WHEN Sean Reddington dropped out of school at the age of 16, he felt like the “black sheep” of the family.
In fact, his average GCSE results were so out of place in his family of teachers, one of them sent a text message mocking his failure.
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However 13 years later, Sean’s the one laughing now.
The 39-year-old from Nottingham runs a hugely successful education business which he says was recently valued at £70 million and employs 150 people.
Sean runs Thrive – an online learning platform that delivers training courses and personal development to employees at big firms, including Coca-Cola and Sky.
It was his early academic failure that encouraged Sean to prove his family wrong and gave him the drive to succeed – first in sales and later as an entrepreneur founding his own businesses.
“I left school at 16 and it was that comment that made me realise I needed to grow up and find a job,” Sean told The Sun.
“At the time I was at a bit of a loose end, borrowing money from family members and flitting between part time jobs.
“That text laughing at me was the kick up the arse I needed to get my life together.”
Sean, a father of two aged four and six, knew further education wasn’t right for him – but says stepping away from education was a bit of a shock to his family.
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“I’m from a family of teachers, so naturally the aspiration was for me to go to University and follow the education route, but I personally always knew that wasn’t right for me,” he says.
“I did enroll to do some A Levels, but I dropped out after six months.
“I knew straight away education wasn’t for me and that was the first time in my life where I realised it’s OK to be different and not follow the route everyone else does.”
Getting started
Instead, Sean decided to carve out a career in sales – but wouldn’t let his lack of experience or further education get in the way.
“I applied for a graduate role at a sales company, which you were meant to have a University degree to be applicable for.
“Instead, I wrote an open letter to the boss saying ‘I’m not a graduate but that’s by choice, if you give me a chance and put me up for every test – I back myself to do well’ – and I was fortunate enough to get that job,” Sean says.
After wangling his big break, Sean says he worked in that first sales role for a couple of years before moving into the learning tech industry – which he remains in now with Thrive.
“That’s where my career really propelled,” Sean says.
He used cash saved from the commission he earned from sales to start Thrive. He also made money from shares he had in the company as an early employee when that was sold.
“I found a good niche in software learning, built up a good client base – and eventually had the confidence to go off and set up a company on my own.”
Sean set up Mind Click, another learning technology company, in 2010 – and sold the company in a multi-million pound deal after four years.
Not satisfied with that success he quickly got the urge to launch another business.
“Selling that business was the best and worst day of my life,” Sean says.
“By the following Monday I’d bought a car and paid off my mortgage – but I didn’t know what it meant.
“I wasn’t part of the business anymore and I had real FOMO [fear of missing out].
“It made me realise that quality of life is important, but quality of work is equally important.”
£70million offer
It was this realisation that prompted Sean to use the remaining cash from the sale to launch Thrive – which is doing so well he says he’s had 83 approaches in the first four months of 2022 about investing in the business – or buying it altogether.
“I’ve genuinely stopped counting how many acquisition requests we’ve had, it’s getting ridiculous,” Sean says.
“We just turned down an offer for £70 million so that shows it’s growing at quite a big rate as a company only founded four years ago.
“For me Thrive isn’t about the money, it’s not a finished project yet. Every single one of us loves coming to work and that’s really important.
“I’m still enjoying it and seeing it grow and the product is nowhere near finished yet. I genuinely want to be the biggest learning tech product in the industry.”
Sean says his biggest advice for anyone who may be in the shoes he was in 19 years ago is to surround yourself with people who will give you honest feedback and to not be afraid of being told the truth.
“I have three or four people both professionally and personally who I know will give me honest feedback and that’s really important.
“While you naturally want to back yourself it’s also important to have a bit of realism when your ideas need work.
“It’s as important to listen to people who have failed as people who have succeeded.”
Another top tip from Sean is to hire well and hire early, especially in sales and marketing.
He said: “Surround yourself with smart, curious and ambitious people, dream big and work hard.”
He also listens to a lot of business podcasts and says these are a great motivational resource.
Top tips for starting your own business
There’s a lot to consider if you’re thinking about starting your own business.
From coming up with the perfect money-making idea, to the legalities that come with getting set up, you’ll want to make sure you’ve covered your bases before taking the plunge.
Alan Thomas, UK chief executive at Simply Business, previously shared his top tips for starting a business with The Sun.
Know your customer inside-out
Knowing your audience is crucial. Start by asking yourself if your idea could help make their life simpler, or fill a gap that competitors currently aren’t.
Testing your product or service and iterating based on feedback is a great way to ensure you’re building what’s right for your customer.
Doing this early, before investing too heavily, can help to validate your business idea and save a lot of money in the process.
Sort your legalities
Make sure you’re on the right side of any rules, regulations, and legalities. Registering your business with HMRC should be a priority and it will inform how much tax you need to pay.
You can do this online at gov.uk. You’ll also need to decide on the structure of your company (sole trader, limited company or a partnership).
Legally you may also require business insurance, such as public or employers’ liability insurance.
A public liability policy protects against damage to third party property or individuals, whereas employers’ liability is a necessity if you have staff.
Create the perfect marketing plan
This is where websites and social media come into play. Consider what platforms work for your business and go from there.
You don’t need a presence on all of them. Also, don’t ignore the power of flyers, local PR, and good old word of mouth.
Give yourself a period of transition and reflection
It’s easy to get caught up in the pace of starting up, but it’s important to dedicate time for reflection and analysis.
Look at what’s worked well and what could have gone better.
Once you’re through month one, block out some time to look through your sales.
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