Gary Bond

07960 129817

Builder / Joiner

KITCHENS

BATHROOMS

RENOVATIONS

This weekend, I stepped aboard my camper van and criss-crossed the country on a quest for knowledge and deals, learning from other folk’s 10,000 hours of mastery.

Not just any folk. Folk like us. At it. Learning their craft. In many cases, professors of entrepreneurship.

They’ve got the T-shirt and the flipping fridge magnet.

Essex to Exeter, Preston to Penrith, Worthing to Wales.

I certainly felt the effects of the journey on my credit card. I’d done so many miles I even needed more AdBlue, otherwise known as the motoring industry’s latest extortion racket that didn’t exist a few years ago.

With fuel, VAT receipts and determination in my back pocket, I committed to an investing weekend.

I do these as often as I can. Alone with my thoughts.

My wife and kids jetted off for sun, sea and sand. Me, a camper van, some cobbled-together plans and a cup of Rosie Lea. That was my destination.

Getting out and about, seeking new ideas, viewing businesses for sale and spending time under the bonnet is what truly drives my businesses forward.

I’ve been doing this since the moment I could drive.

The art of the possible, the good, the bad and the ugly, when viewing companies that are not my own, is what sharpens my thinking.

I recommend it a million per cent.

Think about food.

Do you think 150 years ago spaghetti bolognese was a British weekly staple? Or burgers? Or chicken katsu curry? Of course not.

Travel drove innovation. It broadened our palate from fish and chips and meat and two veg.

This weekend on my travels, I visited five visitor attractions, three holiday parks, a manufacturer of holiday pods, and The Big Sheep.

I’m fired up with golden nuggets.

I believe this weekend, over time, will create millions of pounds’ worth of opportunities in ideas, R&D and future deals.

All of this happens because I get in the car and dedicate time to it.

Most folk rely on desktop research that gets forgotten as quickly as it’s found. The usual behaviour is using ChatGPT and Google to see what’s working.

I prefer to look.

Properly look.

It’s the cheapest consultancy you can get. Your brain, when all senses are engaged, works far better.

Without sounding like a sergeant major, we must carve out our investing days. They are very important, non-urgent tasks. That’s working effectively.

Effective work is what moves us from operators to owners to movers and shakers.