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Overview:
In this interview you will hear
How Guy started his career in the early 1970's as a chartered accountant, working in the music business for Chrysalis Records who managed singers such as Jethro Tull and how his career led him to work with entrepreneurs.
Guy sharing his motto: "Who cares, wins", - explaining the importance of having a good service ethic, as the key to building a business from scratch.
How hitting the 50-year mark of his professional life inspired him to 'do something real and give something back', which led on how he's going to row the Atlantic with one other team mate on a 25-foot ocean marine boat from the 10th December. They will be rowing alternately, two hours on - two hours off - 24 hours a day, for approximately 60 days for UnLtd, the foundation for social entrepreneurs, whose aim is to develop a generation of social leaders with enduring impact.
What an amazing challenge. You can hear how Guy got on in my follow-up interview with him. And, if you would like to, you can donate here.
Timeline:
0:00 | Alan introduces the show by talking briefly about his history in business. He continues by describing the format and purpose of the show.
1:14 | Alan invites listeners to get in touch with questions and comments, and gives the relevant contact details.
1:40 | Alan introduces Guy Rigby and asks Guy to explain the rowing project that he is involved in.
2:20 | Guy gives an insight into his background and the factors that have led him to decide to take on a rowing challenge.
4:45 | Guy details the financial role he filled with the record label Chrysalis. He recalls a story that reveals the chaotic nature of the music industry.
9:18 | Guy talks about how his career path evolved after he left Chrysalis, leading him to take over an accountancy firm.
11:25 | Guy details the circumstances that led him to subsume the business, and the process he undertook to grow the business. He reveals a mistake he made in hiring an untrustworthy employee, and reflects upon what he could have done differently during the hiring process in order to avoid this situation.
16:17 | Guy compares the process of finding clients, networking, and service ethics at the time he subsumed the accountancy firm, to the process now.
21:13 | Guy details his experience of merging the accountancy firm with another firm.
22:48 | Guy explains why he decided to leave the partnership and gives an insight into the legal process that ensued.
24:30 | Alan and Guy discuss the difficulties in company culture that come with merging two companies.
28:35 | Guy describes his role as a marketing director in the company he moved to following the partnership, and explains why he left that company to run the entrepreneur’s division at Smiths and Williamson.
31:40 | Guy details his role as the head of the entrepreneur’s division.
34:14 | Guy reveals his interest in boats and his background in sailing. He tells Alan how he got involved with the project to row across the Atlantic, and how he found his rowing partner.
38:27 | Guy gives an insight into the conditions and logistics in rowing across the Atlantic. He discusses some of the challenges they expect to face.
46:02 | Guy shares his team's mission statement and hopes for the race.
47:08 | Guy describes some of the safety logistics involved in undertaking a rowing challenge.
48:15 | Guy talks about the training routines required as preparation for the race.
50:21 | Guy tells the story of an encounter with a “ghost ship” that he experienced while training.
53:32 | Guy explains his decision to raise money for Unlimited, a charity that offers funding for entrepreneurs that are less likely to be able to obtain investment for their start-ups.
55:04 | Guy shares the ways in which listeners can donate to their cause.
55:40 | Alan thanks Guy for coming on the show, and wishes him luck in his race across the Atlantic.
56:12 | Alan tells listeners how to get in contact with him, and details where the show can be listened to again.