So visualise at the outset what you want your business to look like, keep that in mind and work hard to achieve it without taking your eye off the ball.
What I call my Five ‘I’s Compass — inspiration, innovation, ignition, integrity and instinct — might help when a new idea comes along.
First, I think: am I inspired enough by this truly to innovate and create something new?
If the answer is “yes”, I ask: will it be big enough to ignite my business — create new jobs and really build it?
Then, does it have integrity or is it just a gimmick? Is it true to my character and will it make me happy?
Finally, use your instinct — that gut feeling which nine times out 10 will be right. I go through this with all my projects — most recently my idea to launch a shop where our customers can make their own scented candles. So far, so good!
Finally, and sorry for straying slightly off-piste here, but I’ve made no secret of my desire for a stable, Conservative government.
Now that we have one, we entrepreneurs have to honour our promise to the people that we will use their policies to deliver on growth and job creation.
More jobs mean more people paying taxes and better public services for everyone.
Let’s take the country beyond the economic recovery and into a really exciting new phase.
