Interview:

Unleash your entrepreneurial spirit: 8 leadership secrets from an acclaimed company founder

Written by CMI Insights Tuesday 05 December 2023

Move second, put people first and keep raising your game. Richard Harpin CMgr CCMI, founder and chairman of HomeServe, shares his key tips for business success

Strong leadership lies at the heart of successful business transformation – a fact that Richard Harpin CMgr CCMI, the founder and chairman of global consumer services company HomeServe, knows all too well.

Beginning as a joint venture with South Staffordshire Water in 1993, HomeServe has since soared to international business acclaim. 30 years later, it now serves over 8.5 million customers worldwide.

Speaking on his career success in a recent installment of The Leading Issue, Richard attributes leadership as a “key part” of it. More specifically, he pinpoints the core aspects of “courage, persistence, integrity and keeping going until you make something happen” which have guided his approach to entrepreneurship. “There is always light at the end of the tunnel,” he explains.

Watch: Richard Harpin in The Leading Issue

Billion-pound business secrets

But Richard isn’t content with establishing various enterprises; he’s also driven to share the benefits of effective leadership with others.

Richard has distilled his business experience into eight tips for entrepreneurs to follow to reach their full potential

In 2015, Richard established Growth Partner, an investment business that mentors ambitious entrepreneurs and consumer challenger brands to exceed their own expectations. More recently, he’s also been trying to influence the bigger picture, lobbying the government to create policies that support the growth of medium-sized companies.

But what can managers take from this lesson in entrepreneurial triumph? And how can you move from the germ of an idea, to sustained business success?

How to make intrapreneurship work for you

Here, in his own words, are Richard’s eight secrets to building “a strong, large, sustainable business”.

Want to learn Richard’s 8 secrets for business success?

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