Business Consultant and Non Executive Director

Mark provides consultancy services for a range of companies across the world.

Currently, Mark is acting for a number of organisations who confidentially need guidance and clear strategic planning, owing to their growth.

"Most companies are seeing growth opportunities and need assistance to capitalise upon them. I am happy to discuss how I might be able to help. My current portfolio has companies with over 460 UK employees, 100 in India and 70 in Hong Kong - I have never been so international!"

Mark is also booked to speak at a number of conferences which as Mark states "is a sign of an improving economy because as soon as the recession kicked in, my speaking bookings dried up as there were so few corporate events. Now, companies are booking again which I find very encouraging."

Mark can be reached directly on 01772 688980.

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Mark also enjoys writing articles and he has recently added a chapter to his new book entitled Lose to Learn.

Lose to Learn

Recently, I have been selling off commercial properties.

Firstly, I was very happy with my residential property portfolio but found that some people were quite “sniffy” about what I was doing. Bank Managers (what do they know?) in particular were saying in 2006/7 that really commercial was a better bet with better covenants and represented a better quality portfolio.

Stupidly, and against my intuition, I listened to them and rather than keep buying bungalows (see bungalow to rent and new build disabled bungalows), I bought shops, offices and land. I am now selling commercial property and in a couple of instances, I have actually made a profit even though I was buying at the “top” of the market.

Mostly, however, I have lost out.

This has taught me a number of things, all of which are positive in my opinion.

Firstly, your intuition is your best weapon. I was lucky enough this year to meet Juliette Lee, a master in the art of teaching how to listen to your instinct. Incredibly, it is a skill that can be taught, refined and enhanced for greater effect.

My intuition told me that the bungalows were (and are) a great business – email me if you want to understand the model – but others convinced me that the grass was greener in commercial property.

Secondly, I have reaffirmed the fact that however clever you are, you only learn by trying and quite often, making mistakes. If you try and make a mistake, then the lesson tends to stick with you. Will I buy commercial property again? Well, I rarely say never, but I will only do it if instinctively it feels right and if the return is demonstrably better than provided from my residential portfolio.

Thirdly, nobody was hurt or lost their life. Admitted, I have lost a bit of money, but as a tax loss, it will shield me to some degree against capital gains, so whilst I don’t enjoy losing money, it’s hardly been the end of the world. In fact, if I could guarantee that everything I bought would go up in value, there would be no challenge, fun, foresight or edge required and that’s not realistic given how competitive business is (oh, and by the way, property is a business, which some people never seemed to recognise either).

Lastly, it’s healthy for me to write this chapter and share my experience with you, admitting my latest mistake and addressing it. Some people would pretend that every deal they’d done, property they had bought or contract fulfilled had showered them in riches, but a) I am not that clever and b) I am, at least, honest.

In a nutshell, I am pleased to be disposing of a portfolio which I never truly loved as it is allowing me to clear the decks for my new business – Genwat plc - whilst also rectifying a mistake I made. That’s something about mistakes that is fun – putting them right and putting them behind you.

A final thought though, is that whilst I write this in July 2009, will that portfolio go up in value? Irrefutably, yes.

In 10 years time, it will have more than doubled. I confidently predict this and encourage all of you to consider property as with the UK’s quantitative easing, we will experience inflation over the next few years, and it’s a great time to buy property and equities for the long term. Both benefit from inflation and if you can borrow to buy them, in real terms your debt will reduce as inflation erodes it and given that cash is devaluing, that’s the wrong thing to sit on. Also, we live on an island, popular for immigration with 30% of employed directly working for the government which guaranteed pay increases.

Over time, most property will go up, I have learnt some new lessons and the only way is up!

Lastly, a true story that tickles me every time I tell it. A guy asked me about property and enquired if I wrapped it in a company. I said "Yes, it's called Bungalow to Rent" and he replied "and what does that company do?". Forgive me, but I could not keep a straight face. You don't half meet them in business, don't you!

Email me your funny story and I might feature it here.