I am the Co-founder and majority shareholder of a clothing brand called Always Wear Red.
The other shareholder is Ralf Little.
Ralf is the actor/writer that played (amongst other roles) Antony, the son in The Royle Family.
Colin.
In mid 2015 I was in London with my dog, Colin.
I was sat outside a restaurant waiting for the lady I was meeting.
I wanted a wee and as dogs weren’t allowed in the restaurant, I asked a guy on the next table to look after Colin as I went inside.
When I returned, I looked more closely at the helpful stranger.
It was Ralf Little.
He too was waiting for someone so I chatted to him about my clothing brand concept.
Decisions.
After chatting with Ralf for a minute or two, I made a decision.
I decided that I wanted him to own my business with me.
Ralf is smart.
Clever.
Attractive.
And was one of the main characters in one of the UK’s best ever sitcoms.
I imagined he was rather well connected.
And I was genuinely interested in what he could bring to the business.
My decision was made.
Zoe.
After 10 minutes, he was sat next to the lady he’d been waiting for.
Zoe Rocha, daughter of fashion designer John Rocha and sister of Simone Rocha.
Zoe is super impressive.
And at one time was the COO of Stephen Fry’s Production Company, Sprout Productions.
So I made another decision.
I decided that I wanted Zoe to become a shareholder too.
6 months.
6 months later, Always Wear Red was owned by 3 people.
Me, Zoe and Ralf.
Decision Precision.
There are two important things here.
First, the precision of the decisions I made.
I decided what I wanted.
Second, it is important to note what I did to make it happen.
I treated Ralf and Zoe with the respect that people of such calibre deserve.
I tried my very best to help them understand my vision.
What they’d get from our journey together.
And I listened hard.
I tried to work out how my dreams dovetailed with theirs.
How their creative path overlapped mine.
And, after a few months, I got what I’d decided I wanted.
Decide.
If there are things you want in your business.
Whether it’s something you are going to plan for.
Or if it is an opportunity that lands in front of you because you want a wee and need someone to look after your dog…
Make a proper, precise decision.
Then do every single thing that you possibly can to get what you’ve decided.
