I used to dream...

When I was a kid I always used to get in trouble for day dreaming..

You see I used to have an amazing ability to ignore completely what was going on in the present, switch off from the outside world and live out my ideal day in my head. As I grew up the dreams changed from being a secret agent, to effectively ruling the world but that spark of inspiration, that ability to dream always stayed with me.

Now I can't speak for anyone else that runs their own business, but I started out with very grand ideas indeed... most of these came from this very dream world itself. I wanted the big house, the big car.. the jet-set lifestyle.. all of which I had been thinking about since I was little.

But the thing is, once I started.. once I pulled the 17 hour shifts.. once I worked in a freezing cold warehouse with lads on just over minimum wage, and realised that effort is in no means correlated to reward, then it became apparent that these dreams were everyone else's.. forced upon me by society.. rather than who I was.. or what I would like to be.

It became pretty clear, that big house had no real benefit to me, other than to make me feel better than my neighbours.. that jet-set lifestyle would take me away from my family and that big car.. well.. whats wrong with the one I have?

You see I changed as a person in that first year, I grew up.. I left image behind me as my sole reason for wanting to be successful...

Its interesting that as a person, I don't care about image.. I have written in the past how important image is to everyone else.. yet to me.. its not the big issue it once was..

I think anyone who gets to know me will see this. I have friends who will buy a new car just because their flat mate did, but to me, I don't see the point in buying something just because its shiny!

This puts me in a very interesting position... you see as I don't care about my image.. I have the unique opportunity to build my image into what ever the company needs me to be, I can make Will Ryles into anyone I want, because I understand how other people think..

The best example I can give of this is Lady Gaga... I KNOW.. I can't quite believe I am referencing her.. BUT.. actually her image is very inspiring..

For years record labels controlled artists public image to get a desired reaction.. and then came along the Gaga to throw it all back in their faces...

But all these people out there that love her for being an individual have got it wrong.. shes not anti-image.. she is all about image! 

Every outfit she wears, everything she does is even more fake than that Britney Spears stuff we were all used to.. Gaga is a prime example of a record label using image to provoke a reaction from the public. And thats my point, Stefani Germanotta has created an image for herself that is unlike her own, and I am willing to bet its probably because she doesn't actually care about her own image.

There is a reason for my change of heart. Around the time I started working with the lads in the warehouse, I came to realise that being a success, making something out of myself wasn't as easy as they made it look in TV. As I became bogged down by working in my company, I started to lose that vision, and sense of purpose I had always had.. I made the classic business owner mistake of trying to do everything myself, and to a certain degree I made myself feel guilty for not working anything short of 24hrs a day.

It must have been two years since I stopped day dreaming, focused on my business and decided to go for it.. but last night.. I started dreaming again.

You see over recent weeks we have made some pretty big changes to the way we work.. My Dad takes issue with some of the changes that I have made, but I think they are for the best.. when you actually analyse them, you will see I have changed my entire role within the business..

My Dad came to me a few weeks ago and said this very interesting line.. "William, I feel like your making me redundant in the business".. My honest reply was, no Dad, I am making myself redundant.

You see, as much as I don't want to admit it.. I am not perfect.. I'm close.. but sadly.. I am not as yet "a God".. I can't be everywhere.. I can't do everything.. so something needed to change.

It took me ages to realise this simple point.. I have to accept that there are people out there who individually can do every task at Dovcor better than me.. if put all these people together then Dovcor will be successful..

So thats what I set about doing.. we had some false starts, but actually now I have a team.. who I trust to do their jobs better than me.. and best of all.. it means I can work normal hours doing what I enjoy.. building the business, defining our image and opening the doors for the rest of my team to walk through.

Now this freedom to work on the business isn't the only reason I have started to dream again, to think about what I want to achieve and who I want to be.. you see there is one extra special reason..

For a long time now I have argued that the government has neglected the social and personal aspects of running a business.. they will help you with a business plan, but what they won't do is help you address the psychological aspects of running a business.. the pressures, the feeling of being alone.. 

Thats why I started the Young Entrepreneurs Trust.. to create a community of friends, each who run their own business, to at least try and fill in the gaps left by the current system.

But if I am completely honest, the trust has given me good friends, the changes at work have reduced my stress levels, but there is one more pivotal thing.. one more variable that has allowed me to dream again.. to think big..

Will Ryles is officially off the market.. 

The phrase next to every great man stands an even greater woman could not be more true.. if only I had realised this 6 years ago.

Can I run dovcor like a big company?

Now I was always told by a man much wiser than myself.. (he could have been a random man).. that the only way you can make money is to make other people do it for you..

"if you can't run your business from a laptop on a beach your not an entrepreneur"

Now I have been fortunate enough over my short time in business to meet some truly great young entrepreneurs, all of whom run their own successful businesses and are much more talented than I, but none of whom seem to run their business from a laptop!

Anyhow, in my eternal struggle to launch a brand (Will Ryles vs the world..) I have noticed that while I would love to delegate out all my day to day tasks, sit back and relax, I simply can't afford to!

What small business can employ an army of staff, surely we all rely upon the heroic actions of the man (or woman) at the top working at 900mph and doing the jobs of 5 people! (yes I did just compare myself to the likes of Superman).

But then I think.. is this what taking risks is all about... putting in the investment and hoping.. praying there will be a return?

Now on my journey into the business world I have learnt a few things, surround yourself with positive people.. don't take life too seriously.. and outsource! But I have also noticed that my ability to learn, mature and ultimately improve as both a person and a businessman are being held back by this supposed delegation dilemma.. how can you learn to manage without a team?

Luckily dovcor aside I have managed to find a way to prove this delegation theory once and for all. As you will by now know, I am leading a project called the Young Entrepreneurs Trust, which aims to bring budding entrepreneurs from all over the region (and eventually the country) together.

The team I have assembled around me is first rate for a number of reasons, firstly they are all experts in their own fields, finance, sales, web design but interestingly, they are all young entrepreneurs too, who truly have ownership over the idea itself, meaning the effort they put in is at the very least 450mph while sleeping!

I have been able to give them their areas of expertise to focus on, with general directions, not implicit "how to's".. and the pace at which we have moved forward is amazing..we are already discussing funding into the 100's of thousands, buildings and new events!

Hmmm I might have to take that risk after all.

My first blog post

Well its finally happened, thanks to advice from friends, namely Richard Carter (www.peacockcarter.co.uk) and Claire Barber (www.clairebarber.co.uk) it has been decided that I should break free from behind the shower curtain that is Dovcor Bathrooms (www.dovcor.com) and establish my own name.

Lets see how it goes....