Presentation I gave to sixth form students at my old school as part of their Careers Week

1. 10 life lessons in business

2. • Pupil from 1989 – 1994
• 9 CGSEs & 3 A-Levels
• No careers advice given

3. My career path
to date

4. 3 A-levels3 A-levels
1994
Gap YearGap Year
1995
University
of Soton
University
of Soton
1995-
8
Volunteer
Work
Volunteer
Work
1999
Time to seek my fame
and fortune right?
Time to seek my fame
and fortune right?

5. Hello London!

6. 3 A-levels3 A-levels Gap YearGap Year University
of Soton
University
of Soton
Volunteer
Work
Volunteer
Work
1994 1995 1995-
8
1999
icollectoricollector eBayeBay
2001-
8
vzaarvzaar
2008-
10
JustGivingJustGiving
2010+

7. What can I share today?
• 15+ years working in ecommerce industry
• Working with people of many different
nationalities & cultures
• But mostly a career that I did not foresee
aged 18

8. 1. No idea? Don’t panic!

9. 2. Find a skill and hone it

10. 3. Be inquisitive

11. 5. Fail fast and fail
often
4. It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get
permission

12. 5. Fail fast and fail
often

13. 6. Connect with people

14. 7.

15. 8. You will not be the smartest person in the room

16. 9. Don’t be afraid to change jobs

17. 10. “Luck is the residue of
design”
‘Howard Schultz’

18. What next?
• Not sure I can answer that
• What I can say is it will sometimes be daunting, but it
will always be fun and rewarding

19. Thank you & good luck
http://www.slideshare.net/parkins1/10-life-lessons-from-business