Evolve, the membership community for entrepreneurs and business leaders, hosted its third annual Leader’s Lunch in Sandbanks on Friday, March 13.
Held at the beautiful Haven Hotel—there was a clear view of the bay on this bright afternoon—the day brought together top business people from all over Dorset for some valuable networking and much-needed inspiration.
A lovely three-course meal was accompanied by a speech by Warren Haskins, chairman of Haskins Garden Centres. He spoke compellingly and with good humour and humility about taking on a very old family business (Haskins was founded in 1882) aged just 20, and growing it into one of the UK’s top garden centre groups. He also successfully bought and sold Hobbycraft.
“I’ve been running the business for more than fifty years and I’m very passionate about it and want to see it continue,” Haskins said, in between detailing the joys and challenges of running a family business.
When quizzed on the current situation facing high street shops, Haskins remarked, “I’m not too worried because people love shopping and they still come to my garden centre! We’re still trading well but I don’t know what the solution is for some other shops. I think it’s got to be managed and that it will evolve and we’ve just got to live with less shops.”
Evolve founder Warren Munson said, “There were a few key things to take from Warren’s talk. One is that giving people the opportunity to do the right thing helps to grow your team and that embracing technology is key to the continued growth of your business, especially in these fast-paced times. It was fascinating to get a perspective on family businesses and how you retain that involvement of the family—keeping the business alive, but allowing them the opportunity to grow as individuals.”
To learn more about Evolve’s events and peer groups, as well as access to great, informative content, visit www.evolvemembers.com and join for free.