We hear a lot about very young entrepreneurs; you started your business in your 40s; how did that change Seep's trajectory?
"I used to think I'd missed the boat to start my own business. I was too risk-averse, and I had a mortgage to worry about. Then I got an idea for a cleaning essentials business - sponges and cloths - that no one else seemed to have spotted, and around the same time I read a Harvard Business Review article on the fact that the most successful entrepreneurs actually start their businesses in their 40s.At that age, I had learned, over a long career of highs and lows, how to make good decisions, how to trust my gut, and how to read people. I'd acquired a broad understanding of the general skills an entrepreneur needs, from how to pitch, to recruiting, to reading a P&L and how to negotiate with suppliers. I had a little bit of capital behind me too, so I could back myself in the early days.But the biggest advantage of all was my network - people I had helped out over the years, former colleagues, team members and bosses, former suppliers and customers, all of them now in roles where they can help, often in exchange for nothing more than a sponge. I wouldn't have got to where I am without my network. It's been an absolute superpower."
