I am a born and bred Derby guy. I joined the Royal Marines in 2008 and travelled all over the world with that role and loved nearly every minute of it! The work was tough and I learnt by fire, which really gave me the belief that there aren’t many situations we can’t adapt to and be successful within.
I met my now wife while in the Royal Marines and with the Afghanistan campaign coming to a close, I realised the chance of operational work would be minimal. Those paired together meant I got myself ready to transition and leave the armed forces.
I left in 2016 and transitioned into the world of covert surveillance, where I started freelancing. I worked as a freelancer, honing my skills all over the world and while doing so looked to my peers who had their own companies set up. I very quickly realised this is the best for a good work-life balance and began building Delta 74 Private Investigations.
Since 2017, I have been developing Delta 74 Private Investigations and am very proud of the company I have built so far and the service I have provided my clients!
Transitioning from the very big safety blanket of the armed forces was the toughest challenge! Joining at 17 meant I never really got any real life experience.
I really had to learn how to do business the hard way and was very lucky I was helped by other veterans who had been in the same position.
Learning both how to become a freelancer with invoicing/accounts/cashflow and everything else plus then the civilian world of investigations during my first year was tough. Not to mention the pay cut I suffered leaving the armed forces. I did question whether I had made the right move.
With help from my wife financially who picked up the slack for that first year after leaving, and networking with other veterans, I quickly learned how to generate a good income freelancing and then had the foundations ready to begin building a business.
I have a been a member of East Midlands Chamber for a few years now. I heard about Generation Next at a Maximise Your Membership event, and was interested straight away. I was put in touch with Kate Nemeth, and since then I have attended the social events and found the group very welcoming!
The support so far has been brilliant, and I want to give a huge shout out to Kate for hearing and delivering my personal development needs! I have already been put in touch with funded courses for my learning, which I am in the process of getting started with.
Also, I have been able to network with my ideal B2B clients and build relationships with them. The best thing about that is that they will be serious decision makers in the future in their respective industries, and together we can make a great impact in different areas of society.
For my business, I want to build it into a diverse portfolio of work across the investigation industry with clients in the insurance sector, SMEs who need assistance, and of course private clients.
For myself, I want to keep up with the work-life balance I have now so that I can focus on being a good dad and husband.
By becoming a member of Generation Next, you can access our events programme, which comprises of networking events to help you build a professional network, and webinars that each tackle a topic to build your business knowledge and skills. You can also access coaching support through our mentoring scheme, and celebrate your achievements through our annual awards. Enquire today to join.
