Tim Campbell

Each year the Bright Ideas Trust will give away £1 million of funding for innovative business concepts, with the aim of starting upwards of 250 new businesses a year. Tim said: “I want the Trust to unleash a wave of creativity among people in the UK and give them an opportunity to run their own enterprise in a practical, hands-on way.”

Tim is a supporter of the Make Your Mark campaign, and explains: “The Bright Ideas Trust is already connecting with the Make Your Mark campaign. The campaign is an excellent way of inspiring young people to think about setting up their own business as a career option.

“It’s important to catch young people early and make their foundations strong ones. It’s imperative that we not only show pupils in schools the advantages of being more enterprising, but also give young start up businesses the necessary support to make sure their ideas actually turn into tangible businesses for the future.”

Read on to find out what Tim’s learnt about being in enterprise.

How were your ideas about being an entrepreneur shaped when you took part in The Apprentice?

My idea of an entrepreneur was always this glamorous, sexy title attributed to mavericks who had come up with a great idea and ‘gone it alone’, making a fortune in the process. The reality isn’t totally removed from this, but the key aspect of extremely hard work is not highlighted.

The entrepreneurial environment that The Apprentice creates was hard work, but the reward of making a deal, or just creating something out of pure determination, made it all worth it.

What did you found easy, and what did you find tricky, while you were at Amstrad?

Understanding how to structure a company, or getting a thorough grasp of the cosmetics and electronics industries, was tricky, but I plugged away until I acquired the knowledge I needed.

I had to invest a lot of time in the company, but my long term focus was to be as successful as possible so I could spend more time with my family and friends in the long run. Also, I’m a big advocate of adults talking to young people in schools, sharing their experiences and knowledge, but sometimes I don’t have time to do this.

How important do you think it is for young people to learn to become more enterprising?

It’s essential that the next generation know that with some basic skills, and a lot of determination, they can be the catalysts for the next revolution of sorts in the business world.

We are now in the ‘Information Age’ where what (and sometimes who) you know, and how versatile you are, will dictate where you end up. I don’t think our education system has caught up with the changes happening.

It’s imperative that we not only show pupils the advantages of being more enterprising, but also give them the necessary support to make sure their ideas actually turn into tangible businesses for the future.

The best time for this is when they are at school. Campaigns like Make Your Mark can catch them early and make their foundations strong ones. With emerging powers like China moving so quickly, we have to ensure our young people can compete.

What kind of hurdles did you experience when you were trying to make your ideas happen?

Being at London Underground was great; I learnt a lot about myself and the power structures within business. But I had a lot of energy, and sometimes found the company didn’t go as fast as I wanted to.

I was given some fantastic opportunities, but my age was always seen as a negative. As a graduate trainee, it was often, ‘You haven’t been here long enough’ or, ‘You haven’t got the experience yet’.

How did you overcome this?

Instead of banging my head against the wall, I investigated how I could get around the problems I was facing. I sought feedback on my performance, then set about improving my weaknesses.

In less than six months I was earning substantially more than one person who had turned me down for a job. I don’t say that to boast, or to put down the person who interviewed me, but to show that no matter what, there is always another way.

What specific hurdles would you say face young people from your own area, the East End of London, when they are trying to make their ideas happen?

I think the biggest issues are a lack of knowledge and access to information. Coming from the East End, the perception may be that you have to deal with the stereotypes (poor, council flat-dweller, troublesome, etc.), but these aren’t enough to stop you doing something.

Sir Alan was from Hackney and is now a respected businessman; many of my peers are working for City banks, and others have started their own ventures. I personally see coming from the East End as a major advantage. Having the ‘street smarts’ to think on your feet and deal with all manner of people has served me well! Where you are born has little to do with how successful you may be.

What do you think is lacking in the UK at the moment with regards to an enterprising culture for young people?

The acceptance of risk and competition. At school we were taught that to be competitive is good: stars for the top pupil, etc. There is a desire for some schools now to make sure everyone wins and that everything is equal; unfortunately that doesn’t happen in the real world.

Nurturing a healthy competitiveness in pupils will go a long way to ensuring the culture they grow up in is an enterprising one.

What would you like to see happen?

The government to do more than five days’ enterprise training, young people to know to look for signposts (I never had Google in my day), and for every child to leave school having a basic understanding about business and how it works.

What are the most important characteristics a young, budding entrepreneur needs?

Determination, faith/belief, an understanding of numbers, and interpersonal skills, which I think are critical. All business involves people, and making a deal, getting people to work for you or retaining customer loyalty all depends on the message you convey to them. Not being able to effectively communicate with others could render a multi-million pound idea worthless.

Do you know anyone who’s made their idea happen?

A good friend of mine, Christopher Childs, launched Childs Tailoring, a bespoke tailoring service, a year ago.

After working in several top-end male retail environments like Mulberry and Burberry, he spent all his time learning everything there was to know about cloths, cuts and the world of couture. After saving up enough money, he decided to hand in his notice and go out on his own. It hasn’t been easy, but he loves what he does.

Getting people to know he exists and dispelling a lot of the myths around the exclusivity of tailoring has been difficult, but he has built up a solid client base and an enviable reputation in his field.

Tim’s Grand Idea: To leave Sir Alan Sugar and start his own business

1. Plan: Researching the areas I wanted to go into.
2. Persevere: Making the decision to leave was not an easy one but once I made it there was no other alternative.
3. Passion: If you are not passionate about what you are doing then others will not be passionate about you.
4. Partnerships: In business it’s about who you know and who knows you. Having strong networks has made my life a lot easier than it may have been.
5. Being proactive: One thing I have learnt is that nothing comes easy in this world. I have had to take the steps to get this going and then others become infected with my enthusiasm