Community of Cultivators: Edition 65

Here at GCUC we are immensely fortunate to cross paths and work with so many amazing people. Through our work, we’ve cultivated a global community of people we think you should know about.

Community of Cultivators is a blog series we created to introduce you to coworking game changers and connectors. Each month, we’ll release new interviews that we hope inform and inspire you.

This weeks interview is coming at you from across the pond with Richard Morris. Richard has spent his entire career in technology sales. After completing an MBA, he went on to become the MD of IT services business MCW Group Ltd, providing IT networking, technology and training service. Clients included M&S Financial Services, Unilever and Shell Research. In 2008 Richard took the opportunity to sell the company and joined the acquiring business, Keycom PLC, becoming Sales Director and joined the PLC board, listed on AIM. Notable clients included University of Edinburgh and Aspire Defence.

For the past ten years, Richard has specialised in technology for multi-tenanted workspaces and is now a leading expert in the sector. He is currently Sales and Marketing Director at technologywithin, the UK’s leading provider of technology for flexible workspaces and CRE landlords. technologywithin provide fibre internet, reliable WiFi, telephony and workspace management software in over 400 buildings to more than 15,000 end clients.

To get to know Richard more, keep reading.

What in your life are you most proud of cultivating or creating? Why?

Maintaining good and loyal long-term friendships. I still have a group school friends I have known for more than 35 years, and we are in touch on a weekly basis. I am also in regular contact with ex work colleagues whom I have also known for many years. You need to look after these friendships and never take anything for granted and always be trustworthy, supportive and a good listener. In return good friends can be your biggest cheerleaders and your greatest advocates.

What is one piece of advice you give everyone that works with and/or for you?

Without question, ‘good manners’ are essential and better still they cost nothing but are hugely important in all walks of life. Always speak to people in a courteous and friendly manner; saying please and thank you and show a genuine appreciation when someone helps you. It really disappoints me when superiors speak down to their work colleagues; just don’t do it, as it will encourage them to treat others in the same way. Treat everyone as you would like to be treated and just see how they will react for the better.

If you had $500 to spend- what would you buy?

This is great question, although I’m not sure I would buy anything material, but I would take my family out for a lovely Sunday lunch at a local country pub and share happy times with them. I would hope my son would pick up the cost of the wine as $500 may not cover it!

What advice would you give to someone thinking of becoming an entrepreneur?

Never give up and be tenacious as the road ahead won’t always be easy. Its normal to fail at certain things and in fact we learn more from failure than we do from success, but when it happens, just pick yourself up and reflect on the experience and go again. Quite often it will take months even years to succeed or secure that order with a client. Keep trying, it will be worth it in the end and the feeling of success will be incredible and perhaps even emotional.

If you had to put a quote on your gravestone what would it be?

I’m not ready to think about my gravestone, but it does make you think what is important in life, so it would read ‘A loving and caring husband and father’ (and hopefully grandfather, which I will hopefully become one day!)

To get to know Richard more, please join us at GCUC UK this September. Tickets and agenda available at uk.gcuc.co.