The Legend That Is Mr Ray McLennan (Pt1 of 2)

Ray McLennan is a hugely experienced mentor who has owned and successfully grown a wide range of businesses. He also co-hosts the ‘How to raise Money’ and ‘The Skill Stack’ podcasts sharing his expertise and extensive business experience with a global audience. Growing up in an entrepreneurial environment showed Ray the importance of working hard and understanding that there is always a way forward. As he shares his fascinating journey he explains the importance of seeing the opportunities and acting on them to create new business possibilities that can open up unexpected new ventures. Sign up to Jessen's webinar here: https://bit.ly/bizwm   KEY TAKEAWAYS My father was an entrepreneur and worked very hard in the various businesses he had. He showed me a way but didn’t give me a path I had to follow. I understood from an early age about the concept of work, everyone around me worked hard. I briefly considered several different career possibilities whilst still in education including training as a vet. I joined the army and went on to Sandhurst to complete my officer training. I saw an opportunity to sell beer to and was able to organise a supply chain. It’s about looking for and acting on the opportunities when they occur. I recognised a high level of demand for beer and responded to this opportunity by organising a bulk purchase and the logistics to move it. I went on to source and supply wine to meet the demand of officers and then to exclusively supply champagne. Its exclusivity to us meant there were no pricing comparisons with anyone else. Wine and beer distribution are relatively simple compared to owning a restaurant which is what I moved on to next.   BEST MOMENTS ‘It’s always about seeing the opportunities’ ‘It was a win, win situation’ ‘We went to a supplier who wasn’t big enough to have their own distribution so we got it at a very good price’   VALUABLE RESOURCES Business, Wealth and Mindset podcast series   Ray McLennan website   ABOUT THE GUEST Ray McLennan is a former corporate lawyer from Edinburgh, Scotland who also has many years of experience owning and operating a mixed variety of small businesses in the UK and Ireland. As a former regional manager for Angels Den for 6 years, Ray has seen thousands of pitches from SME’s looking for start-up and scale-up finance from private investors and he has spoken at many large and small Scottish Enterprise and RBS events. Ray has been a VIP one-on-one mentor for Progressive Property based in Peterborough since 2016 and hosts a number of their VIP Lifetime Mastermind groups for established developers and business owners. He is also a Keynote speaker and Lead Trainer with shares in a small number of property companies specialising in property and Start-up incubators. Ray has created a Community Interest Company (CIC) to build affordable housing solely for key workers such as nurses, paramedics, fire and police officers where the rent is capped at a percentage of their salaries. (www.HomesForKeyWorkers.co.uk) Ray is currently working with a group of finance lawyers and professionals to launch a series of Property Funds to bring back old-school banking for experienced property developers. Ray is also a Guinness World Record Holder and keynote public speaker and is co-host of the “How To Raise Money Podcast” and host of “The Skill Stack” Podcast.   ABOUT THE HOST Alex is a prize-winning chartered accountant with experience in financial markets from trading finance, capital hedging, structural foreign exchange and interest rates to operational risk from the world’s top financial and advisory institutions including Deloitte, RBS and JPMorgan Chase Alex has been involved in property development programmes across different types since 2008, building and managing a portfolio that includes standard buy-to-lets, student accommodation and other houses in multiple occupancy (HMOs). He specialises in raising finance, providing potential investors, investors and joint venture partners with ad hoc (to their specific requirements), hands-free and hassle-free property investments solutions as well as coaching and mentoring Alex aspires to share business and financial knowledge with upcoming entrepreneurs and experienced business minds to learn and master the concepts and mindsets required to succeed, stand-out, have the edge and make a difference. Alex is also a keen traveller, cyclist and photographer.   CONTACT METHOD Facebook https://www.facebook.com/alexsapalaofficial/ Twitter - @alex_sapala https://twitter.com/alex_sapala You Tube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgZ1DCPGAu5c2yhOkfGZRSQ