My name is Richard Bosworth. If you are a CEO, MD or business leader, I am your online non-executive director. I am here to ask you some tough questions. I am also here to inform your decisions and make your choices simple.

I started out as a rock drummer, before carving a career as a successful corporate troubleshooter. I know what makes leaders tick, because I have been building companies for almost 40 years.

Ten facts about me

1. My career as a rock drummer began when I landed a regular spot at a club in Soho. I was 13 years old and was supposed to be staying with my grandparents at the time; luckily, they thought it was a hoot. I met the Rolling Stones and belonged to a band that supported the Beatles at Coventry Theatre in 1963.
2. I left music for the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester, but not before gaining some valuable business skills. I made deals with venues, so that my band received a cut of the bar takings. This had a second benefit: the incentive ensured that my fellow band members stayed out of the pubs during the days and turned up in the evenings.
3. I would go on to take up senior roles at Schweppes, Cadbury, Kenco and Rank Hovis McDougall, but my first business was as unglamorous as they come. I sold… chicken manure. I collected free chicken litter from a local farm and sold it door-to-door for £1 a bag. Housewives and gardeners were my best customers; I was soon turning over £100 every weekend.
4. When I met my wife, Constance, it was love at first sight. She was wearing a green dress and as soon as I saw her, I knew she was The One. We met in October and married in March. We moved to Scotland, where I was a technical advisor for Rank Hovis McDougall, before moving to Suffolk.
5. I joined Eastern Counties Farmers as a troubleshooter and turned that loss-making company into a profitable enterprise within nine months. The secret? Pony cubes! (Don’t ask; it’s definitely a subject for a future blog post.)
6. In 1975 we moved to South Africa with our three-year-old daughter. I founded South Africa’s first business development consultancy. I also presented the first entrepreneurship course for engineers at Natal University, where I was voted the top lecturer for three years in a row.
7. In 1992, when Nelson Mandela’s impending release was announced, I advised South African companies on change management. Some years later, I enjoyed an unforgettable dinner with President Mandela. I found that, like many admirable and important people, he did not exude status and power. Instead he was quite unassuming – but with a very sharp brain. He listened, asked questions and did not pontificate. He continues to inspire me.
8. After my family returned to the UK in 1998, I continued as an independent business and management coach. I am a member of the Institute of Directors, the Institute of Management, the American Management Association and the International Coach Federation.
9. For the past nine years I have also been a Yorkshire Chairman of Vistage International: the world’s foremost chief executive leadership organisation. Studies have shown that Vistage member companies outperform their competitors and, on average, grow their revenues at three times the percentage growth rate after joining Vistage. This is certainly true of my own group members.
10. I am the co-founder and co-owner of the Wealth Enhancement Forum: the UK’s first learning and development membership organisation for high net worth individuals. We help successful former business owners and entrepreneurs to make better lifestyle and wealth management choices in an impartial, confidential and informal environment.

As the What If? Specialist I bring all my skills, passions, achievements and experiences to the fore. My mission: to release the untapped potential within individuals, companies and organisations.

If you would like to find out more, please read What I Do or get in touch. You can connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter. It would be great to hear from you: you can Contact Me by telephone or e-mail.