Dale Williams of Yolk Recruitment won Entrepreneur of the Year Award at this year’s awards. Here’s what he had to say:
1.) How did it feel to win a Cardiff Business Award?
I felt overwhelmed. Scrap the glamorous image of business, it’s a lonely place and after 10 years of highs and lows I was nominated for this and then scooped it, it was a big surprise and it’s a privilege to be recognised.
2.) How did you find the experience of the Awards night?
The night itself was superbly organised, expertly delivered and most importantly a lot of fun.
3.) How do you strive to make a difference in the Cardiff Business market?
I try to offer my learnings to emerging Welsh entrepreneurs to help them be better than I was at the same stage of development. I’m a mentor to several exciting tech start-ups and spend a minimum of one day a week story telling through accelerators such as Natwest Espark and Big Ideas Wales or in one to one sessions. I have a real passion for it.
4.) What are your goals for the next 12 months?
I’ve just Yolks parent company and opened a new Joint Venture, City Executive Search. We’re focused on scaling the growth of these businesses and also acquiring one or two recruitment companies that we can add to the group.
5.) What is the biggest lesson you have learned in the past year in your company?
That it’s ok to fail. Even the best laid plans can implode. The US and other entrepreneurial nations embrace failure so much better than we do in the UK. It’s generally the people doing nothing and taking no risk that judge those that try. As I’m aging I’m learning to listen to the right people rather than allowing external input to add to my own demons.
6.) What one piece of advice would you give to any aspiring business owner?
Consider your start-up team or board with more care than you ever thought necessary. Chemistry and friendships are ok but fundamentally the business vision, team work ethic and skills to achieve scale, far outweigh the need for speed.
