KINDNESS IS THE KEY TO UNLOCKING SUCCESS Ask Sir John Timpson to share the key to his business success and you’ll get a response that has nothing to do with profit margins, investment strategies or the bottom line. He’ll simply tell you it’s all about “kindness”. Being kind to customers and encouraging the 5,500 people who work in the organisation that bears his name to “be kind to each other” are at the heart of the Timpson philosophy.
“colleagues”, as he calls the workforce, and as a result the company. He says: “It’s not a question of making statements in your annual report, it’s actually about doing stuff.
It’s an approach that is paying off. The group, whose operations range from shoemending and key-cutting to photo-processing and dry cleaning, is today a £300m turnover business with more than 2,000 outlets across the UK. And, as Timpson reflects: “The attitude of looking after other people seems to be bringing more money back to the business.” The 76-year-old has been described as an ‘independent thinker’ and something of a ‘maverick’ when it comes to business. But for him, the approach he takes is a matter of common sense and doing what is right for his
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