I get inspiration…
Mainly from nature, new-world thinking and innovation. Nature is always my guide and, left to my own devices, you will always find organics in my design. I try to move people by incorporating nature into what I do.
My personal mantra for success is…
Try, try and try again. Once you’ve picked something that you’ve isolated as your passion, it must be all-encompassing. You have to stick to it. You will be met with challenges, good and bad, but the thing is to stay the course.
I think it’s dangerous to…
Take one stream of advice. Get lots of advice and then let your central navigation system guide you. And one rule I have about advice is that if I hear anything about monetary investment that promises exceedingly high returns, I run for my life.
The people who influenced me most were…
My father and my grandfather. My father was born during the Second World War when times were very tough and was taught by my grandfather the value of keeping your head down, working longer than others and saving instead of spending money.
My father in turn taught me to work and save. It was my antidote to not being the cleverest person around — work harder, longer and save money.
What most people don’t know about me is…
I am not a glamour puss or a socialite. It’s a common perception that I am. I don’t do lavish parties and I prefer small intimate gatherings where I do my own cooking.
My ‘pet peeves’ in business are…
Complacency, lack of drive and apathy. Apathy has one of the lowest energy resonances. If I happen to go to the shops and see someone without a smile or with a bad attitude, that really gets me going. It’s what I call the limp lettuce approach. I also hate dishonesty and thieving, whether that involves theft of commodities or time.
My most strongly-held belief about business is…
That persistence breaks resistance. I think business is about extremely hard work. Any business can become something if you give it persistence year in and year out.
The quirkiest thing about me is…
That when I’m at my home in White River I’m always in my bed until at least 11 am, and that although I have had au pairs to help me raise my daughters, when I’m at home, I do the school run – frequently in my pyjamas.
I love it when I see people…
Doing things that serve. Whether it’s for people, the aged, the infirm, the young, women, or nature. My belief is that business doesn’t do this enough. All too often it’s driven by egotism. So I celebrate when I see business doing things right.