Inspirational Men's Profile: Nick Ebdon of Advanced Hypnosis Training

Nick founded Advanced Hypnosis Training Ltd in 2015 to replace NEtherapy his former hypnotherapy business. After a successful job trading commodities as an executive director at Morgan Stanley, Nick decided he was unfulfilled, trained as a hypnotherapist and has not looked back. He is a registered hypnotherapist, a NGH Board certified hypnotist and instructor and most significantly, recently became the first OMNI Hypnosis designated instructor in the UK ( OMNI Hypnosis is one of the most prestigious names in hypnosis training around the world). Because of his OMNI training, AHT is now also the OMNI Hypnosis Training Center® of London.

Nick offers a number of accredited courses in hypnotherapy from a foundation level certification right through to the OMNI advanced training - which is the worlds first ISO 9001 approved training in hypnosis. In addition he is a Certified NLP trainer providing both Practitioner and Master practitioner along with many hypnosis and NLP orientated workshops and courses.Nick the founder is renowned for helping individuals deal with personal issues with a number of therapeutic methods and works with a number of voluntary organisations to help them to provide support, solutions  and coping mechanisms for their clients. Read more about Nick and his work in our latest 2inspire Mens special interview below.

1/ Please tell us what is a typical business day for you?

A typical business day for me will involve either seeing clients locally or in the City of london for a number of issues from stress and anxiety, emotional problems, fears, phobias, weight loss and stopping unwanted habits. When not with clients I may be writing or researching other techniques and methods. My best days are when I am holding workshops or training programmes which is what I actually enjoy doing the most.


2/ What made you start the business and what steps did you take to start operating as a business?

It sounds cliche but I wanted to make a difference. I suffered from stress and hypnotherapy helped me turns things around at a low point in my life. The biggest step for me was to walk away from a career that financially had been very rewarding. I decided to transition my career from doing what I was doing, which was trading metals and consultancy work to becoming a self employed hypnotist. I got my first qualifications while still working in my existing job and made the transition that way. That does have its downside however.


3/ What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment in the business world to date?

I have had some notable successes in consulting work, but my recent approval to be the first OMNI Hypnosis Training Center® provider in the UK on a personal and professional level is my greatestaccomplishment so far. Gerald Kein who founded OMNI in 1979, is considered by many, including me to be the best hypnotherapist out there. I am very honoured that he and his successor Hans Wipf picked me to bring OMNI live classes to the UK.


4/ What has been your biggest challenge in business so far?

My biggest challenge was transitioning from an amazingly well paid job, to jumping into the unknown. I found that it ended up being counterproductive to both old and new as it just split my focus to the point that neither areas of work were getting the attention they need. Apart from one regular consulting contract I focus entirely on change work and training now.

5/What are your future plans for the business?

I want to expand my client waiting list to the point that I need to hire more therapists, hopefully that I’ve trained through my OMNI classes, which I also intend to really push over the next two years. I have also outlined a book which will hopefully be fleshed out in 2016 and maybe do some work with 2inspire too!


6/If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

I think I would study the really successful therapists, coaches and instructors to see what they were doing that set them apart from the rest and copy it. I wasted a lot of time doing too much by trial and error and not enough exploring what was already proven to work. As mentioned before as well, I would have a little more conviction and a little more self belief and throw myself into the job where my passion lay.


7/ What’s the best compliment you could receive in business?

That I made the difference in someone’s life. Whether it was to get them out of a hole they were in, or to inspire them in some way. Jerry Kein, who I mentioned earlier said that if you have changed just one person’s life; help them turn a corner, lift them from depression etc. then your life has been worthwhile. It may not get you your own private jet (unless you’re Tony Robbins!) but it will help you sleep better at night and give your life much more meaning.

8) Why is it so important to inspire the next generation  to follow their dreams?

Because to be fair they don’t have much to inspire them elsewhere. They do not have many quality role models of note so their lives are dictated by materialistic incentives. I worked in a job where the more rewarding it got the more miserable I became. There is nothing wrong with what I did in my old career as a commodity trader, but I wasn’t passionate about it in the way that I am now. If you can do something you want to do and you have enough passion about it and you enjoy and believe in the service you are providing or the product you are selling,  I really believe with enough focus you will ultimately be much happier.


9/ What advice would you give to somebody who wants to start a business in your industry?

Be trained by the OMNI Hypnosis Training Center® of London - its the best training in becoming a hypnotherapist!!


10/What or who inspires you in business and why?

Self belief in people (as long as it’s not delusional), people who may have got dealt a crap hand but excel themselves in life. Also those that contribute beyond themselves give us all much needed perspective sometimes.

11/What is your favourite inspirational quote?

‘Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes’ - Jim Carrey

Email: nickebdon@advancedhypnosistraining.co.uk
Website:  WWW.ADVANCEDHYPNOSISTRAINING.UK
TELEPHONE: 0800 7734183

2inspire Network Men's Special Profile: Lawrence Zidyana of Hona Media

Lawrence Zidyana is the Founder of Hona Media, a video production company that tell stories using moving pictures and sounds. He writes, shoots and edits short films, documentaries, music videos and events. He is also the host of Sadza With Chips, a podcast that's irreverent about African news.

Lawrence Zidyana

Please tell us what is a typical business day for you?

The thing I love about filming is that, just like each job, no work day is the same. Nothing is typical. My day depends on what stage of production. After discussing client's film/video needs I get into pre-production. That is when I scout locations if needed, draft storyboards and make sure I source the necessary equipment. Production is when I film or record audio and that is never in the same location. Post production/editing  is when I spend a lot of time on my computer and make all the audio, video, pictures and animation make sense. I am usually in touch with a client when I have a draft version to show them. I also have different days when I have a film out and need to promote it.

What made you start the business and what steps did you take to start operating as a business?

I made a few of my own films which many people liked. Some of them contacted me to make films for money. To start operating as a business I needed a bit better equipment so I opened an account with a rental company.

Lawrence filming for "In My Kitchen" 

What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment in the business world to date?

I made a film called Am I Not A Mother? featuring Zimbabwean women discussing post natal depression. It was very well received, was featured on Zimbabwean state radio, got me my first TV interview and was screened at the British Film Institute. I also directed and edited a two part documentary filmed in northern Nigeria exploring the effects of Boko Haram terrorists on residents. The client who gave me the job has been invited to speak at a stake holders meeting on the 26 October to discuss humanitarian aid with the Nigerian Vice President who watched and was touched by the film.

What has been your biggest challenge in business so far?
Convincing some people about the cost of video production. It is not simply pointing a camera, it is about the time and skill.


What are your future plans for the business?

We are in production for a web series called In My Kitchen at the moment. It going to be good. In the long run I would love to do a TV series, thriller or comedy. A documentary would be just fine as well. TV is big at the moment. Call me I am ready.

Lawrence on Set

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

I would start much sooner and not worry too much about equipment

What’s the best compliment you could receive in business?
Being told what I have made is beautiful. Image wise and story wise.


Why is it so important to inspire the next generation  to follow their dreams?

For me following your dreams helps you find yourself and your identity. Doing what you have a passion for means you explore it so much more and that process will test you as a person. The results could help build your character and you will find where you belong. Isn't that what we are all searching for? 

What advice would you give to somebody who wants to start a business in your industry?
Do not worry about equipment. Have confidence and make sure you learn how to tell a good story. 

What or who inspires you in business and why?
I am inspired by creativity. There are some pretty smart people out there. When I watch their films I go "wow how did they think of that?" I am also inspired by well made low budget films that make big money. I would love to do that. Allow me to dream.


What is your favourite inspirational quote?

Trust me man it's okay - it is actually a line from a song by rapper 50 Cent. I am a pretty calm person and to me that is like a trigger word to get steady. In any situation I want to be able to always say that and be convinced that things are really under control.

Watch Hona Africa Films on YouTube

Tweet @honaafrica and @lawrieblaz

2 inspire Network Men's Special Profile: John Byrne - Theatre & Entertainment Industry Careers Advisor

John Byrne combines his own successful career as a writer, artist and broadcaster with his work as Entertainment Industry Career Advisor for The Stage newspaper, helping a wide range of actors, singers, presenters and artists develop their careers. In addition to his Stage work he runs Actors Business Plan workshops and one to one sessions across the country. He is associate director of New Wonder Management a talent agency representing a diverse range of established and emerging artists as well as a tutor for the London Art College, and is also a huge draw (pun intended!) at festivals nationwide with his Learn to Draw Cartoons Live show. 

 

Image by Kirstin Reddington

What is a typical working day for you?

I’ve always been an early riser, so it’s good to get the creative work done at the least ‘distraction heavy’ time of the day. I’ll usually start the day with a short period of prayer and meditation, focusing both on the day ahead, but also on what I am grateful for from the day just gone. You can always find something, even in a difficult period, and when you do, you start the new day on a much more positive and hopeful note. I tend to divide my day between mornings where I work on my own projects, which might range from Journalism for The Stage or Cartoons for Private Eye and other publications, as well as more long term script and book work.  Afternoons are the time when other people’s projects and careers are more the focus. There are often theatre shows or events to attend in the evening, so I try to take some time out around lunchtime to go for a walk, as having your bum on a seat all day is never a good thing!  Not every day is typical, but probably the one thing I have learned in almost 30 years of self-employment is that keeping to good routines and systems as much as you can is pretty essential.

What made you start the business and what steps did you take to start operating as a business?

I realised I was spending as much time consulting with other people on advancing their arts careers as I was working on my own. Economically, I had the choice to either focus solely on me or to try and make the advisory side at least cover its costs. I set up a website as the ‘Showbusiness Life Coach’ (Cringe!) in the early days of the net, and got a surprising number of clients…but in working with them I realised that what arts people need most is not big ‘lifecoachy’ visions and ideas (they are already good at those) but very practical business advice and support to make a practical plan and stick with it until they see results.

What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment in the business world to date?

As I have been advising and mentoring for almost two decades now, the best feeling is being able to feature successful performers in my Stage column whose stories can inspire others, knowing that I may have once given those people their first press coverage or helped with their own original career plan.

What has been your biggest challenge in business so far?

The biggest challenge is doing business ethically in the entertainment and arts industry and making it work-you can quite easily create a business ripping off people who have acting, singing or writing dreams-they will pay huge amounts of money (often way outside what they can afford) for workshops, seminars and ‘secrets’ most of which are of no practical value. I don’t want to be yet another person who takes advantage of that. In addition to offering quality support, I try to make my service affordable to people who are on a low budget. That can involve creative thinking whether it is linking up with government training organisations or industry events (so that they fund the work and the clients can access at low cost) or doing the occasional ‘pay what you can’ day of one to one sessions.

John with recent participants at an Actors Business Plan Workshop held at Spotlight in London.

What are your future plans for the business?
I’m keen to explore using the power of the net and social media to reach more people, but without losing the ‘human touch’. The arts can be a very lonely business and often it is contact with just one other person who is actually on their side which actors and singers-even very famous ones- most need.


If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Interesting question-when I started off as a cartoonist and comedy writer in Ireland, there was no internet so I had to physically come to London to find work. If I was starting now, I often wonder if I could have stayed in Ireland and worked from there. I love Ireland, but I have met so many wonderful people over here that I certainly don’t regret having had to make the move.


What’s the best compliment you could receive in business?

While most of the work I do is helping people to achieve goals, occasionally performers have decided not to do something, even to the extent of turning down what on the surface have been financially attractive offers, because I felt the jobs were ultimately not in their best interest.

One person even turned down a major prime-time TV spot because I felt it was setting her up rather than building her up. I am always really grateful and humbled by that level of trust.

Why is it so important to inspire the next generation to follow their dreams?
Hard work is important, but it is hope which inspires hard work. So many young people are told ‘somebody like you can never achieve something like that’. Without playing down the work and sacrifice which might be involved we need to reassure them that though not everybody starts with equal opportunity, everybody has equal value and the right to our support in creating more diverse opportunities to even that balance. 

What advice would you give to somebody who wants to start a business in your industry?  It is neither easy nor impossible. It’s both an art form and a business and to succeed, your time and focus needs to be divided sensibly between being your best at both.

What or who inspires you in business and why?  My wife Lola Williams is going to say I am only picking her because she is my wife, but that’s not true. She is an excellent actress who has juggled her talent, her work as a high level programme director and the needs of the family for years, and who, as the director of the New Wonder agency is hugely and genuinely committed to supporting other artists in developing their own careers, based on the lessons she has learned building her own.

She can also work late into the night to finish a project, and then watch her favourite crime shows, which as a morning person who is fit for nothing but dreamland by 11pm, is a constant source of wonder to me!

John and his wife Lola Williams at the National Television Awards

What is your favourite inspirational quote? 
It’s not really a quote as much as something I occasionally hear God whispering to me whenever I realise that I’m not half as calm, positive and in control as my ‘public’ self likes to pretend: ‘’Relax…I’ve GOT this.’’ God probably has to whisper this quite often-it’s just that I usually have to get to the end of myself to be ready to listen.

Contact details:

John’s performing careers website:

www.performingcareers.com

John’s cartoon website:

www.johnbyrnecartoons.com

New Wonder Management Website:

www.newwondermanagement.co.uk

Twitter: @dearjohnbyrne

The Stage newspaper www.thestage.co.uk

John Byrne is originally from Dublin Ireland, and his work in the arts encompasses regular journalism and cartooning for a wide range of publications such as The Stage, Private Eye, The Guardian, Media Week, The Bookseller and many more. He has authored over 40 books for publishers ranging from Random House to Harper Collins including Writing Comedy (now in its 4th edition) and Learn to Draw Cartoons which reached 12 editions. Broadcast work has included on air and behind the scenes roles for BBC, Nickelodeon, Five and Virgin, while theatrical work has included Opera, Comedy and Musical Theatre. In John’s careers role, he regularly speaks at venues ranging from The Guildhall, Portsmouth University, University of Cumbria, The Brits School, Stanmore College, NSDF, Surviving Actors, Perform and The Edinburgh Festival, often in conjunction with Drama UK, Spotlight and other industry bodies. Hi ongoing work for The Stage involves regularly interviewing successful performers and industry leaders across the domestic and international scene (currently 1200 plus and counting), as well as contributing to publications and broadcasts ranging from Young Performer magazine to the Actors Podcast and the popular In Anything Blog.

2Inspire Men's special profile Interview: Derek DeCutter Clement

Derek Decutter Clement is an experienced Hairdresser, author of ten novels and Architect of a nutritional product line. From his inception Derek has been commuted to the health of black hair and overall development of the industry,his journey began with an apprenticeship at the renowned Splinters London Mayfair and thereafter he became artistic director a testament of his dedication and expertise.

After owning a strings of salons in the UK, Decutter returned to his birthplace, Grenada, in an attempt to utilise the islands resources. While there he consulted with many of the Caribbean most reputable figures in medicine, education, law, and politics forming long lasting contact,armed with this knowledge and an organic base for his impending product line, Decutter traveled to New York where he penned ten novels. Read his inspirational profile interview below.

Please tell us what is a typical business day for you?

A typical business day at the salon..
From the moment I open the salon I go into over drive since clients are usually booked days in advance. 

I hate starting my day with no clients.
I live breathe and dream hair, that is making my clients feel the best they can be..and empowered.

What made you start the business and what steps did you take to start operating as a business?

What made me start hairdressing in the first place was quite odd. I always tell people I didn't find hairdressing it found me, life as a black boy in the 70s was daunting to say the least.

I figured since institutional racism showed it's ugly head in the school system, my youthful mind told me clearly so will it be in cooperate UK. One day while sitting at Splinters international hair  salon in Mayfair waiting  for my girlfriend, overwhelmed with the fact that it was a black business I immediately ask for a job. Needless to say the following day I started my apprenticeship.

After five years having rose to the top of my field I collaborated with two other  liked minded black friends a Banker and an Accountant we opened the upscale Derek Clement salon in maid a Vale. 

What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment in the business world to date?

My greatest accomplishment in the business to date has got to be, besides being nominated as the first top Afro hairstylist of the year in 1980s, is owning my own Product line.

What has been your biggest challenge in business so far?

My Biggest challenge happened in March 14th 2014 2am in the morning at my cousins birthday party I had a phone call to say that my salon was on fire, the next day I was homeless and jobless.

What are your future plans for the business?

Future plans will be to open a one stop shopping salon for men and women of colour. A brand with Academy salon product and restaurant under one roof.

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

If I had to do it again I would have purchased a high street property in the 1980s and not waste all that money in a house in suburbia and paying rent on the I'm high streets.

What’s the best compliment you could receive in business?

Best compliment could receive in the business is when a white women ask for her hair to be cut like her black Friend. This happened to me on New York while working on Lexxington Avenue Manhattan in the cooperate environment I did many sisters hair with amazing haircuts and their white friends would come for cuts too having seen theirs.

Why is it so important to inspire the next generation  to follow their dreams?

Somebody showed me the way therefore it is incumbent that I pass on the skill relevant to empower future black boys and girls with their woes and quandaries. 

What advice would you give to somebody who wants to start a business in your industry?
I am always giving sharing and coaching the young and my advice to the young and coming hair dresses is to start their line if products asap.

What or who inspires you in business and why?

Winston Isaacs was and still is my biggest inspiration. He was humble giving and patient, he aimed high and continued to seek knowledge above all he began what is today, the highest level of black hair we can imagine in the UK AND The cutting of Afro hair that demonstrated  balance movement and Shape.

What is your favourite inspirational quote?

Power In Your Hair Cut, Good health = Healthy Hair And HAIR GROWS AT A CELLULAR LEVEL.

Find Derek on Facebook 

2inspire Network: Men's special profile interview: Ansa Archibong CEO of Financial Intelligence

Ansa Archibong, Founder and Director of Financial Intelligence is a Chartered Certified Accountant with eleven years’ experience of working in the small and medium sized market incorporating all disciplines from systems implementation for Start-ups to audits of medium sized businesses in various industries and across different specialist areas. Ansa has built up a solid reputation for success.  With a vast network he has secured major opportunities for his business associates as well as the entrepreneurs, professionals and leaders that his business supports.  

His passion for finance alongside his philanthropic desire to share his knowledge was the inspiration behind featuring Ansa. Not only does he support entrepreneurs of small to medium-sized businesses, leaders and professionals to achieve their aspirations and bring their dreams to life, he also works with young people to raise their aspirations and to help them to explore enterprise, leadership and careers as viable and sustainable paths to secure their socio-economic futures.

1/ Please tell us what is a typical business day for you?

Day starts around 6, meditate for thirty minutes. Have breakfast, check emails and catch up on the news. Open diary and see what jobs need to be done. Plan the execution of my scheduled tasks for the day.

See what jobs are outstanding. Allocate work to various consultants I have working as part of the team. Carry out conference calls with various clients.

This is important because it keeps me in sync with any developments or issues facing our clients’ businesses and helps build a productive client/ accountant relationship.

Have lunch for approximately 15-20 minutes. Review twitter interaction as well as schedule tweets. Usually between 2 & 4pm have meetings with other stake holders.

From then until about 5pm complete various assignments. Review emails and consult team re targets set for the day. The Team Work flow plan is reviewed and edited accordingly.

6-9pm is spent on reading Accounting journals etc. to develop understanding and to keep abreast of recent developments in the industry. 

2/ What made you start the business and what steps did you take to start operating as a business?
The urge to deliver an exceptional service and to have a positive impact on the businesses of my clients. I love to see when my work has made a difference and the impression my work has, this motivates me to certainly do a better job.


3/ What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment in the business world to date?

My greatest accomplishment to date is yet to come. At present I am grateful to the universe for having the opportunity and will power to set up and run an accountancy firm in the city. Right now I want to serve clients, am sure any sense of great accomplishment will come in the foreseeable future.

4/ What has been your biggest challenge in business so far?
My biggest challenge is being able to find a work and social life balance. It is easier said than done but the truth of the matter is that it takes so much energy especially now that I have to work ten times harder than when I was working for someone else.

During the start-up phase of any business, there is a high demand of your intellectual ability but want gives me the strength is the vision and the belief that the impossible is nothing.

Building a business is very demanding but what I believe is that it is a process and path I have chosen to follow and that if I commit myself to the process wholeheartedly, the process will certainly reward me for my endless and selfless service.

5/What are your future plans for the business?

My future plan of the business is to become an international brand but at the same time get more involved in a lot of social projects that will give someone else the hope and reality to accomplish their dreams. In life you can be so gifted and talented but you still need someone to open that door for you, grant you a platform to showcase your greatness to the universe.

Success comes through being in the midst of the right people. Which makes sense when you hear people say your network is your net worth. It is the people around you that can make or break you. Who you associate yourself with today will certainly have either a positive or negative impact on your future.

6/If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

If I had to do It all over again, I would still do it the same way. I had always wanted this.

The key is not the sense of achievement or accomplishment when it arrives on your path but the process and experience you go through to achieve that goal.

Whether it is a good or bad experience there is always a lesson to be learnt. What better teacher is out there than the lessons laid out before you in the process of life itself.


7/ What’s the best compliment you could receive in business?

The words “Thank You” and knowing that the client means it means a lot to me.


8) Why is it so important to inspire the next generation to follow their dreams?

It is quite simple. It is very important to inspire the next generation to follow their dreams because someone once inspired me to follow my dreams.

In life what is very rewarding is not how much wealth or knowledge you have acquired but the positive impact it has had on the lives of those around you.

We all are born with nothing and we leave the Universe with nothing. Therefore we should strive to leave a legacy that will make the next person accomplish their chosen dream and bring it to reality. I am particularly passionate about helping those from disadvantaged groups such as the unemployed and ex-offenders. To help them achieve the very best of their abilities. He wants to see everyone in contact with him achieve all they are capable of achieving irrespective of background, race or location.

I met Mr Theo Paphitis at an evening standard event and before I met him I researched his background I was moved by his journey from being a poor immigrant from Cyprus because of his setbacks at school due to his dyslexia. 

People mocked him but he is now extremely successful. I have had my fair share of such negative experiences but the key is not to dwell on such nonsense and move on. Life is too short to waste any energy on anything that is not adding value to your life.

I always channel my energy into something that is of beneficial to the process of life itself. I do know that the sweetest revenge in life is success.

9/ What advice would you give to somebody who wants to start a business in your industry?

PPR: passion, process reward. Find something your passionate about, commit yourself totally to the process and in the end the process will surely reward you as a result of your commitment.


10/ What or who inspires you in business and why?
Steve Jobs because of his ability to find perfection in simplicity. Most people think that in order for something to be great it has to be complicated and that one should never challenge the status quo.


11/What is your favourite inspirational quote?

I often write quotes to motivate myself and my team and one of my favourites is: when you look in the mirror the person you see is the architect of your own destiny. 

You can be anything or get what you want. All you have to do is demand it from yourself and the rest follows. What the mind conceives, the mind can achieve.

Ansa is offering a special 10% reduction on fees for *Start Companies that sign up with Financial Intelligence before January 2016.

* Been in business for 6 months or less

For more information:

Financial Intelligence Limited

A: 107 Cheapside, London. EC2V 6DN

T:  0203 053 8652

M: 07440 653 573

W: www.financial-intelligence.co.uk

Ansa will be one of the professionals running a business clinic at the 2inspire Network Christmas Fayre on Saturday 7^th November 2015, for more information and to book in some time to see him. Click on:https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/2inspire-network-free-winter-fayre-tickets-18916464655

2inspire Network Inspirational Man: Lindsay Wesker

Lindsay Wesker is Music Editor for MTV Base and is a man that we really wanted to feature on our Men’s special Profile on the 2inspire Network blog not just because of his philanthropic work but also because he has been a mover and shaker in the music industry in the UK for over two decades. Read this great interview from Lindsay which gives a great insight into his career.

Before joining the music industry, Lindsay wrote two episodes of BBC TV series ‘Angels’, then a radio play for Capital Radio. He then wrote three plays for the Black Theatre Co-Operative, all performed at Royal Court Theatre Upstairs. Since joining the music industry in 1981, he has worked as journalist at Black Echoes, a radio broadcaster, co-written a black music encyclopaedia, worked at 5 different record labels, created free! magazine (later re-named Touch), and helped radio station Kiss FM earn a legal licence. Whilst working at Kiss (86-94), he presented shows and was Head Of Music between 1990-94. Since 1999, Lindsay has worked at MTV. He was initially employed by MTV to create R&B and hip hop TV station MTV Base, and then went on to launch MTV Hits and MTV Dance in 2001. Lindsay still works at MTV, programming music videos. Lindsay has also self-published a novel (about the music industry) and, in 2012, self-published a ‘stocking filler’ book entitled ‘The Crap Husband’s Guide To A Successful Marriage’. In 2013, Every Generation Media published ‘Masters Of The Airwaves’, written by Lindsay and co-author Dave VJ, which is a history of British black music radio.

Please tell us about typical working day for you?

I wake up at 6.00am, walk to work (6.1 miles) and start work at 8.30. I’ve been walking to work for about four years. I like to finish at 5.00 but, if all my daily tasks are not completed, I work until they are complete. That could be 6.00? 7.00? Or 8.00?

What made you enter this line of work?

I joined MTV in 1999. They wanted to create an urban music TV station and they knew I’d created the music policy at Kiss FM, so I launched MTV Base in 1999. MTV has been an essential part of my life since it launched in 1981, so it was a really honour to start working there.

What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment in your career so far?

My greatest accomplishments in business have been the things I’ve helped to create and launch: free! magazine in 1989 (later re-named Touch), Kiss 100 FM in 1990, MTV Base in 1999, and MTV Hits and MTV Dance in 2001.

What has been your biggest challenge in the business so far?

The perpetual challenge in business is to maintain your market share. I love being No. 1 but I prefer being No. 1 all year long!

What are your future career plans?

My future plans are to maintain and grow the TV channels I work on.

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. Every experience, even the traumatic ones, have been educational. Every mistake I made taught me a good lesson!

What’s the best compliment you could receive in your line of work?

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I love it when people copy me. I’m a creative person and some people in the creative industries are not, so they are always reliant on ideas people like me!

Why is it so important to inspire the next generation to follow their dreams?

It is VITAL to educate and inspire the next generation; important to give them good habits and principles. Whether they listen is down to them! Kids always think they know it all!

Lindsay delivering a talk & educating the 2inspire Academy: Young, Gifted & Talented Group

What advice would you give to somebody who wants to start a business in your industry?
I would always advise anyone to know what they’re talking about. Knowledge is power. Serious people only want to deal with serious people. A business expert can spot a phony a mile off!

What or who inspires you in business and why?

I’m always inspired by people who believe 200% in what they’re doing and have the drive and determination to see it through. Lots of people have dreams and make plans and talk about doing things but never make them happen, let alone see them through! Success takes courage and mental strength.

What is your favourite inspirational quote?

My favourite quote is something I always say in my talks and lectures: “Be nice!” Good manners and a cheerful disposition go a long way. Good people would rather deal with good people. If you can converse and find common ground with someone, you can create a business relationship and maybe even a friendship?

You can catch Lindsay on his weekly radio show on www.mi-soul.com (and DAB all over London), ‘The A-Z Of Mi-Soul Music’ (Saturdays 1.00pm.)

Twitter: @LindsayWesker

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