A black man in a white world

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A black man in a white world. It was my Dad who gave me the best piece of advice on being a black man working in a white world, and it was that no matter what their skin colour, people are people, you just have to go out and find the good people to work with. That attitude always served him well throughout his working life, which began when he came to Britain from Jamaica. He started out as a lorry driver for Coca Cola and went onto run his own West Indian bakery in Birmingham and haberdashery shops in Nottingham.

A black man running his own businesses was uncommon in Birmingham in the 1970s, but my dad succeeded because he worked incredibly hard and he was so open to working with everybody. I used to work alongside him. Watching and listening to him, I saw that my dad worked with a wide range of people from all different cultures and backgrounds. It made me realise that you can work with everybody without exception. 

I saw how good he was with people and how good people were with him. Issues like skin colour were put to one side and I learned to focus on getting on with people and getting on with the task at hand. Everyone has to learn that in business, as a black person in 1980s Britain, you had to learn it even more. However, when I later worked in sales, which is a hard way to make a living, this attitude benefitted me.

From an early age I wanted to run my own business like my dad had done, but with one big difference. My dad couldn’t read or write very well, so he didn’t always make the best business decisions and didn’t make as much money as he could have done.

My Dad always made education a priority for all his children and he wanted us to understand the value of hard work. This grounding was key for me when I started out on my own. It took me longer to go into business for myself than I would have expected – it happened 20 years ago, when I set up JDR Group at the age of 42.

By then I’d done lots of jobs but really found my feet in sales. I started as a salesman and progressed through the ranks and I realised along the way how much you learn about a company when you work in sales.

By the time I was in my late 30s I felt I was ready to work for myself, but I still needed to find what it was I wanted to offer. My experience working in other businesses led me to want to help other business owners to run their own companies better, so I moved into business mentoring.

That’s when I founded my company, JDR Group, a digital marketing firm.

That was 20 years ago this month, an occasion we celebrated with a cake and a party with our staff, which gave us an opportunity to look back at how much has changed both within the business and outside too, especially with the technology we now use.

I don‘t believe in retirement and I want to grow JDR Group further. We have 35 employees, a new office, which has doubled our floor space.

What drives me is the need to maximise the skills and knowledge and attitude that I have acquired during my 30 years in business, and doing things in what I believe is the right way on our way to becoming the best in the business. Alongside me there are my fellow founders, Will and Leanne, who have been with me since the beginning, and we will bring our people with us, because no-one gets to a destination on their own.

In a sense, my Dad is with me too. I feel a part of me is doing this for him, but I also feel a responsibility to be available and to show black people, especially young black people, what’s possible. There are very many black people doing great things, but I think that there are some black people that can let their skin colour be a barrier to them. It shouldn’t be, and to help anyone who wants to learn from my experience.

Everybody has the power to change their situation and their outlook. I have empathy and recognise the challenges that black people face in business, I encourage them to keep trying despite the challenges.

I’ve had my share of challenges over the years but, like my dad, I have never let the racism I’ve faced put me off, I’ve just found another way to get where I want. 

Having persistence and determination, and being willing to work with anyone, just like my dad did, has enabled me to change my life.