Tim Campbell interview
The winner of the first series of The Apprentice, Tim Campbell, spoke to TheSite.org about getting a job, your first day in the office and how to be an entrepreneur.
This is what Tim said when he spoke to us...
My CV has been a graduate trainee, working for a public company - London Underground, now known as Transport for London. I then went to work for Sir Alan Sugar in a private limited company and now I have my own company.
By working for Sir Alan, I learnt that its all about focusing on the numbers of your business. If you understand about that, thats really going to make the difference. But more so, its about how you manage people. Sir Alan was a fantastic manager, and a brilliant teacher.
My first day at Amstrad was very hard, very long. Lots of meetings with lots of people, and getting the task of all tasks to sell a beauty product through an Amstrad PLC company. But I did it - we got it into Harrods and Argos and it taught me an awful lot. Things are going to be hard dont go in there thinking its going to be an easy ride. But if you know that, youve just got to work harder to make sure you are successful.
On the first day of work, make sure you turn up on time. Then make sure your shoes are polished, my Mum always used to say Polish your shoes, people look at those, but its more so about your presentation: people will make assumptions of you as a result. Then, make sure once you are in there, find out all the people you need to connect with to make your job a lot easier.
The perception is that the job market is very difficult at the moment, but there are a lot of opportunities out there. We do a lot of work with the Department of Work and Pensions and there are a lot of opportunities out there if youve got the right skills. The way you make yourself stand out is that you make sure you know what you have of value, you know how to market that and you have the confidence to articulate that to employers. Dont go begging for a job; show them how you solve problems. Thats the key.
I think theres a lot of emphasis on people being entrepreneurs, but theres also the opportunity to be intrepreneurial, thats entrepreneurial in a normal environment. Its about you having the confidence to believe you have something of value and you can make a difference to the organisation you are working with. So make sure you look for the opportunities, maximise those, and most of all make sure you have confidence in yourself.
I think for anybody thinking of setting up their own company, they have to focus on a number of things. First, find something you are passionate about. Then get a good detailed plan, find a partner or mentor who can advise you to where you want to go, better than you can by yourself. Then work really hard and persevere no matter what you do. And finally, look for the opportunities and bit of luck, but then grab them with both hands and run forward.
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