ULMS Extra: "Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur"
Mark Wilson talked to ULMS students about “becoming a successful entrepreneur”.
Mark, founder of Parthenon Facilities Management, talked openly about his own personal business journey; how he began and the success and failures he endured to get to where he is now.
Working as a cleaner in Liverpool, his entrepreneurial initiative sparked when he began to branch out and employ people to assist with jobs. He was promoted to supervisor and then went on to become the youngest area manager within the firm at the age of 24.
He started his own cleaning firm, Parthenon Facilities Management, employing just 2 other staff members to assist with sales and business management. After initially signing £16,000 worth of business initially the company grew now turning over just short of £1million.
He said: “Nothing is handed to you. You have to work to achieve something good. You have to be prepared to take chances. The risks that you have to take will diminish as your business grows”.
Mark advised that every start up business will face its struggles but any successful businessman will be clear in their objectives and have a planned internal structure in order to develop and understand your business, including its flaws.
A current undergraduate Business management student said:
“This talk allowed us to gain a different perspective into careers after university. It was good to hear about someone else’s personal experiences and compare this to others, for example my parents. This was more informal and added something extra to the academic work that we do.”