My £100 Million Goal
Originally sent exclusively to The Letter subscribers on February 23rd. Want to be the first to get my personal newsletter in your inbox every Monday at 7am? Subscribe for free here.
This weekend, my wife went away to a spa.
That meant I had the kids on my own.
The doctor finally gave me the green light to drive again on Friday (if you’re new here, I slipped and broke some bones), so naturally I asked myself where I should take them. Of course, I took them to one of my own establishments, Marsh Farm (money‑saving supermarket dad; that's me!).
While the kids were playing, I spent most of my time observing the team.
I found myself thinking about how much things have improved. We’ve put new management processes in place and it is clearly working.
My son Harvey, who is nine is just starting to understand business and money, H looked around and said, “Dad, you’ve got a lot of staff here.”
I asked him how many he thought we had.
“About 40,” he said.
I replied, “We employ about 3,000 people now.”
He couldn’t believe it.
To be honest, neither can I when I really stop and think about it.
The cost and responsibility are monumental. Millions of pounds flow in and out of our bank accounts every week.
The lion’s share goes straight to the Government through their preposterous turnover taxes and then the wage bill.
Over the past eight weeks, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect.
Being bed bound forces you to slow down and think more than usual.
Last week I walked, well more hobbled, slowly and carefully around our warehouse, the slowness allowed me to take stock, I was genuinely marvelling at what our children’s activity business has become.
It really has turned into something significant.
What scares me, in a good way, is the power of thinking big and committing those thoughts to paper.
A magic trick I have been performing for decades.
Almost everything I have ever written down and truly decided to achieve has eventually happened.
Sometimes it takes a year longer than planned, sometimes two, occasionally more, but it almost always becomes reality.
Recently, I wrote down that within the next 18 months I want our companies to reach £100 million in revenue with £10 million EBITDA.
I will make it happen. The act of writing it down helps make it real.
There are rules too. Here they are, Captain… No investors. Running lean. Structuring the businesses and deals we do in the most efficient way possible.
I’ve trained my brain to understand that thinking bigger actually gives you an advantage.
In many ways, it is safer. Small deals often carry just as much risk as large ones, but without the same upside.
Bigger thinking tends to produce stronger outcomes with greater certainty. Bigger businesses, in my experience, also have moats. Moats are handy things to have. (if you'd like to buy some businesses and do some deals, join me on my next seminar - details here)
When I’m in flow, I have the ability to laser‑focus. I can hyper‑focus on the tasks that genuinely move the needle for the organisation and for the people who work alongside me.
Of course, things go wrong. There are setbacks. But I know that once something is written down and truly decided upon, the ecosystem, the world, whatever you choose to call it, starts serving up what you need.
Sometimes later than expected, but it arrives like the number bus!
Provided you have the capacity to handle it and the resilience to pursue what you desire.
The better you become, the more opportunities seem to knock on your door.
The last six months have brought more challenges than I ever imagined possible.
Yet through those challenges, and by doing what many people struggle to do when things get tough I make sure my mind is keeping the long‑term vision in mind, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel even on dark days.
Strangely, and almost unbelievably, some incredible opportunities are now appearing, the hardest miles of a marathon are the last.
I believe the next six months could be the most exciting period of my business career.
The marathon I have been on for the last 6 months will end with a well earned family holibobs... with my trotters up for 5 minutes!
It really has been a torrid time, both professionally and with my poxy leg, I'm looking forward to new chapters.
And here’s what I know for certain: we learn far more from difficult moments than we ever do from easy ones.
Tough periods show you who stands beside you, who is loyal, who is prepared to fight with you, and who can truly handle pressure.
Most importantly, they teach you to appreciate the good times when they come.
And lastly, find a purpose bigger than yourself. In Japan they call this ikigai, the reason to get up every morning.
People with a clear ikigai live longer. It doesn’t have to be a grand mission. Just remain useful. The world tends to keep useful people around for longer.
Here’s one last thing to ponder…
What is made out of leather and sounds like a sneeze?
A shoe.
Till next week, to your continued success.
James
PS. You’ve all heard me talk about investing in “slow pounds.” It’s important, and there are many ways to do it, but for me, the focus is on property.
Interested? We’d love to have you at the Property Profits Masterclass.