THE ALCHEMIST ABOUT TOWN

People stuff

Interview with Patrick Thorpe: my first years as an Interim Manager  

Part 1

After exploring what it takes to move from being an Employee (you have a job) to Self-Employed ( you own a job) to Business Owner (you own a system &/or people work for you) in the articles Are you dreaming of becoming your own boss?  and Moving from self-employed to business owner , I wanted to bring to life these concepts by interviewing people who have actually seen, done, got the T-shirt and get some more tips.

      First interview of the series is with Patrick Thorpe of Corexis Consulting Limited.

Q1  Why did you decide to become an interim? What benefits you thought it would give you and the challenges you would face?
A1  The interim market has really chosen me – after leaving a blue chip Facilities Management (FM) service provider though redundancy, I set up my own company to offer consultancy, project work and bid management within FM. After undertaking a number of projects within business development it has now morphed into interim operational management for a world renowned higher educational establishment. 
A clear benefit to me is the freedom of working for yourself. You do become the master of your own destiny and you are free to make absolute decisions about what work you want to go after and when. I firmly believe that when you work for yourself it gives you a different mindset and drive about attaining success in everything that you do – and trying that much harder to ensure that you achieve it!

     There are clear challenges in setting up your own company and deciding what the best modus operandi is best – formation of a limited company or an umbrella organisation. Both options have benefits dependent on your business activity and for me the incorporation of Corexis Consulting Limited has been the perfect option for combating the majority of challenges.

       Q2  What was your career path?

       A2  I am an ex-hotelier and started my career path working for the ‘J. Lyons and Co.’ at their subsidiary, Strand Hotels Limited. After working at the Cumberland, Kingsley, Strand Palace and Regent Palace Hotels in London, I moved on to work for Holiday Inn in Kuwait. On my return to the UK, I joined a contract catering company that prompted my career to move out of the catering sector into the world of facilities management. After a new career working for top FM companies – Sodexo, Compass Group, Johnson Controls and finally Balfour Beatty Workplace in both operational and business development roles, the opportunity came to form my own company and start a new chapter in my working life.

Q3  As you move through your journey to become/be an Interim Manager, what key skills did you find useful?
      A3  There are an abundance of new skills that are there to be learnt in the Interim market – and here  are 4 that are fundamental to future success in my opinion :

1. Planning – for a new career move and understanding that all the decisions taken at this time    may have a significant effect on your future place in this market place
2. Salesmanship – in learning to market yourself, your company and defining the product that you are bringing to mark
3. Financial management – in understanding and planning for ‘downtime’ in work activity (as it will happen!) to ensure that a financial ‘buffer’ is maintained to keep you and your company solven
4. Contact building and networking – sweat networking assets, especially though social media as these are powerful mediums to exploit for future assignment opportunities. 

Join me tomorrow for Part 2 and more insights from Patrick...