David Parkin on inspiring entrepreneurs, banks and being mistaken for a celebrity

WHEN I caught the headlines on the radio the other morning, one said, ‘Royal Bank of Scotland has instructed lawyers…’ I thought that must be to defend itself from allegations that the bank “wrecked” businesses in the damning report published by Yorkshire entrepreneur Lawrence Tomlinson.

But no.

In fact RBS had actually instructed lawyers to investigate the allegations.

How times have changed. Banks used to just unleash the lawyers whenever they were faced with a few uncomfortable issues.

Now they roll over and accept them.

The only winners out of this are the chinless wonders at ‘magic circle’ City firm Clifford Chance who must be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of a commission to look into a bank that has already indicated it will accept any findings they choose to serve up.

And while it is important that these issues are looked into, I’m not entirely comfortable that this is the best way to do it. Because whilst I respect and admire the achievements of LNT Group founder Lawrence Tomlinson, was he the right person to be investigating the activities of our big banks?

You see for the past year or so he has used any public forum he could find to slag off the approach of RBS following a difficult refinancing deal for his own business.

So the fact that his report zeroed in on RBS in particular was interesting and while he was commissioned by Business Secretary Vince Cable as an ‘entrepreneur in residence’ to look at the issue, I think Cable’s very limited comments and reaction to his report have been interesting.

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CALL me simple (only once dear, don’t go on about it), but my measure of an improving market is when a double glazing firm can float on the stock market for £77m.

Yorkshire business Safestyle UK announced this week that it is to set sail on AIM. Yes, it’s that one with the dodgy shouty bloke on the adverts with a greasy curly balding hairstyle who bellows into the camera that if you buy one, you’ll get one free.

Other characters who have appeared in the company’s TV ads include Ken Morley, who played Reg Holdsworth on Coronation Street, comic duo Cannon & Ball and ex-Bucks Fizz singer Cheryl Baker.

And during my research I also spotted that the company, which once sponsored Leeds United, also once featured the club’s cuddly bearded former chairman Ken Bates in an advert.

Bates, who is currently in a legal dispute over his acrimonious departure from Elland Road, tried to convince people that he had had their French windows fitted to his apartment in Monaco.

It might have worked better if he’d had stood outside the windows and shown how sound proofed they were.

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MY report last week that I had successfully completed the Abbey Dash 10km race in a mankini (I’m not explaining it, look it up) but endured some chafing issues, was meant to be light-hearted.

However by the time the piece appeared on our email before 9am I had been copied into an email from Harrogate accountant (he’d want me to call him entrepreneurial but it would just make him even more unbearable) Mark Eardley.

He copied me into an email which basically suggested that the founder of a chafing cream called Grizzly send me a sample but recommended she didn’t volunteer to help apply it.

I’m now the proud owner of a sample of Grizzly cream and I’ve also learned that our bodies have “four million sweat glands to keep us cool but when sweat gets trapped in the crevices such as the one between your buttocks – you’re in trouble!” according to the Grizzly website.

In fact I didn’t suffer from chafing, it was just a throwaway line, but I wish I did as Grizzly looks rather good and I can’t wait to apply it.

To find out more go to www.grizzlyactive.co.uk

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AS a seasoned cynic there aren’t many times I attend a business dinner and bounce out of it full of inspiration. But that is what happened this week.

The invitation from the Prince’s Trust, to a dinner at the Leeds offices of accountants Grant Thornton which they co-hosted with law firm Bond Dickinson, promised a speech by entrepreneur Julie Dedman.

She was made redundant from her role in the dairy industry in the 1980s and got a £1,000 grant from the Prince’s Trust to start her own milk testing business.

After selling it she bought a rival firm, grew it and sold it for millions and since has built a £250m business empire employing 5,000 businesses which currently includes a Shanghai-based surgical instruments manufacturer, a facilities management business and a snow mobile firm in Colorado.

Julie is as down to earth as when she started and an inspiring, extremely likeable individual who is committed to giving something back to a charity that backed her when others didn’t.

Also speaking was a young blonde girl from Yorkshire called Veronica.

I only tell you her gender and age because you don’t find many plumbers like that.

She told the audience of her lifelong ambition to be a plumber and, despite many problems while growing up, she qualified in the profession thanks to a grant from the Prince’s Trust.

But opportunities were limited and people didn’t share her ambitions. So she set up her own female plumbing business called Sugar Plumb Solutions and is now doing a great job serving older people and many other customers who wanted a trusted plumber to call.

Her website is www.sugarplumb.co.uk

Great, inspiring stuff from one entrepreneur who has made it and another who looks to be on the way to making it big too.

And all supported by the Prince’s Trust.

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IF this email arrives late this morning, it is my fault. I was “networking” at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Pride awards last night.

The winner of the Communicator ot the Year award was Dee Marshall, head of communications at tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire.

As they read out Dee’s impressive CV and highlighted her achievements – including being a key part of the team that delivered the Tour de France Grand Depart to Yorkshire – they didn’t mention what I think is her greatest achievement.

She’s coped with chief executive Gary Verity’s raging ego for years without any fuss. That’s worth an award in itself.

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I WAS feeling quite pleased with myself after hosting a ‘dragon’s den’ style event a few weeks ago for the charity Leeds Community Foundation.

Everything had gone quite well – three social enterprises had pitched their activities to a trio of successful business people including i to i gap year travel founder Deirdre Bounds, Jonathan Straight of recycling business Straight and Peter Yendell, formerly of 3i and now a non-exec director at private equity investor Endless.

Then I received a Tweet from a member of the audience congratulating me on my work and asking whether anyone had ever pointed out my resemblance to Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes.

Simon Hughes? He must be 20 years my senior and is not exactly a ‘looker’.

And despite my protestations, yes, somebody has pointed that out before.

About 15 years ago, when I worked in London, I was walking out of Victoria Station onto Vauxhall Bridge Road when a bloke walking his dog pursued me down the road shouting: “Mr Hughes…Mr Hughes.”

Suffice to say that I don’t think he probably voted for what he thought was his local MP again. I was so upset with the comparison I told him to p*** off.

I only recovered from the experience by convincng myself that I had nothing in common with a balding, ageing MP. Well, until the other week anyway.

That Grizzly chafing cream may come in handy for my furrowed brow.

Have a great weekend.

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