ABOUT THE AUTHOR by Steve Coleman ®

My name is Steve Coleman and I would like to tell you a little about myself and how I came to be in business.

I was born a city boy but always had a yearning to become a farmer. On completing my schooling (my parents having given in to my yearning) I attended agricultural college and graduated. Now for my first job!

Despite my background, I started my working life not farming but teaching agriculture in government service! Boy, was that something, me a twenty one year old, trying to teach 40+ year old men and women how to make farming a profitable business; they were all very nice though!

I got married at this time and took my new wife Celia into a very rural part of the country. We are still married so it could not have been too bad!

The Private Sector

My first experience in real life business was when I left government and moved onto commercial management, responsible for ten representatives selling agricultural fertilizers and chemicals. An interesting time, with much traveling around the country.

Both these jobs helped me grow in knowledge and develop my management skills as well as being very enjoyable.

Now the big move, I was head hunted by a large beer brewing group. Totally outside of my training, but still with some agriculture in the growing of barley and corn, I gave it much thought before accepting.

I worked my way up in this wonderful company to become director of operations responsible for our 16 breweries country wide.

Over the years I have attended many training courses and seminars on business, both as a participant and as a trainer, which have all added to my business management knowledge. That training has not turned me into a business academic but helped me in becoming a practical, hands on, business man.

The corporate life had been good to me, but always, at the back of my mind, I had wanted to be in business for myself. I was now 45 years old and suddenly realized that if I didn’t go for my dream now, it could be too late!

It was only later that I came to appreciate that nothing you do is ever too late and that one is never too old to start afresh!

After much discussion with my wife and children we decided to really start looking around for a business niche that we would like, could move into and prosper.

This took some time, but after much searching (which you can read about elsewhere on this site) we decided to go into the manufacture of tubular steel furniture.

Why? Well there was a niche in the local market for high quality steel furniture for fast food outlets, household and commercial use. I also thought that the challenge would be interesting and it was!

Here was now the time to put all my training, in the business field, into practice.

For the first time in my life I was now my own boss and we had a new business to launch. I soon learnt what that meant, no marketing, financial or personnel departments! Only us to do all the work!

That was some learning curve, from beer brewing to steel furniture manufacture!

During the twelve years we ran our business, we grew from strength to strength, both within the country and in the export market. Not as easy as it sounds, plenty of ups and downs, but all very good managerial experience and much more rewarding than being an employee.

Starting a new business from scratch was a wonderful and profitable experience for me. The extensive research put into learning a new business was stimulating and the years of practical experience in small business management that I gained were invaluable.

We finally sold out to take early retirement and are now living in Costa Rica, Central America, a beautiful and peaceful country.

Reflections

With more time on my hands now, I have had a chance to reflect on my working life and to realize that throughout my life I have always been helped, without reservation, by other people.

Older colleagues have given advice, customers have talked of their problems and solutions, competitors have freely imparted of their knowledge. My whole life has been full of people giving me help and advice without asking for anything in return!

I realize that in some small way I have done the same, whenever someone has asked for advice or wherever I have seen someone who needs a hand, I have offered to help. It has seemed to me to be the thing to do.

Business for me has therefore been a very pleasant experience with help received and help being given. How can I continue to help?

Every year many millions of people, worldwide, think about going into business for themselves, millions do, and of these many fail through lack of basic management skills.

With the practical knowledge and experience I have gained, over my many years in both corporate and private business, plus my interest in keeping abreast with the latest business trends (I tend to read too many business books according to my wife) I feel that I can help. It would be enjoyable to try and assist those people thinking of going into business or those in a new business and struggling, to achieve success.

With this in mind I have decided to try and bring together the knowledge of successful small business people and potential small business people. The knowledge is available; it just needs to get out to the people who need it. Out, in a practical and down to earth way. This site, I hope will help to do that.

Finally, this site will only promote ethical business practices, so you will not find any dubious business suggestions anywhere in the recommendations.

Okay, that’s that.

What else can I tell you about Steve Coleman?

I am married and have five great children, four daughters and a son, a son-in-law, one granddaughter and two grandsons.

My likes and hobbies

• My wife and family
• Friends
• Sailing
• Walking around cities
• Hiking
• Game viewing in Africa
• Fishing, river and lake
• Travel
• Reading, both on business and the occasional novel
• Living in the mountains
• Beer, obviously
• Writing
• The Internet
• Pasta and Mexican
• Theater
• The seaside
• Fascinating old tombstones
• Collecting silverware

Hope you enjoy the site and find it useful.