“ They want people who keep going no matter what. It doesn’ t matter how fit you are, everybody will be broken at the end of that.”
More than 30 years later, the moment still captures something fundamental about Downes’ outlook on life.
There is always another gear.
Few Staffordshire business leaders will ever have to find theirs as part of SAS training, or behind enemy lines, or while entering buildings in Baghdad in search of Saddam Hussein’ s most wanted men.
But Downes believes the principles that carried him through those experiences translate to all walks of life. Discipline, preparation, trust, humility, integrity, resilience and, crucially, a sense of humour are the tenets he lives by. Owning mistakes when they happen, functioning when the plan falls apart and always looking for ways to improve.
Above all, he simply keeps going. It is a philosophy forged during an extraordinary journey from a council estate in Stoke-on-Trent to 24 years in the British Army, including 12 in the SAS, operations around the world and, eventually, a starring role on Channel 4’ s SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Downes is bringing those lessons back to where his story began, as keynote speaker at Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce’ s Let’ s Do Business Expo at Uttoxeter Racecourse.
“ I’ m just a normal bloke from Stoke,” he says. His life story, however, suggests otherwise.
MADE IN STOKE
Downes grew up on the Bentilee estate in Stokeon-Trent, at the time one of the largest council housing estates in Europe.
His father had arrived in Britain from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation. His mother was from Stoke. Their relationship began in an era when interracial couples could encounter open hostility.
When the family moved to Bentilee, neighbours organised a petition because they did not want a black family living in the street.
Downes remembers his father being spat at and racially abused. As one of very few mixed-race children in his school, he faced racism himself.
LET’ S DO BUSINESS
SPONSORED
Is your business telling you something you’ re not ready to hear?
Michaela Daly
But there’ s a pattern we see regularly at BTG. A director knows something isn’ t right. Margins have tightened, cash flow is harder to predict, key relationships are becoming strained. They take steps: cut costs, chase debtors, renegotiate with suppliers. And for a while, it works well enough to feel like progress.
The difficulty is that managing distress and resolving it are not the same thing. Directors who believe they are acting early are sometimes already operating in territory where their options are narrowing, without realising it. By the time the picture becomes undeniable, the most flexible solutions are often no longer available.
This matters because the earlier a business seeks independent advice, the more choices remain open. Restructuring a business that is under pressure but still viable looks very different to advising a business that has reached crisis point. The former can involve operational improvements, debt restructuring, renegotiating
Most business owners don’ t ignore problems deliberately. They manage them. They find workarounds, absorb the pressure, and keep going, because that’ s what running a business demands. contracts or refinancing. The latter is often about managing an exit with as much control as possible. There is no shame in a business going through a difficult period. Economic conditions across Staffordshire and the wider Midlands have made the past few years genuinely hard. What makes the difference is whether directors have the right information to make good decisions, and whether they get it in time.
If your instinct is telling you that something needs to change, it is usually worth listening to it sooner rather than later.
Talk to BTG Staffordshire Whether your business has hit a growth ceiling, feels operationally inefficient, or is facing creditor pressure, our restructuring team can help you understand your position and the options available. To arrange a confidential, no-obligation conversation, contact Michaela Daly, Director( Restructuring) at BTG, serving Staffordshire, at michaela. daly @ btguk. com.
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