This is a guest blog from Mike Foster to inspire entrepreneurs for the new decade. The rest of this blog is in Mike’s own words.
Over the last decade, 2010-2020, I have been developing my expertise, skills and knowledge with experience of having a portfolio career. My network tell me that I am personally known for having the true desire to help and support others. They’re right.
Over those ten years, my portfolio career has comprised senior employed roles such as a Commercial Director, voluntary roles with local education providers, chairing one of Oxfordshire’s largest events VentureFest, delivering business networking events and running my own various businesses and networks. These activities have all included mentoring and supporting numerous other business owners to start and develop their own business. This is what really motivates me personally and I am passionate about.
As an entrepreneur, running my own businesses has given me invaluable experience to now help my clients. My own businesses have been very different in nature, giving breadth as well as depth of business experience:
- a bookkeeping business that we franchised;
- a membership organisation;
- a training business; and
- a soft play centre.
I have really enjoyed my career journey so far – the variety of businesses I have worked with, the individual characters I have supported, and who have supported me, and the different challenges I have faced with them. I love business and helping people.
Today, as we begin a new decade, I am the Managing Director of Modus Accountants, a disruptive accountancy practice in Oxfordshire, bringing all my career experience to date to create disruption and add value to dynamic small business owners wanting more than just an ‘off the shelf’ accountancy service, but to benefit from finance mentoring, structure and business reviews and first class business support throughout the financial year, not just once a year.
My portfolio career experience in the past, has provided me with the knowledge and various skills across the many different areas/departments essential to run a successful business. Although the establishment of my own portfolio career was initially by accident, in fact I had never heard of the phrase until recently, in recent years my career goal and CPD has been very focused indeed.
My career goal has been to be in a position to lead a business or chair a board, whereby no one would be able to ‘pull the wool over my eyes’, due to my well-rounded knowledge of the business functions. I have achieved my career goal. Goals are important.
Today, at Modus Accountants, I am using my diverse experience and knowledge from my portfolio career gained over 24 years to advise business owners on how to structure and build their own business, whilst also leading the growth of our own firm and its people. Exciting times! I am relishing 2020.
We may all now live in VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous), but I know that the choices I have made in the past have put me in good stead in the future to help our clients thrive in increasingly disrupted and fast changing markets.
“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” Abraham Lincoln.
We are doing some free strategy seminars in January 2020 in Oxfordshire, 23 January in Witney and 29 January in Abingdon, to give you a taster of the benefits of our approach, so that you can start 2020 as you mean to go on, focused and with expert support. If you are interested in finding out more, please e mail me. Limited places. mike@modus-accountants.co.uk
My 6 tips for people considering a portfolio career:
- Do what you are passionate about and don’t be distracted without a plan.
- Have great and supportive people around you at all times.
- Clearly communicate what you can and want to offer.
- Keep focused on what you want to be known for.
- Enjoy every day and if you’re not enjoying every day, identify why this is in order to fix and change it.
- Seeking the support of an experienced coach or mentor is time and money well spent.
More
Modus Accountants
Oxford Business Community Network (OBCN)
Mike Foster on Twitter
Mike Foster LinkedIn profile
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefosteroxford/
Interested in a portfolio career for yourself, to define a compelling career goal and create a future-proof career? Get in touch with Rachel Brushfield ‘The Talent Liberator’ for a no-obligation chat to find out more and receive your personal copy of our free Energise report ‘Discover Portfolio Careers’.