wider society and Wales as well.
Keep up the excellent work James, 10/10!
