It was with much sadness that I learned today of the recent passing of a former employer Jim Tappenden – Chairman and joint founder of the Spearhead Training Group. There are always significant points of our lives which shape the path that we take in life and the people that we evolve into, often these moments involve key individuals, in my own case Jim was one of these vital people.

Over a decade ago, in an effort to break into marketing (whilst studying a part-time HNC in business and marketing) I applied for the role of Marketing Assistant at Spearhead Training Group. I had a little relevant experience under my belt; a year’s HNC, two years in life and pensions admin, two years in retail merchandising and some freelance promotional efforts in a nightclub. However, on 6th May 1998 Jim Tappenden offered me the position of Marketing Assistant at Spearhead Training Group. It was just the break I needed!

Some months later I asked Jim about my appointment and he confessed that on paper I didn’t have the CIM diplomas or work experience that other candidates had done, but that I had common sense: “Common sense is a commodity in short supply” Jim told me. The older I become and the more candidates I interview myself the more I agree with him! I am grateful that Jim considered me to have it, and was willing to gamble on an ambitious 21 year old.

Some time later Jim agreed to fund the final year of my marketing qualification at a time when I was going through some financial hardships, this was very much appreciated. Furthermore, after a year of working with Jim’s wife Val on the company’s marketing, I was myself promoted to Marketing Manager and given the wonderful opportunity to manage (with Jim’s approval and guidance) an annual marketing budget approaching £1 million. It was a fantastic way to learn about managing Direct Marketing campaigns, Display Advertising and the evolving Internet – which I became fascinated with at that time. I built my first website at Jim’s request, something that I found thoroughly enjoyable, especially the analytical side of understanding audience behaviour.

I left Spearhead in March 2000 to move into an online marketing role at a publishing company.  After my departure Jim arranged for me to maintain the Spearhead website on a contractual basis in my spare time. This gave me the funding to get started with my own company and expand a little into other areas – leading to the founding of Firetop Ltd in 2003. Today, although I no longer maintain the UK website of Spearhead Training I am proud to maintain the Spearhead Gulf website and have even had the pleasure of a trip to the Middle East as a result.

I consider myself extremely fortunate to have worked with Jim and to have had the opportunities that he and his wife gave me, the knowledge of how to run a business, the in-house courses that he let me attend in sales, marketing and management and the financial assistance with Firetop have all been invaluable. Without Jim I would not be where I am today and outside of work I certainly wouldn’t have my wonderful family (having met my wife via Yahoo chat ten years ago this weekend)!

I would like to end on a final piece of wisdom that I have always remembered from Jim (in addition to the scarceness of common sense) – “With a business idea you can spend too long planning for perfection and never get started“. I’m not sure I necessarily understood how true that was at the time Jim told me but now as I approach my 15th year in the working world I know exactly what he means.

Goodbye Jim you will be sadly missed yet remaining frequently in my thoughts.

Click for Social Bookmarks