As a teenager…

I grew up in Lancaster and spent my teenage years on the Ridge estate. Although I enjoyed school, I probably saw it as a great place to catch up with my friends, rather than focussing on the academic/education side of things. I loved having a laugh, and not taking things too seriously. It’s funny looking back as the subjects that didn’t pique my interest at school… I really love now (history for example). I never knew what a wanted to be when I ‘grew up’ that seemed far too serious a thing to think about, I was a real ‘tom boy’ and preferred running around, climbing trees, and playing football to thinking about what the future may hold!

After school…

After school… I kind of fell into going to university, I went to St. Martins College (University of Cumbria) and studied sport. I’d done average at A Level, and bang on trend for me, just wanted to do something I enjoyed. I imagined I’d be playing football and hockey, obviously that wasn’t the case, and I found doing lots of theory and reading about things that I loved took a lot of joy out of sport for me. By the time I finished my course, I wanted any job that would earn money! I landed a role working for HMCTS (the court service) and felt very grown up paying into a pension and having a salary! Looking back, I think on the job learning would have suited my better straight from school, and that is something that I now advocate for in our local area.  Working for the courts taught me so much about leading, organisation, working within a team. I see now that my time there gave me so many of the skills I need for my current role.

Now I’m…

Now I’m…running my own financial advice firm. Curve ball, right? I left the courts to be a practice manager at a ‘wealth management’ company. And, BOOM, I worked out what I wanted to do with my life! (Age 28). After working for other people in the industry, my wife Annabel and I decided to do it for ourselves. Be our own bosses. And run the show exactly as we wanted, with our values at the fore. Three years in, we couldn’t be happier. We help like-minded people be secure in their finances and have the autonomy to do the community support work that we love. TP Financial Solutions is wonderful, and I love being a business owner.  I sit on the board of the local Chamber or Commerce, jointly run a CIC called ‘We Love Morecambe’ and spend my spare time in Morecambe Bay with Annabel and the kids and supporting the mighty Morecambe Football Club.