University of Bolton graduate and successful businessman, John Sewell, recently came back to the University to deliver the Entrepreneurial X-factor.
John is the co-founder of award winning IT company, Greenlight Computers Ltd. He set up the company while studying part-time for an MBA at Bolton under Senior Lecturer, Peter Moran. It was Peter who invited him back to talk to some Business Management undergraduates.
John thinks success isn't an 'exclusive club' and believes everyone has the potential to succeed. However, he also believes any such success can only be achieved through hard work and dedication. This is what he explained in his Entrepreneurial X-factor presentation.
He said: 'The intention was to get the audience to see that entrepreneurship is not an exclusive club, that it is a lifestyle choice which they can enter into. However, before making that step they should think about the personal commitment it takes to become a successful entrepreneur. I wanted them to see that to stand a chance of succeeding they must commit to their idea with enthusiasm, energy and passion for excellence.'
Peter Paddon is the Employer Engagement Consultant at the University and helped Peter Moran organise the event. He agrees it's important the students see that being a successful business person doesn't happen overnight. He said: 'We hope that students gained an insight into the problems faced when starting up a business; the skills required to overcome problems and the qualities that make a successful entrepreneur.'
John has vast amounts of experience and has managed businesses all over the world. He has worked with everything from greenfield start-ups to handling mergers and acquisitions. He completed his MBA while he was setting up his current company, Greenlight.
He believes the entire experience helped him and his fledgling business, grow and develop: 'The calibre of the cohort was excellent, enabling me to develop ideas and test them with experienced professional business people. Coupled with the new knowledge from the academic studies I found the whole experience to be very challenging, enjoyable and enriching. It certainly helped Greenlight Computers to develop and as a result of this to achieve significant growth.'