Meet Jeremy – our energetic Founder and MD
Founding and running your own business has never been ‘easy’, but Jeremy Gadd still revels in the thrill of being independent many years after choosing this path.
‘It’s the freedom and the fact that people reward you for making their lives better,’ is how he puts it. Recent economic challenges, including the cost of living crisis, haven’t changed his feelings about that.
‘I’m at my best when my back’s against the wall but I know we can work it through – I need a level of challenge in my working day,’ he explains. ‘I enjoy navigating a way through quite complex situations in a way that works for both our clients and for JGA.’
Recognising the opportunity to grow
Jeremy launched J Gadd Associates in 2014 after spotting a gap in the market he sensed he could fill: supporting employee-owned and other values-led businesses to leverage the benefits of their ownership model, culture and teams.
He’d recently taken redundancy from the John Lewis Partnership.
‘I’d had a pretty good 30 years, starting on the shop floor at 17 as a trainee,’ he recalls. ‘Because I was dyslexic, I struggled at school which meant no university. In fact, it was John Lewis who had my ‘gift’ of dyslexia diagnosed and I’ll always be grateful for that.’
Being a Partner at John Lewis was, he reveals, a ‘fantastic opportunity’ to work his way up to the senior leadership team, gaining operational and strategic experience as well as becoming a City & Guilds qualified coach. ‘But by the time I left at 47 I was ready to rethink what I wanted to do.’
Building a future in the EO space
That ‘rethink’ involved creating time to reflect on his skillset and experience, then enrolling at the Henley Business School to complete an MSc in Behavioural Change.
‘That was a useful experience,’ Jeremy says. ‘The dissertation I wrote on the impact on leaders when their business becomes employee-owned helped validate our practice experience – and it has helped shape the products and services JGA offers today.’
So why choose to focus on the employee-owned and values-led sectors? ‘It was my skillset and my passion – it’s where my DNA lies,’ he explains.
And he spotted that gap in the market after his research into the EO world revealed that, although there was real expertise around the legal and finance challenges of becoming EO, nobody solely focused on unlocking the benefits an EO transition should bring.
Knowing how it feels to lead – and be led
‘At JLP, I learned that – like receiving a dog as a festive gift – employee ownership is for life, not just for Christmas,’ he explains. ‘Yet too all too frequently, it can feel like a one-off event.
‘This meant that, perhaps after a couple of years, clients were saying ‘EO isn’t working’. My research showed this too, so I built my future in that space. I’ve since learned how difficult it is to found and run your own business. I know the energy and emotion involved – and the importance of putting time and thought into succession planning.’
‘That’s why I enjoy working with values-led entrepreneurs and their teams – including in my role as an Independent Trustee Director for Aardman and The Rooflight Company.’
The chance he had at John Lewis and Waitrose to ‘play’ in so many different spaces (operations, commercial, strategy, HR) deepens the value he brings. As he explains: ‘I wasn’t on a fast path so I understand the disconnect that can occur between leadership and those being led – and how it feels to be an elected representative being challenged by your senior team.’
‘At JLP, I learned that – like receiving a dog as a festive gift – employee ownership is for life, not just for Christmas. Yet too all too frequently, it can feel like a one-off event’
Jeremy Gadd, JGA Founder and MD
Preparing JGA for transition and change
The thrill of independence motivates many SME owners, but Jeremy is also honest about his biggest challenge.
‘It’s recognising my own limitations and being able to let go to others,’ he says. ‘JGA’s success is built upon the talent of the team, not me. That’s led me to explore the option of transitioning JGA into employee ownership as a succession plan.
‘But making that kind of transition is a challenge for any founder/owner: you have to ensure you’re ready to sell your company to an EOT.’
He adds: ‘Running your own business enables you to be incredibly agile, because it’s your money. The risk would be different if I was dealing with other people’s money because we’d become employee-owned. I’m learning to recognise this – it’s not easy.’
Learning lessons from the pandemic
So one thing is certain: the next few years will bring interesting change for JGA. But what about the wider picture for business, in a world in flux?
Jeremy is inspired by what he learned from Covid.
‘That first lockdown, when so much existing work was suddenly put on hold, led to the development of some of our newest products and services. As an Independent Trustee, I also saw other leaders use that time to take a forensic view of their offer.
‘The businesses which survived then, and will survive in the future, are those who can forensically analyse what they’ve done right and wrong – and learn from it. Failure is simply the inability to learn from an outcome you were not expecting.
‘Today, at JGA, what we learned through Covid is shaping our response to the cost of living crisis, where we’re adding value by being more efficient rather than introducing a blanket prices hike.
Chickens, chat and the odd slice of cake!
So with work to do and no easy future, what five things give Jeremy the energy to tackle the JGA day?
Chatting with my Associates – though they may not agree! I’m a people person.
Porridge, prunes and seeds (you’ve got to have the seeds!) – and the first cup of coffee.
The fact that every day offers a fresh challenge: who knows what it might bring?
Taking a break outside so I can chat with my chickens (even the one’s not laying).
Some sort of cake, at some point. But I do also run...
If you’d like to know more about how JGA can support your organisation through our Transition, People and Governance services, please get in touch here