Lancashire's leaders share lessons in growth, resilience and vision

Lancashire businesses showing courage and vision to grow and scale were two of the main themes at the recent MHA and Napthens entrepreneurs event at Mytton Fold Hotel and Spa.

Speakers delivered impressive stories of bootstrapped beginnings, bold decisions and business leadership rooted in Lancashire ambition.

COURAGE TO START

Colin Mustoe, founder of the global office furniture company Senator, set the tone for the event with a story of youthful ambition and self-belief.

He said: “I was earning good money in my 20s but I didn’t want to get to retirement and wonder if I could have done it. I was young enough to have a crack at it. If it didn’t work out, fair enough.”

Senator Group is now a £200m company with 1,500 employees and showrooms across the globe including Chicago, New York and Kuala Lumpur.

Colin also spoke about buying Mytton Fold Hotel and the addition of new padel courts on site. He told guests about the importance of long-term thinking with a portfolio of business interests.

He said: “Owning things is such a benefit. If you go through a tough spell, you’re going to come out the other side. You don’t have to worry, you don’t have to cut back too much.”

Colin likened business to his love of a Monday night poker game. “Business is a bit of a gamble,” he said. “We’ve got to be prepared to take chances but know when you’ve got it wrong – and work really hard.”

COURAGE TO GROW AND SUSTAIN

One of two panel discussions brought together leaders of heritage and family-run firms who have built success over decades, adapting through challenge and change.

Elizabeth Porter, shared her journey at Chorley-based Brysdales, from taking on a part-time admin role to owning the business and spoke of the challenges of pushing for growth.

She said: “We took a £10m order - up from £150,000. That was quite frightening to manage, but we did it successfully. It helped springboard us into a different arena.”

Elizabeth also talked about the emotional weight of entrepreneurship. “There are times when it’s scary,” she said.

“I feel like I’ve done a lot of it on my own. I’m trying to self-invest rather than get outward investment. But now we own our building. It just feels like it’s ours.”

Gill Hall of Butler Farmhouse Cheeses in Longridge, which suffered a devastating fire at its Longridge operation in November 2023, spoke of vision, resilience and community.

She said: “We’re nearly 100 years old, so we thought what will make us sustainable for the next 100.

“Let’s make our cheese the best it can be, and our systems, and make our supply chain resilient.

“You have to have a network and I’ve leant on that in times of crisis.”

David Berry of Leyland-based C&W Berry, has been managing director in the family business for 35 years and also chairs a group of 44 building merchants.

He said: “It is lonely running a business when you’re the one making the decisions.

“If you can check with other people in the same position it gives you confidence that you’re not making all the wrong decisions.”

COURAGE TO INNOVATE

A second panel explored the mindset of Lancashire’s modern entrepreneurs – fast-growing, tech-driven businesses built on creativity and change.

Ram Gupta, founder of Nybble, a leading provider of managed IT, audio visual and cyber services to international clients, offered a personal take on courage in business.

He said: “We were a very poor family. We were rich in laughter and closeness but couldn’t afford many things.

“When you have nothing to lose, it’s a privileged position to be in and I enjoyed having the knowledge of having nothing and everything at the same time.

“I’ve learned is as you grow up you are the foundation of a building and life experiences are the concrete you add to it.

“To run a business properly you’ve got to be courageous and daring and you can’t do that without concrete."

Delegates also heard from Rich Dyer, co-founder of Longridge-based Skiddle, the UK’s largest independent ticket outlet.

He summed up the entrepreneurial journey which started with an idea of a college project building an access database for gigs and events.

He said: “Skiddle wasn’t a plan – we were winging it. We’ve never taken on any lending and we’ve had to make some huge decisions because we’ve always put the customer first.

“We have an ace team and a solid management team.

“We’ve got 80 to 90 people below that and they can run the company without us.”

Bruce Thomas, founder of digital platform Tribes, went from rubbing shoulders with the likes of the Foo Fighters and Rolling Stones in a previous role to delivering for clients such as Compare the Market.

Tribes has a roster of 24,000 engineers based around the world implementing digital solutions.

Bruce shared Colin Mustoe’s feelings about business and poker. There is some luck – Bruce met his business partner on a foreign holiday – but it’s down to making good choices.

“If you’re going to start a business, you need to be capable of making decisions and you need to know when to fold,” he said.

COURAGE TO GIVE BACK

There was also a call for business to play a greater role in community leadership.

Guy Topping, managing director of the Flower Bowl in Garstang and chairman of Preston Vault Youth Zone, led a rallying call for the business community about the new youth centre.

He said: “We want local businesses to help out financially. It is a really exciting thing to get involved in.”

COURAGE TO LEAD

Reflecting on the breadth of stories and experience shared at the gathering, which was hosted by Richard Slater of Lancashire Business View, event partners MHA and Napthens praised Lancashire’s entrepreneurial resilience and drive.

Rob Richardson, partner at MHA, said: “From technology to heritage food business owners, we heard about the courage needed to make bold decisions. Growth ambitions guide that decision making.”

Keith Melling, partner and head of corporate at Napthens, said: “The entrepreneurial spirit is very much alive in Lancashire.

“It’s great to see people using creativity and innovation, showing adaptability, persevering, driving forward with passion and purpose, and having the courage to adapt and succeed in a what is very much a changing market.”