In your own words, who are you and what is your business?

My name is David Connor and my company is called Coethica, a specialist Corporate Social Responsibility consultancy. In English this means we help business improve their performance by getting the most from the way they manage their environmental and social impacts. Every organisation does this in some shape or form but not many manage this therefore missing out on cost savings and potential commercial opportunities. It may be anything from improving tendering applications to improving staff motivation, recruitment and retention, accreditations, awards, managing relationships with charities, building brand reputation and environmental audits. We speak in English not management and make sure our clients come with us on the journey as mentoring is an integral part of the process. This isn't a luxury to be bolted on. It has to be embedded in the client's values and they have to be self sufficient once we have set them on the right track.

Why did you choose to start your own business?

I'd spent seven years longer than originally planned at Everton FC's Community Programme and needed a fresh challenge but always considered myself more of an intrapreneur rather than an entrepreneur. I am constantly seeing opportunities for ideas for businesses, products or services and whilst sat on a beach in Portugal (first holiday for five years!) I realised I needed to decide what I wanted to do for the next eights years. I'd spent about four years working closely with an organisation called Business in the Community a charity that centres on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) but mainly for the larger corporations, and I was surprised at the lack of support for smaller businesses. If 99% of UK businesses are small or medium sized this provided the germ of an opportunity! You could say I'd found my vocation in life; being able to be a good and creative person and possibly even get paid for it!! Before I knew it I was setting up a bank account with my heart in my mouth but loving every second of it!

How did you come up with the idea for your business?

After discovering this thing called CSR I went on a mission to learn everything I could and I was more and more disheartened that there wasn't really anybody taking this agenda, translating it from corporate management speak into English and actually having a passion and selling it to the smallest of businesses. Almost every conference, presentation, workshop, book or accreditation had a very academic and almost preaching feel to it which kept it a very insular world - again another opportunity - could the agenda be refreshed, made more entrepreneurial and accessible to the 99% and even more of a challenge, to make it work financially to keep my new wife and nine months and one day later, a baby, in a home with nappies!

What has been your biggest challenge to date?

There have been challenges stacked on top of each other, and to be honest that is still the case two years later. The biggest challenge has been working alone. I heard a great quote that ‘Solitude is the death of the entrepreneur', and completely agree. Yes, money, business plans, taxes, VAT and keeping clients happy is a constant battle but without doubt without some fantastic friends, family and especially my wife, Helena, I would have failed a long time ago. I'm a huge believer of by working hard and cleverly (and maybe a sprinkling of luck), eventually you will see a return.

Have you ever felt like giving up?

Yes but I'm far too stubborn and competitive for that to last too long.

What has been your biggest mistake in business?

I am by nature a perfectionist. I spent far too long refining the business plan, getting a website, creating a logo etc, etc. If you have an idea or product just do it! If you sell one, make two and sell them. I had a little luxury of time and cash available at the start and tip-toed around what I actually set out to do. Now I call that my ‘research' period which was invaluable but cost me a lot of money. My brother Mark, Chief Executive of Vermont Developments based in Liverpool gave me the Alan Sugar Apprentice treatment and told me all this right at the start. No matter how open minded you think you are some things just don't penetrate the fog of advice and stress of setting up a new business.

If you were starting again, what would you do differently?

I'd probably offer free services for anybody that would have me to refine the service offering and get testimonials under my belt. It's difficult getting anybody in an empty bar unless there are free drinks!

What business achievement are you most proud of?

That would have to be our work with Stone Security Services. I was introduced to Stone through a great adviser at Business Link called Howard Fleming. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to trial an assessment process with a company doing all it can to overturn substantial negative media coverage, especially in Liverpool. After a couple of meetings chaperoned by Howard and I convinced Stone there was a real chance for a unique piece of work I ended up proposing a bigger piece of work, and Stone agreed. From my first meeting with the management of Stone, beginning to explain CSR from scratch and how it could work for them to six months later Stone winning the Liverpool Echo Enterprise Award for Responsible Business of the Year 2007 was unbelievable. For me it is a fantastic case study for CSR for SMEs. I get the biggest smile from the fact that I didn't actually do that much of the work. Now that might sound like a great advert but my skill is in unearth great work already done because it's good for business. At Stone it was the way they managed their staff. With 50 (now 75 and growing) employees on just above minimum wage and retention rates of around 90% something was working! I dug deeper to find what it was and helped them present it honestly and the rest is history.

Who is your biggest supporter?

The biggest supporter is easy to answer, it's my wife. Hel has been a business adviser, psychotherapist, secretary, proof reader and consultant, without her, our son and many family, friends, professional colleagues and a special bunch of secret agents, Coethica would not be here now.

Who do you go to for business advice?

That would depend on what in particular I needed advice on. I have a pretty good contact book and even if there isn't anybody there who can help, I've always been good at finding the right person for the job. As an entrepreneur are bombarded with advice from everybody who spends more than 30 seconds in your vicinity, the challenge is filtering

What advice do you have for an entrepreneur starting out today?

It is better to have been an entrepreneur and lost than to have never been an entrepreneur at all! Coethica was as much an experiment as a business plan at the start but even if it had failed I have learned more than any course can ever teach and I've had so much fun at times it's embarrassing to call it work.

What's the best advice you've been given?

Don't be lazy and rely on emails! One phone call can save you so much time and has much more impact. If you try to hide a lack of confidence by using texts, faxes or emails then you will never be able to persuade a potential client. People buy people, not well presented words on a screen.

How do you handle tough business decisions?

I once heard that business is ‘the art of making irrevocable decisions based on insufficient information' and can't agree more. You never get as much information as you want. I always do the research and take the most appropriate option. You have to have the confidence to fail and look for any learning all the way through the process.

For more information please visit: http://www.coethica.com