Smiles Win Awards

Smiles were obviously key when moving from corporate finance to being a family-focused business coach.

There’s a smiley face emoji – up on my shelf behind me in the office at home. I won it twenty-three years ago when I first became Financial Controller for Kia Cars, when I joined MCL Group. Every year for the Christmas party, they used to do special awards for the staff. One of the awards was “who smiled the most during the year”. By all accounts, it was quite unanimous that I’d won it because I smiled the most.  

It was just really amazing that you walk around, smile at people and talk to them and it gets you that amount of recognition!

Now it’s a money box full of the kid’s coins – which I think is when Daddy does something silly! So it’s definitely got its’ uses. 

My time at Kia Cars to becoming a family-focused business coach

At Kia Cars, I went in as Financial Controller and it was small businesses, restarting really – with a new Managing Director – which is why I was employed. My role was very much a finance one when I started. 

I was actually on my way out of the door, to get a new job, when the Korean economy crashed in 1998. The then Commercial Director, who had employed me, left. So Mark Quinn, who was then the MD, tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Do you want to come and help me restart this when the Asian economy re-kicks in?” 

Kia was then bought by Hyundai Group and I stepped into a role that was effectively my first senior finance role. I was a 30 year old amongst a lot of very, very experienced senior motor industry professionals! Effectively, I operated as the Financial Director – involved in all the negotiations with the manufacturer. 

I managed a lot of the relationships with the Japanese shareholder, especially around financial communications and ensuring they always understood what was going on. Also, I was a conduit for a lot of the decisions that we were making internally around launching products and launching sales campaigns. So much more of a commercial role than a financial one. This I worked on through my people skills.

To build the kind of relationships that meant whilst the finance team was in the centre, a financial planning perspective became part of the DNA of each of the departments within the business. 

Really going places!

Later, in my time there – around 2001 – I was doing a lot of travelling to Asia and Europe. I was the only member of the management team that was involved in the potential acquisition of Kia Cars by a third party. And was one of the senior leadership team, outside the MD, who was involved in the conversations with the Japanese shareholder and the Korean manufacturer around what it would look like potentially moving forward. 

To the point that in one board meeting, Peter Varnay, who was the Group’s Finance Director, was asked: “Do you want to be involved in any negotiations, in any of the conversations around what’s happening with the products?” 

His response was “Well, if Raymond’s involved, then I don’t need to be involved – I’m quite comfortable.” 

So it was a very thirty-something, early-stage career. It was truly intense but very exciting! 

And I would say it’s probably still the best role that I’ve had in my career. 

Who is Raymond now?

Now I work with business owners to build sustainable businesses with their families. For them, to have the fulfilment that they desire on their terms. So I’m part-finance director – using my previous skills – but also part family-focused business coach. 

It’s much more in terms of partnering with business owners to create that communication between themselves and their families to build the kind of business that they truly want.

Starting from a family perspective: what does the family want? What are the personal ambitions? Then bringing the business into the family in a way that works. 

The Body rejects what it doesn’t want!

“The body rejects what it doesn’t want!” is an expression I have.

The aim is to bring the business into the family – in a way that the family and the business can cohabit. Rather than bringing the business into the family in a way that causes disruption. Because, for me, I value my family most.

This is best done through working together on communication – around what’s happening in the business and personally. Creating a connected model that flows from end to end that ultimately, as I say, builds a sustainable business AND enables the family to have the life of fulfilment that they so desire!

Why you must bring family and business together

(From the perspective of a family-focused business coach!)

Well, I think one of the bits about the way I work is that key piece of really bringing family and business together. Especially when it comes to communication between partners and how challenging it can be when you are a business owner.

You have so much emotion, intention and desire to build something of value that you don’t lose track of what matters most!

Bringing personal and business together is an exceptionally emotional journey, as well as it is a practical journey. Often so much around what you can experience is about the business first – and it’s not! It’s about us as individuals, you as a business owner and us as a family first.  Then bringing the business in. 

So you get the personal skills – the interpersonal skills – and the care first. Then you have the skills of someone who’s built businesses in the past. This enables you to build a business that will be sustainable for you and your family!

Here’s the linked YouTube video, that accompanies this article: https://bit.ly/SmilesWinAwards

Please leave a comment – I’d love to hear from you. Also, let me know if there are other topics you would like me to cover.

If you liked to get in touch please click the link here to email me,

Raymond,

http://bit.ly/RaymondContactMe