Balancing risk and reward

Sharing Experience: Steve Leech, Granite Transformations

My wife is the inspiration behind most of my decisions in life and, like any good partner, she knows exactly how to pitch her cause.

Still, we will sit down to analyse the pros and cons and make a mental assessment of our current situation. Like most things with real potential, there will be many complexities and nuances to navigate, but it is worth taking the time because missed opportunities are painful.

People and priorities

We are presented with opportunities in all aspects of our life and growing a successful business is largely about identifying these and deciding which to run with, sometimes even when common sense points to many risks and the less brave (or less foolish?!) would quickly shut the idea down.

Going with my gut-instinct has served me well to-date and I have few regrets.

I make assessments all day, every day. Is something a priority? Are my staff OK? Should we be doing more of x or less of y? I evaluate my time and risk constantly and prepare myself for the pitfalls – but I always keep the overall vision in mind.

Consider my current situation:

• The recent expansion of our presence at Glasswells, Ipswich. Our small display is now an extensive, manned showroom. A significant outlay but an unmissable opportunity.
• We are currently updating our showroom at Unit 3, Alstons Court, Ipswich – necessary but not without cost.
• We are soon to have a presence at Glasswells, Bury St Edmunds. Plans for a small display area evolved to become a 860sqft, manned showroom, scheduled to open September 2024.
• Our commercial business is growing rapidly with recent projects including the new jockey lounge and public bar area at Newmarket Racecourse, as well as various projects for a newly acquired contract with a property developer. The overall commercial workload is increasing fast, which is excellent but has required an additional layer of support to ensure the balance of delivery, speed, and service are streamlined. 
• The wonderful news of a pregnancy within the team means I want to provide the perfect environment so they can continue to feel part of the business while ensuring they still get to enjoy the fantastic experience of being a new parent.

A rather full plate and the list could go on, but that last point really highlights that, however busy we all are growing our businesses, without taking care of those around us everything is pointless.

Does all this mean I’m going to be more conservative and less adventurous in my decision-making? Of course not! Life is for living. A goal is just a dream without a plan, so if we plan well there is absolutely no reason why we can’t achieve our goals.

Photo of Steve and Katie Leech taken by Alison Self Photography