Over the course of his adulthood, Dave Dean has owned, built, been involved with, bought, sold, or closed 37 businesses; ~11 of them are still in his care today. It all started when as a young man, Dave bought the company his dad started but lost through receivership when it failed. He ‘arrogantly’ (by his own measure!) thought he could do it better. The experience was the beginning of a lifelong pursuit of learning, exploring, discovering, building, and releasing numerous businesses.
Fueled by his strengths (Laura is certain he has Input, Learner, Futuristic, Strategic, Connectedness, and Relator in his top 10!), he thinks of himself as a “business butterfly,” preferring the idea of being a ‘business explorer – builder’ to the term ‘entrepreneur.’ When he becomes intrigued by an idea, he dives in and becomes immersed until his curiosity is satisfied. Often, what that means is his giftedness is in seeing opportunity, crafting a vision, designing the big picture concept of how something can be, and then handing off the daily operations and detail work to someone more interested and gifted in handling those aspects of the process.
He says he was blessed when he met the man who would become an invaluable business partner while dropping off and picking up his young twin sons at school 20+ years ago! Darren’s skills and interests complement Dave’s nicely and together they are supremely more productive and effective.
It’s a perspective and process they share with clients in the Mastermind groups they facilitate, teaching other business owners how to think bigger, explore new ideas, expand their reach, and build satisfying work. Having experienced mentors has been another key to Dave’s success over the years; one has to be aware of those who are achieving the success you desire and be willing to learn from their experience, adapting it to your own needs and situations along the way.
Today’s conversation covers a broad range of ideas and topics associated with business including using style and strengths assessments (DiSC, StrengthsFinder, Gallup Builder Profile) within your team, the difference between having a business idea and actually being able to bring it to life (understanding the strengths of the team you need to bring along with you), and how to create real freedom in your life.
Nearing the end, Dave shares a story of a current endeavor – working closely with an artisanal chocolatier who is brilliant within his craft, but not as aware of or skilled with the numerous daily tasks and responsibilities of running a growing business.
When I asked Dave for his Bio, here’s what he shared with me…
“What the hell have you done?” my wife was a little suspicious as I handed her the bunch of flowers…
As it turns out her suspicions were correct, I’d just quit my job as a systems analyst and borrowed £13,000 to buy my father’s failed print finishing business from the liquidators. If I’m honest, that may well have been the first nail in the coffin of my first marriage.
That was the start of my entrepreneurial journey, now fast forward to today…
As a visionary and strategist, I enjoy starting and working with others to start new ventures from the ground up and then handing them over to my management teams to run day-to-day because they’re usually better than me at doing that!
I’ve started, developed and grown over 30 small businesses in many different sectors! Fact is, I love doing what I do and was once described as a “serial entrepreneur”… though I’m not sure whether that was a compliment or not?
One of my mentors, John Maxwell, says “Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn!”
Well, that’s certainly been the case for me. I’ve had several failures in business – some of them catastrophic, but every one of them provided valuable lessons and helped me grow and develop. This development led me to realize I had experiences valuable to others in similar situations, but I didn’t know how I could help them.
The solution presented itself in 2011, when I joined LEAD Wales and experienced coaching for the first time. My coaching journey progressed and led to my earning ICF accreditation then Certification by the US-based, John Maxwell Team.
The result: My team and I have launched an exclusive co-working space and business club for entrepreneurs who want to develop themselves so they can, in turn, develop their staff and their businesses.
Come visit us in Llantrisant (UK) and see what all the fuss is about – contact me to arrange a visit.
Resources discussed and connect with Dave here:
Dave on Facebook
Dave on LinkedIn
729 Renegades Mastermind Groups
Priority VA
Culture Wins
