Category: Personal

We’ve just moved office – BigChange’s third move in five years.

Each time has been more painful and expensive than the last but this latest relocation – a stone’s throw from our last site – is more than just a new address. It’s a new chapter for BigChange.

We’ve invested in a lot more space, giving us the room to grow from 80 people to 150. The building is bright, painted white, and tastefully decorated. It’s the kind of place I’d been happy to invite any customer – from a small business owner to the chief executive of a FTSE 100 company.

In total, I’ve spent nearly £250,000 on this move, which has taken about three months to arrange. Having survived this hugely stressful process – which is second only to moving house – I thought I’d share a few lessons that I’ve learned along the way.

Negotiate your heart out

If you are signing a five-year lease, you should be able to negotiate for 20pc off the rental price. This will cover all the money you’ll spend on the fit out and relocating all your employees and IT. I think this is pretty standard, and most landlords are willing to offer this as a rent-free period at the start of the lease.

Call the council

When you are moving office, you could be entitled to a rates holiday of up to six months. We have now vacated our last building, although we still own the lease till January. So we called the council and took advantage of the rates break, which means we’re slashing that overhead by half. We’re also deferring rates on the new building until we’re fully moved in, which will be towards the end of September.

Never commit for more than five years

There are two reasons to avoid long-term leases. First of all, you don’t know how quickly your company could grow over the next few years. Five years is probably the maximum you can plan for with any accuracy. Also, a long lease is a liability that weighs down on your business. If you want to raise or borrow money, a 10-year lease could make you less attractive to backers.

Invest in great chairs – but buy second-hand

I want my people to feel comfortable at work. It’s important to me that feel their best. That’s why I decided to buy in top-of-the-range Herman Miller chairs to ensure that everyone is sitting comfortably at their desks. But these chairs are not cheap… they can cost £1,000 a pop. This is why we found a company to source them second-hand, slashing the cost by at least 75%.

Consistency looks professional

We have created an open-plan office here, which means all our desks are on show. We’ve invested in new desktops for the whole team but used the same second-hand sourcing partner to get the bases for us. An added bonus: these desks are adjustable so that my colleagues can choose whether to sit or stand.

Create a space that works for you

The new office has been crafted around the needs of our people. It is open plan but has secluded pods for when individuals want to call customers without being distracted. We have bought in two amazing coffee machines, and created a chill-out area, which feels a bit like our own Starbucks. We have also invested in frosted windows. We’re on the ground floor and the new rules around GDPR mean that we have to ensure there is no way passers-by could glean customer data through our windows.

Remember to budget properly

We opted for a move that was about half turnkey solution – managed by the landlord – and half sorted by us. It was the best way to ensure that the office looked and felt exactly as we wanted it to. About a quarter of our budget went on technology – sorting out the internet, installing the right cables etc. Another quarter went on desks and furniture. A quarter went on partitioning and painting the walls. The final quarter was spent on presentation, everything from the signage to our video wall, which will be used for demonstrations. A local artist, created our signage. It’s cool but understated and we love it.

Stagger your move

We didn’t try and move everyone to the new office overnight. We moved one department at a time, starting with the teams that have the least direct contact with customers. It was incredibly important to me that BigChange’s day-to-day business was not disrupted by this move. By the time we moved our customer service team, we knew there were no glitches, the wifi was up and running, which meant there was a seamless transition.

We’re all moved in to the new premises now, so why not stop by for a coffee and a look around? We’d love to see you.

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

I’d like to share a little secret with you. Every five years, I do this one thing, which helps me to maintain the growth and success of my business.

I started doing it at my last company, Masternaut, which became Europe’s largest vehicle tracking company, and I’ve just done it at my latest venture, BigChange.

I call this process the “360”. It involves taking a comprehensive look at the health of your company.

I can’t stress enough how transformational this simple exercise has been for me, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Any entrepreneur who wants to truly understand their business, their customers, their employees, and realise their aspirations, needs to do this.

So, where do you start?

The exercise usually takes me about four weeks, from start to finish. I tend to work with an external agency – you could pay anything between £5,000 to £100,000+ for this kind of brand overhaul, dependant on your business size. I feel it’s well worth it, as this investment generates a minimum of five years’ worth of benefit.

You also need to prepare for the 360 in advance. At BigChange, we collect a lot of data and customer feedback, which means we have a lot of information to work with. If you want your 360 to be effective, you need this kind of data too.

For example, we ask every customer for their thoughts on BigChange at least once a year. You shouldn’t ask too many questions – we don’t expect clients to waste an afternoon on this. We just stick to four things: What product did you use before? Why did you choose us? What benefits do we bring to your business? How could we improve?

It takes them five minutes but helps add a lot of context to the 360.

Next, you need to assemble an internal team. Usually, these are people from every department in the company. You (or your agency) hold briefing sessions with these people and talk about the following:

Where you’ve come from

Where you want to be (in the next five years and shorter term)

Latest growth figures

The challenges you face

How to overcome those challenges.

The aim is to then distil all these conversations down into some key learnings. These are:

The Vision – The ultimate ambition for your business

Our Big Vision – Making every economy we work in stronger through innovation and world-class service.

The Mission – Your purpose and reason for being

Our Big Mission – To liberate businesses from paperwork and plate spinning so that they are free to do what they do best – and grow stronger.

The Promise – And expression of what your company stands for

BigChange Promise – Make a Big Difference

The Pillars – The pillars that deliver your promise and the foundation for your mission.

We have five pillars at BigChange – including: Being Big on Service, Big on Innovation, Big on being dynamic, Big on determination and Be the big difference – but you can have as many as you like.

This information is all crucial. It will help influence your marketing, the budgets you give to different departments, your areas of specialism and focus, and will provide a hard target to aim for over the coming years.

The process has helped reassure me that we’re on track to become a £100m plus company in five years. I now have this incredible document which helps focus everyone’s minds on the task ahead.

You probably use a SatNav or navigation app in your car. The 360 is a navigation tool for your business. It’s benefitted my business, and I hope it helps you find the right road to where you’re going.

All the best

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

Ask my wife if I should be giving time management tips, and she will probably laugh.

Here I am, a man who still types all his emails with just one finger. She jokes that I run my whole business with that finger – and she’s not wrong. But over the years I have learned some productivity tricks that help me be a much better businessman – even if I’ll always be slow at one or two things…

I get up at the crack of dawn each day. It means I’m up and productive at least two or three hours before most people. Don’t get straight on the laptop – take your time. I actually take at least an hour to get ready in the morning. This isn’t as terrible as it sounds; I do some of my best strategic thinking with a spoon of porridge in one hand and my phone in the other. This is one of the benefits of getting up really early – it’s quiet and calm and you can think in peace. I’m usually at the office with a clear inbox by 8.30am.

Cheat at emails

I’m dyslexic so writing emails can be a struggle. I can spend a long time using spell-check and a thesaurus to get messages just right – but automatic corrections can result in more errors than they solve. So these days I let Google do the heavy lifting. You can search for readymade messages online. I lift paragraphs and then just have to edit them slightly to make them work for you. It’s an amazing timesaver.

Be brutal with meetings

Every meeting must have an agenda, clearly stating what outcome we are trying to achieve, and listing the topics we need to cover. This helps keep everyone on track. I’m also getting better at knowing which meetings I actually need to attend – once you have your ego in check, you realise you don’t need to be present for everything. I find that whenever I’m called away for something urgent, and all my meetings have to be moved or cancelled, I know pretty quickly which ones need me and which ones I can remove from my schedule entirely. Sometimes I arrange meetings, turn up just to make sure everyone else is there, and then leave them to it. When you’re running a business, it’s important to be ruthless with your time when you can.

Hack your inbox

I use Outlook and have a system in place, which sorts my email into conversations. This means that my long list of unread messages is grouped by subject line. So even though I may have 200 new emails, they come up as just 15 conversations, which is much more manageable. Any email I need to keep an eye on is given a red flag, which means it’s easy to sort the urgent ones from the low-priority. Unlike many business owners who will limit the time they spend on email, I’m on it all the time. I have no attention span, so you’ll find me sneaking a look at my inbox during meetings or when I’m with my family. But that level of obsession has helped me grow my business – I know what’s going on with my business every moment of every day. I think you need that level of focus to be successful when your company is young and growing fast.

Find thinking time every day

I don’t drive and I travel two or three days a week, so I get a lot of thinking time on train journeys. I absolutely love it. I’m dreading the arrival of HS2, which could slash my thinking time by half. Growing a business is like climbing a flight of stairs. Each year, you ascend another step. Gradually, you get higher and higher, which means you can look back, and see where you’ve come from more clearly. This is when you really need your thinking time, to assess what you’ve done well – and badly – and plan for the next step.

I hope you’ve found these tips helpful. I certainly have… Writing this post has made me realise I need to take a typing course. It’s never too late to start using all 10 fingers! I’d also love to hear your time management tips, so please leave a comment below and help me to keep on learning.

All the best

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

Every year, I read articles claiming to know the best place to start a business in the UK.

The same old cities always get a mention. London. Bristol. Cambridge. Edinburgh. Today, I’m here to tell these researchers they’re wrong. It’s Leeds.

Five years ago, I founded BigChange. It’s my second tech start-up based out of the city. I knew this was the best place to do it, because I’d seen the benefits growing my last business, Masternaut, here. In fact, I couldn’t envision building a company anywhere else.

The city is home to the most incredible and diverse workforce in the UK. They come from our top universities, or are trained up by all the ambitious companies based here. Whether we’re recruiting for back office, commercial, technical or marketing employees, we’ve never struggled to find great candidates.

When building a team, you want as many different kinds of people on board as possible. Every perspective or experience helps to build a better product for your customers. Leeds is a cosmopolitan, vibrant city; this is not something that’s unique to London.

People here are happier than those in the capital. Their wages go further each month, and there is such quality of life here. You need to earn a minimum of £30,000 a year to live in London, and have any spending money left over after rent and bills. You’ll probably have to share with others though.

In Leeds, you can have your own flat for that money, plus have money to spend on fun things and save. My colleagues all live in neighbourhoods they like, and feel that everything is within their grasp. Those that like the city life have their choice of restaurants, bars, cinemas, music venues, shops and stuff to do. We even have our version of Greenwich Village it’s called Chapel Allerton. Those that want a quieter life can live in the countryside, and yet Leeds city centre is just a 20-minute drive away.

A few members of my team have spent time in London. They lasted about five years before coming back here. They saw that the grass wasn’t greener after all. It’s easy to burn out in London, especially for younger people. You feel compelled to go out and be seen to be living a certain kind of life, which involves burning the cash.

I can’t even moan about our infrastructure. Leeds Bradford airport may be small but I love how quickly you get on and off the plane. Trains take a couple of hours to London but it’s time that I really value. I clear my inbox or spend the time doing some creative planning. I’m not a fan of HS2 – it will be too expensive and cut into my valuable thinking time.

The only downside to Leeds is the football club. But let’s not talk about that.

Some incredible businesses have started life in Leeds. From M&S, which was founded in the city back in 1884, to Next, which began as a tailoring company in Leeds in 1864, to supermarket giant Asda, this place has been the launch pad for many bold and successful entrepreneurs. It is now the second-largest financial powerhouse in the UK, second only to London. And the tech scene here is thriving. Who needs Silicon Roundabout when you have Future Labs?

I love being a West Yorkshire entrepreneur building a business that employs people in the local area. But I don’t just do it because it feels good, I do it because Leeds is the best place to find great people, have a great life, and build a world-beating business. My last business ended up employing 500 people, which is something I’m really proud of. With BigChange, I hope to create something even bigger.

All the best

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

When I was a kid, building my first business selling artisanal bread, I met someone who made a great impression on me.

Back then, I was on the Government Youth Opportunity Scheme, which gave young people £80 a week to put towards setting up a business or learning a trade. I was exhibiting at one of the events organised by the scheme, and all my bread was on display.

This man, was involved with the scheme, came up to my stand and said: “What you need is to find someone who can varnish your bread for you. That will really make it glow. I know someone who can help.”

I didn’t know it at the time, but the man’s name was Arnold Ziff OBE, and he was the boss of a £100m property company called Town Centre Securities. Yet, off he went, this millionaire entrepreneur, and two hours later he returned with a piece of paper. “Give this guy a call,” he said. “He can help varnish your bread for you.”

Arnold Ziff MHDSRIP, who passed away in 2004, was an incredibly successful businessman but that’s not what he is remembered for. He was a renowned philanthropist, who gave away much of his fortune – mainly to projects and good causes around Leeds. And he wasn’t flashy about his charitable work; he did most of it under the radar, helping anyone who needed it – even me.

Last week, I was lucky enough to receive an award from the Institute of Directors (IoD). Not being big headed but I’ve won a lot of awards over the years. This one was different: it was for corporate social responsibility (CSR). It felt like my greatest ever accomplishment.

Charitable work is so important to me. At BigChange, we currently support 18 different charities, across mental health, cancer, education, and careers. These are all causes that are close to my heart.
There are many reasons that I love to help charities and support my local community. It starts with my faith, which is all about sharing and giving. We call it “Tzedakah” in Hebrew and it underpins my whole view of the world.

All my colleagues at BigChange get it. I’ve been so touched by people’s generosity and commitment to our charitable causes over the years. It creates such positivity within our organisation.

Ultimately, when BigChange reaches a certain size, I would love to be able to spend more time working in charitable organisations. Not sitting on committees or joining boards – that doesn’t work for me – but driving real change. I’d like to run projects and deliver on goals, and help charities cut costs and be more effective.

Some time ago I did some work with Age UK, which receives a lot of donations from supporters in the form of bags of unwanted goods and clothes. But when they were taking these donations, they weren’t asking for names and addresses, which meant they couldn’t claim Gift Aid (which allows charities to claim 20pc extra back from the government). We advised them to change their policy, and now the charity makes an extra £2m a year through Gift Aid.

I’d love to do more projects like that, and I hope that other company bosses follow suit and turn their entrepreneurial talents to the third sector.

It brings me great joy to have built a profitable company that can give back, and to have become an entrepreneur with the skills to help charities build better organisations. I hope that Arnold Ziff OBE MHDSRIP would be proud, and I hope that, one day, I too will be remembered. Not for how much money I made, but for helping others.

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

I got into the show for the first time last year. My wife started watching it, so I was hooked. It’s overtaken Coronation Street and EastEnders as the top show watched in my house.

I just love the concept. It’s so light-hearted and upbeat. There’s no violence or real despair. Between Love Island and the World Cup, I genuinely feel like people across the whole country are waking up looking forward to the day. They feel the future is full of promise and entertainment.

I don’t have time for the people who say Love Island is “low brow” or un-PC, but then my kids are all over-18 so I don’t have to worry that they’ll be too influenced by the show. My sons watch it with me but my daughter isn’t such a big fan. I think it’s strange for her to see her dad watching girls in bikinis on TV – even though my wife is just as addicted!

This year’s hopefuls are an interesting bunch. The girls strike me as really vulnerable. There are often tears and outbursts. They seem so young. The boys, however, unless they truly have feelings for their partner, seem better suited to the villa environment.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been watching the personalities develop on screen. We employ a lot of young people at BigChange, so I have been trying to work out which contestant – if anyone! – I would hire off Love Island. And who I would avoid like the plague. I’d like to know what you think of my choices.

I’ve decided that out of all the hopefuls, I would definitely hire Samira. When I listen to her speak, she sounds so well-reasoned and sensible. That’s probably why she hasn’t been getting off with anyone; she thinks before she acts. She seems a more “together” person than many of the others in there.

I could definitely imagine her working at BigChange, either in sales or project management. I think she would be able to understand and communicate even complex technical products. I’m a big fan of Dani too, but she’s a bit too happy-go-lucky. Her head seems in the clouds.

As for who I’d kick out of a job interview, it’s got to be Josh. He has no restraint. He’s just like a puppy, always after the new toy. I’m also not a big fan of Dr Alex. Don’t judge me but I think he’s a bit of a wimp. I’d hate to turn up in A&E and get patched up by him. He’s probably a nice guy but seems so naïve.

As for Muggy Megan, she is getting a hard time from the public. I wouldn’t hire her because she’s a bit too much like Josh – easily distracted. But I do worry about what will happen to her when she leaves the show. I think she will be completely unprepared for what’s awaiting her on the outside. I hope she has people she can rely on to shield her from the worst of it

I wonder how much of the show is manufactured and how much is genuine. Alex Epstein, who was on The Apprentice, has worked at BigChange so I know from him that things aren’t always as they seem in reality TV. It’s easy to get stitched up in the edit.

Whatever you make of the show, you can’t deny that it has become an economic juggernaut. Online clothing brands are making a fortune from being associated with the show. Companies are vying for product placement on the programme. It has created its own fashion economy.

Can you believe that 3.4m people watch the show? I love that everyone, young and old, rich and poor, from every walk of life, seems to be into it. I was at the Dorchester at an awards ceremony last week and heard Andrew Marr talking about it. I bet that they’re chatting about it at Chequers. Theresa May will be arguing with Boris Johnson over their favourites, and Philip Hammond and Michael Gove will be butting in with their tuppence worth…

Ultimately, I think we all know who’s going to win this year. It’s got to be Jack and Dani. But don’t worry, Samira. If you miss out on the £50,000, there’s a job waiting for you here at BigChange!

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

You sacrifice a lot when you decide to build a start-up. Money. Time. Sleep.

Over the last few years, it has been a relief to see more coverage of the mental and physical toll that creating a business can take on you. It feels like a stigma is being slowly eroded, and entrepreneurs are more able to discuss issues such as loneliness, anxiety, and depression.

In some ways, I’ve been incredibly lucky. I’ve built several businesses over the years, and managed to hold on to my sanity and good humour throughout. But I do have one vice. One that poses a real risk to my health.

When I’m under pressure, I eat.

The first five years of building BigChange were a total rollercoaster. First I had the idea, started raising capital, and built a business. Pretty soon, I started running out of cash, which meant I had to go out and raise more money, all the while accelerating sales to stay afloat.

During that crazy period, there were times when I was unsure how I would make payroll. We’d buy in new hardware, and it wouldn’t be quite right. And despite all these problems, I had to maintain my energy levels. I worked hard and stayed late at the office.

I started over-eating to cope. It creeps up on you. First, you eat to stay awake. Then, as you get more tired, you feel hungrier. Over the last five years, I’ve put on four stone.

Carrying around all that extra weight is horrible. You feel uncomfortable. When you wake up in the mornings, you’re sluggish: you don’t feel ready for the day. I developed mild sleep apnoea, which can affect people who are overweight. This means that while sleeping, your breathing becomes irregular and your brain can be starved of oxygen. This, of course, made me feel even more tired, and my concentration was affected.

“Go on a diet!” It sounds obvious, doesn’t it? Every day, you plan to start eating more healthily but then an issue arises, and you order two main courses at dinner. Or you take a prospect out for lunch, and eat the whole breadbasket. I just love bread.

When my blood pressure started to rise, my wife and children had enough. They were on at me constantly to sort out my weight. I felt like Aunt Marge, the woman who Harry Potter accidentally inflates in The Prisoner of Azkaban. I was ready to float away.

Then, at the end of December last year, I finally decided to start my regime. I set myself the challenge to lose 60lbs in six months. I started a JustGiving page and pledged to donate £60 for every pound lost to Cancer Research. Other people started sponsoring me too. Every donation helped to focus my mind on my goal – I didn’t want to let anyone down.

Right now. I’ve lost over 30lbs and raised £2,813 plus gift aid for charity. I’m delighted to say I’ve lost 4 inches off my waist. I’ve also got bags more energy and feel great.

It’s going to take me much longer than six months to hit my goal but I hope I’ll be my target weight by the end of this year.

I lost the weight by using a meal-tracking app called MyFitnessPal. I promise I’m not being paid to say this, but it has transformed my life. My daughter told me about it, and it’s helped me stick to my target of no more than 1,500 calories a day. Friday nights are hardest because we keep the Sabbath and have a big dinner. I break bread but skip the roast potatoes – and only fresh fruit for dessert!

Every start-up founder ends up punishing themselves in some way. Some smoke, some drink too much. I’m grateful I’ve never drunk alcohol – although I’m partial to the occasional cigar. Eating became an addiction for me, and I’m so proud that I’ve regained control. I hope this post is helpful to other over-eaters, who use food to deal with stress. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

If anyone fancies sponsoring me, as I continue to shed the pounds… it’s for a good cause. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/martin-port

I’ll keep you updated.

Sharing this post is another way of holding me to my promise.

Thanks for reading, and take care.

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

When I was 11 years old, my brother and I went for a hearing test at school. We got the results a few weeks later: my brother had failed the test.

He was asked to go back and take it again. But when he had his hearing checked the second time, he passed with no problems. It was only a long time later that I realised what must have happened. My brother is only a year younger than me, and our results had been mixed up; it was I who had failed that hearing test. Looking back, it’s not surprising that I always struggled in school. I found it really hard to concentrate in classes, and was always fiddling with my pen or distracted. I couldn’t hear what the teachers were saying but even I didn’t realise there was a problem. I just thought that it was normal to go into a sort of trance during lessons. Teachers were frustrated with me. They thought I couldn’t be bothered to try. At home, no one realised I was losing my hearing. My parents were often away and I was brought up by my grandparents. The one clue was that I used to listen to my music really loud. I had two massive speakers above my head, and another two on the sideboard, blaring out Michael Jackson or 10cc, or Earth, Wind & Fire. The noise used to drive my mum wild but it’s hardly unusual for a teenager to like loud music. It was only when I got married that I realised there was an issue. My wife saw that I was mishearing words or completely blanking out whole conversations. That’s when I finally went to see an ear, nose and throat specialist. I found out that I had lost 70% of my hearing, and would need to wear hearing aids. In some ways, it was a relief to know that I was hearing impaired because suddenly so many things began to make sense. I never felt sorry for myself – there are people much worse off than me. On the contrary, it made me even more determined to succeed. People are like cars – some can run forever, without breaking down once. Others need servicing all the time, and that’s me. I started working out ways to cope. In the workplace, it was always hard for me to focus. I found meetings especially hard. My wife advised me to start carrying a notebook and pen, and that revolutionised my work life. It forced me to keep my attention on what was being said – and to check if I hadn’t heard or understood anything. Even now, in this age of smartphone, you won’t catch me in a meeting without my trusty pad and pen. And I always take someone I trust in to meetings with me – usually Andrew, my managing director, who is a very good listener. It’s helpful to have another pair of ears in the room to catch anything I miss. I wear hearing aids., which comes with a unique set of challenges. There is a slight delay between words being spoken and reaching my ears. I also speak much more softly, because my own voice sounds loudest in my head. Travel is a nightmare because I can’t hear announcements. These challenges are frustrating but I have learned to deal with them. I don’t make a big point of telling people that I am hearing impaired. I just get on with it. If I miss something or someone is speaking quietly, I will say that I have a hearing problem and wear hearing aids. It means that if I need to ask them to repeat something, they know why. Most people start speaking a bit louder too, which is great. Except that the extra volume usually lasts for about two minutes and then they forget. Over time, my hearing has worsened but I’ve been very lucky – technology has come on leaps and bounds. I have 80pc hearing loss now but I wear Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids that are connected to a microphone hidden behind my tie. It means I can hear myself when I talk. It also means I can take phone calls direct to my hearing aid. People stop and stare when I do it, because they can’t see who I am talking to and think I’ve gone mad, which I rather enjoy… In business – and in life – I’ve always been very solution-orientated. If there’s a problem, I want to find a way to solve it. I tackled my hearing in the same way. My hearing problem has also made me very aware and accepting of other disabilities. We need to do more for people who are struggling with something they cannot control, whether it is a physical or learning disability. This is a cause that is close to my heart – I hope to talk more about this in a later post. For now, I’ll just say that any disability opens your mind to the world in ways that most people don’t see. As an entrepreneur there are many mountains to climb. My hearing loss was just another mountain, so I climbed it. My next mountain? Learning to lip-read.

Wish me luck.

All the best Martin

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

In my last post https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/life-teenage-entrepreneur-martin-port, I talked about my first experiences as a teenage entrepreneur, finding my way in the world.

But that was only the beginning.

I think that a real turning point in my life was when I decided to stop working for my father and start a new life in America.

I was 24 at the time, and yearning for my independence. I wanted a clean break, so moving to the United States, where no one knew me, seemed like a good idea.

Providence helped me get there. I had a contact over in Germany who had a speciality bakery business. He asked me to go with him to sell his bread in New York.

So there I was, living in a small apartment next to the bakery in New Jersey. This was the making of me. I learned to keep a clean apartment, iron my own shirts, and be completely independent. I came out from my dad’s shadow. He was such a character and a well-known businessman… it was a relief to be able to just be Martin, rather than Jeffrey’s son.

I used all my sales skills to build up that business, and I ended up selling speciality German bread to some of the world’s most famous hotels, including the Waldorf Astoria, Plaza Hotel and even the United Nations Dining Room.

Hard work really does pay off. This was the lesson I learned back then. This was also the time when I learned to survive on just four hours’ sleep a night. It’s incredible what you can achieve during those extra hours.

Three years later, in 1989, I decided to come home and start my own bread business. I launched Kroustie in Leeds, and started making gourmet bread. We grew and grew, until we were supplying bread, patisserie and cakes to restaurants, hotels and delicatessens all over Yorkshire.

These were the days when most people were eating those mass-produced, plastic-wrapped loaves of Mighty White. Imagine what people thought when they tasted our gourmet rye and pumpernickel loaf? It went down a storm.

That business never went bust but it didn’t make much money either. I used to get up at midnight and work 18-hour days. It was relentless. But I just couldn’t get the right kind of scale into the business. I decided to sell Kroustie in 1998.

My BigChange came in 2002, I bought some hardware from a French firm and launched Masternaut, which helped customers with fleets to track vehicles. Masternaut became one of the fastest-growing businesses in the UK and a market leader. Then, five years ago, I started over again when I launched BigChange, which is an all-singing, all-dancing mobile workforce app and job management tool.

I’ve told the story of my early experiences as an entrepreneur to show others what can be achieved with a bit of determination.

Imagine you want to get a table at your favourite restaurant. You head there and see a queue going around the block. The manager says there are no tables. What do you do? I would always get the table. If someone says it’s impossible, I make it possible. Once this happens a few times it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I’m a strange mixture of optimist and realist. I always think my ideas will fail, which forces me to work three times harder. That attitude keeps my feet on the ground. But I’m also really good at celebrating successes and appreciating the little wins.

Next week, I’ll share three most valuable lessons I’ve learned in business.

See you then.

All the best

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

Welcome to our latest BigChange arrival Harry Scully.

Congratulations Lauren and James xxx

Martin Port
Founder & CEO