Naturally, the first thing people asked when I finally sold Knowles Warwick and immediately wanted to start something new was: why? Surely retirement is the endgame…
When I was a newborn baby, I almost died. As a result, I wanted for nothing (relative to a working-class family from Sheffield). One of the only times I was told “no” was asking my grandad for sixpence to put in a jukebox, three times in a row when it was three songs for a shilling. If I’d asked for a shilling for three songs up front, he’d have said yes. I grew up being the centre of attention, but it didn’t extend to being silly with money. It was still Sheffield, after all.
Fast forward to my career: I built a successful business, helped people achieve their goals and ambitions through better planning and business advice, and I made countless wonderful relationships along the way. Arguably better than a third song on the jukebox.
That childhood desire to be the centre of attention spurred me into a life where being integral was vital. Being outside of the room where things happen doesn’t appeal to me.
Inwardly, Peer2Peer was conceived to give myself a focus, a purpose and an interest. What drives me is being valuable to others and helping businesspeople solve meaningful problems – it’s a large part of what I’ve been doing all my career and why I’ve loved that process.
Running Peer2Peer gives me the two things that drive me in a pure, concentrated form: connecting with people and solving problems. I already do one-to-one business coaching, but the group dynamic of Peer2Peer provides the added value of collective wisdom and the experience of everyone in the room – you just can’t replicate that in any other way.
Ultimately, when what you do is part of what makes you feel alive, you don’t stop by choice.
If you’re running a business and want to experience what Peer2Peer offers, sign up for a free guest place by emailing me at steve.knowles@peer2peer.global
