I had always been Chairman (I was never Managing Director). I stayed with the writing and two special areas particularly close to my heart. But gave up my office to Greg, found myself a windowless room in the depths of the rabbit warren and also worked from home.
My relationship with Greg was interesting.
Barbara pulled right back immediately as she said she would, restricting herself to chairman type things. But me? I couldn't do that. The Company needed me to do my words. They needed me to do wines. So I was working for Greg. Whilst he, of course, was working for me!
Founding-Entrepreneurs can be a real problem for professional CEO's. And Founder-Entrepreneurs usually hate new Managing Directors messing with their beloved Companies. There was tension. Few actual rows. But definite tension, often quite creative, though.
Greg's team took our £15M 'rough diamond' Company and, as requested, polished it. Mad ideas were severely reduced and the watchword became 'focus'. The boys stuck to what worked - our wine Clubs, Four Seasons, Premier and such and just made them work better. Results were impressive. That team took us from £15m to over £200m in just over ten years. And we made fair profits. Never excessive but enough to keep banks happy and allow us to invest in systems, good new people and growth.
Impressive; I could have no complaints. Except I did complain. All the time. I can't help the fact I want to change things every day. I may overdo it, but everything out there changes all the time. It you don't change too, you will get left behind. So in the face of my moaning, I got given my special areas where I could go away and do what I wanted to do.
One was shops where despite my two previous failures I would not give up trying to get it right. With the legendary John Knapp we began, very slowly, opening a new type of shop where everything was based around a big tasting table. After all, that's what wine is about; tasting something special.
We are still at it today and at our new Railway Arch by London Bridge - where we now have the world's longest tasting table - we are evolving something quite unique. I love doing unique.
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