I founded the Bennett Group in 1992 shortly after leaving London University with a slightly dubious degree in Modern Languages.
Whilst at university, to keep me in cheap red wine and cigarettes, I started a sandwich business. When I finally graduated - not having a burning desire to be an entrepreneur - I put on a pair of brogues and prepared for life as a cavalry officer. By mutual consent, my commanding-officer-to-be, the Queen (presumably), and me decided that Her Majesty's forces weren't the best place for my talents. I then put on a pair of Doc Martens and became a grave digger in East Sheen, followed by a stint selling aerial pictures of people's houses door-to-door in Yorkshire.
After about eight months, I finally landed a 'proper' job working as the business manager for a music magazine in Soho and got to meet a lot of semi-famous people. However, this might have been good life experience but I had the distinct feeling after a year that it was getting me nowhere fast. So I left.
The UK was in the middle of its last recession and, as was the case at the time of writing, banks were very sceptical about lending to anyone without a track record or indeed any of their own cash. £3000 was the upper limit that any bank would lend at the time without security and so, thanks in part to a good business plan, the Bennett Group was set up using just a modest loan of that amount from Barclays Bank. It has grown fairly steadily since, without resorting to large-scale or irresponsible borrowing. It now operates in the UK, USA, France, Germany, Hong Kong and Australia.
Happily each part of the group continues to be profitable, thriving on the principle that fair pricing and fair play will always find a solid market. Crucially, all have been started for less than £5000. The smallest (dog-sitting) cost £50 to set up and made £15,000 profit in its first year; the largest - Aktuel Translations - has fared reasonably well and was even recognised in Who's Who as being one of the fastest growing UK companies of 2003.
Robin Bennett leaning
against a wall.