ENTREPRENEUR STORIES
MARTIN JEFFERYS, FOUNDER, SORTA-CASE
Martin was my first proper boss, and what I didn’t appreciate at the time was the opportunity to grasp a basic understanding of business at such a young age. He encouraged me to make decisions with conviction and, importantly, allowed me to make mistakes. He had a saying that has always stuck with me. It’s something I’ve imparted with colleagues since: “We all make mistakes, but it’s what
we do about them that’s important.” This typified Martin’s view towards people in a professional environment and is something I’ve used when building teams – a person’s attitude is a key attribute of building success. I know it sounds obvious, but it isn’t always considered. If you have people with the right ‘can-do’ attitude, then you can help and support them to fill any of the knowledge or experience gaps they might have.
MARK HARRISON, BRAND PARTNER, DRYNKS
Mark was my line manager at J Walter Thompson and I absolutely loved working with him. In fact, everyone loved working with him – especially the clients we serviced. He had a very simple approach to our purpose with clients. He always maintained: “Anything is possible, and it’s our job to show you what possible looks like.” In reality, this equated to the creation
of a positive working environment where everyone felt empowered to make things happen and, ultimately, work didn’t feel like work. I even derived my own mantra from my time working with Mark. It’s something I’ve incorporated into the working environments I’ve created, which is “I’m possible”. It’s an attitude that fosters and drives momentum.
KEN MUIR, PARTNER, MOHAWK
I’ve worked with Ken for over 15 years. We’ve been through numerous highs and lows together. Over that time, our united approach has been key and ensures everyone is pulling in the same direction. As a result, we’ve been able to enjoy the highs and get through the lows. This has always been driven by Ken’s passion for creating an inclusive working environment with
open channels of communication. No matter what role people have played within the organisation, he’s ensured everyone has a clear line of sight of the company’s objectives and, therefore, an understanding of their role’s importance in achieving collective success. Over the years, this has created a strong team dynamic and a great sense of belonging.
IDEASPACE B3
This series of articles is inspired by ideaSpace’s B3 events, where you can hear from a successful entrepreneur and the three professionals who were instrumental in helping their business to flourish. The events also include networking, with pizza and beer to finish. Visit ideaspace.cam.ac.uk for details on upcoming events.
17
I SSUE 08
cambridgecatalyst .co.uk
Powered by FlippingBook