DIRECTOROFTHEMONTH
Start early, finish late- and be lucky
In the second of our new series about influential directors, we hear about the importance of being happy at work from Emma Wells at Jackloc, the company behind the life-saving cable restrictor.
NAME / JOB TITLE
Emma Wells, Founder and Director, The Jackloc ® Company Ltd.
WHEN DID YOU START THE COMPANY?
Jackloc was founded in 2003, so this year we will be celebrating our 15th anniversary. My father, Derek Horne, created the original Jackloc cable restrictor after speaking to a hotelier who had a child come perilously close to falling from a window. Recognising the lifesaving potential of the product, he presented his innovation to myself and my sisters with the intention that we would turn it into a business. The rest is history!
DESCRIBE YOUR WORKING DAY. I wake at 5am with the alarm clock bursting into life. Changed and at the gym with a smoothie in hand for 6am. After an hour workout with my personal trainer, I am back at home, showered and having breakfast with my family. I then begin the mad rush on the school-run, then tackle the unforgiving traffic jam for 35 minutes on the journey to work.
Work can be in the office, at a customer’ s or supplier’ s, exhibition / conference or travelling abroad to meet a distributor. No week is ever the same and this variety makes it interesting.
WHAT IS YOUR WORKSPACE LIKE?
Our offices are in a lovely rural location, set in traditional converted barns on a farm near to where I grew up. It’ s an open plan office and has an onsite café and meeting rooms. We all work closely together, which creates a lovely working environment.
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN YOU GET TO YOUR DESK?
Turn on my computer, then a catch-up with my team over coffee, discussing the events of the day before and the key issues of the day ahead.
‘ I like people who are happy at work and I believe a smile is worth a hundred words’
WHAT WEBSITES HELP YOU?
It seems odd to say, but I generally‘ Google’ most things to look for updates, competitors’ products and news on safety issues and other relating news.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST USEFUL BUSINESS TOOL?
In terms of technology, my iPhone- it does everything these days! What did we do without them? Other than that, the support of my family and the Jackloc team enable me to do what I do each day.
WHAT’ S THE BEST BUSINESS DECISION YOU’ VE TAKEN IN YOUR CURRENT ROLE?
Setting up the company in 2003, when I was at home looking after my two-year-old son and five-month-old son and then in 2004, my daughter. It was a decision that probably gave me my strong passion to save people from falling from open windows. Having such young and vulnerable children seemed to flick a switch in my head and make me see risks in places I had not considered before. That passion is stronger than ever today and remains at the heart of our company.
WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE ROLE MODELS AND WHY?
I think the entrepreneurial characteristics of Sir Richard Branson, a man who started with nothing, worked hard, failed, worked harder, became smarter and now has the Midas touch is an inspiration. I have long had a favourite saying:‘ Start early, finish late and be lucky’.
I like people who are happy at work and I believe a smile is worth a hundred words.
HOW DO YOU UNWIND? After work I love to spend time with my children, catching up with what they have been doing each day and supporting them with their out of school activities such as rugby, boxing and dance. Then, in the evening I relax with my husband to catch up over a well-deserved drink.
For those times when I just need to switch off without any of the distractions of daily life we all retreat to our home in the French Alps, where I can really get to spend some quality time with my family.
On closing, another of my favourite sayings:‘ Fill every day and love it’.
www. jackloc. com
32 » FEB 2018 » CLEARVIEW-UK. COM