Start Your Business Week by Week, 2nd Edition

Shared Experiences

Jonathan Elvidge was the original founder of a retail chain called The Gadget Shop. It was tremendously successful until he sold majority control to outside investors. He’s since set up a similar retail chain called Red5. He says:

‘I was working for a telephone company as a technical sales adviser. I’d been dreaming of running my own business ever since I’d found it difficult to buy imaginative presents for people. Before I even left the phone company I’d built a balsa wood model of how my shop would look, decided what kind of car I would have when I was rich (a Porsche 911 in black) and bought a matchbox model of it to put on my desk at work, and I daydreamed about my lifestyle. I used my holidays to visit trade fairs around ...