Shai Patel: give, learn, prioritise

I'm co-director at ICON. Having lived for many years in the historic saddle-making town of Walsall in the West Midlands, I'm now fortunate to live near the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ironbridge in Shropshire.

ICON (Business Growth Professionals) is a business consultancy with offices near Ironbridge and in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter. We work with start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises and social enterprises. Our services range from company formation, business strategy and IT planning to business management coaching and helping clients access grants and commercial finance.

How did you get into coaching?

For most of my career I've specialised in business analysis, development and improvement at CEO and senior management level. When the time came to leave the corporate world and serve the UK's thriving small business sector, it made sense to adapt global business and management solutions and make them accessible to small business owners, start-ups and the third sector. It's immeasurably satisfying working with passionate people and solving their unique business challenges.

What do you specialise in?

In one word, strategy. I help businesses form a strategy for the short, medium and long term. From the basics, that starts with why someone set up the organisation, then plots the journey towards their business, and often personal, goals. With a strong IT background, my niche is helping businesses invest in the right IT infrastructure at the right time to support their mission.

What motivates you in business?

Without sounding like a cliché, I like working with people. I'm an active listener and I'm always learning. I'm genuinely fascinated by how and why businesses form, how they're led, how they interact and function, and how they can break, adapt and, ideally, be fixed.

What makes you different?

We're traditional in the sense that ICON is first and foremost a relationships business. We thrive on building relationships based on know, like and trust, and we support them with our own AIM framework, which brings together established and new global thinking on business management. Our niche also makes sure clients have the right IT strategy to support their goals.

What are your top tips for a business that wants to thrive?

Give. Business owners who give their time and expertise, help others and support businesses that are struggling are the ones customers remember and recommend. Those who chase short-term gain at their customers' expense are remembered too, for the wrong reasons. There's a philosophy I like: givers gain. If I help you, you may help me, or others.

Learn and prioritise. Take time to reflect on what really matters, in business and in life. Use it to learn, to prioritise what's essential, and to set or reset your personal and professional goals.

Givers gain. If I help you, you may help me, or others.

Shai Patel

Tell us something fun about you.

Wow, that's a tough one. I'd like to think I'm a humourist at heart, although I'd probably be classed as a fossil, a living reminder of dad jokes. For example: “A man walks into a bar. Ouch!” I can poke fun at myself and my profession too. Did you hear the one about the two company directors on the golf course? One asks the other, “How do you get your employees to turn up early every morning?” The other replies, “Easy. I have 50 employees and 40 parking spaces.”

You're entitled to groan.

How do you overcome adversity?

A lot of my approach to adversity comes from spiritual and personal experience. Recognise that adversity exists, and that mental preparation and the way we live can help us overcome it. Develop a positive mindset: the glass is half full. A sense of humour certainly helps, although it can be hard to find something funny in every situation. Talking to others helps, but be selective and surround yourself with positive people. And immerse yourself in nature, whether that's a walk in the nearest park or woods, focusing on the natural sounds around you and being in the present.