Growing up in Poole I’ve sat on many barstools on Poole Quay with a beer (these were alcohol free, admittedly) and had great conversations with friends and strangers alike. This chat, on Wednesday night at an upcoming venue called ‘Salad‘ was an all time favourite. By chance, we all had something in common, employee ownership.
It was, of course, not by chance, but thanks to the hard work and passion that has gone into building a network of employee owned businesses on the south coast, by the brilliant team at Salad (a creative & digital agency btw, not a bar). This was the third in a series of regular events that bring us all together, to share and learn from each other.
I was delighted to be asked to take a place on the panel for an open and honest discussion about our experiences with employee ownership to date. The good, the bad and the totally unexpected. I was in great company alongside Oliver Puddle, Sam Moles and Jess Comolly-Jones, not to mention all the other people in attendance, who listened as the sun went down over the harbour views behind us, proving why the area is a great place to “do business”.
It sounds perfect, it really was. The pub conversations of old were about the best Star Wars film (don’t make me answer that) or our favourite Spice Girl (Geri then, Mel C now). Somewhere along the line talking became part of my job and for that alone, I feel very fortunate in life.
Liam Toms 