We welcomed entrepreneur Andrew Newlands, Founder and MD of Monty Bojangles, to Economics and Business Society this week. The alumnus, and now Trinity parent, shared the more unusual route he took to starting his own business and advocated an independent path for our entrepreneurial students.
Andrew left Trinity in 1999, and instead of going to university, started his own online business targeting local bars and pubs. He reinvested his profit into new ventures and found a passion in graphic design that inspired him on, and he managed to find work designing confectionery product ranges for big retailers.
At that early stage in his career, there were three important rules he lived by that he believes helped him succeed, and which Andrew was keen to share with our students:
1. Listen and learn – Trinity students are by nature curious, and it is important to carry that curiosity forward. Acknowledge there is always more to learn and listen to people who know more than you and can help you grow.
2. Never say no – Andrew was trying to become indispensable to people, and therefore he always focused on the solution rather than the problem. He said it was easy to have this attitude as he loved what he was doing and therefore finding that passion, is just as important.
3. Over-deliver – going beyond what people expect can make you stand out.
After realising that he was giving away all his best ideas to large food retailers who were the ones profiting, Andrew decided to start his own business and so Monty Bojangles was born with the original dusted truffles. By that point, he had all the connections with the manufacturers and understood the full process.
There were pitfalls along the way, and still a lot of lessons to be learned, which nearly cost him his business at some points, but by sticking to his three important lessons, Andrew managed to build his brand and business into the successful, awarding winning one it is today.
Andrew’s closing points to the Economics students reiterated that to be successful you need to find your passion; don’t do it for the money, do it because you love it; be ready to take risks and embrace the fear but always make sure you have some money in the bank as your insurance policy.
Many thanks to Andrew for giving up his time to speak to our students; and for bringing along a box of his delicious chocolates to sample!
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