Wednesday 6 May 2015 Leeds Grammar School old boy Jonathan Straight (OL83) adheres to his own ten commandments in business, and No 5 comes to him readily – ‘be memorable.’ From changing his name to make national headlines on the front page of The Sun to his penchant for quirky spectacles, Jonathan knows how to leave a lasting impression. On a recent return to school, he delivered a business presentation to remember as he told The Straight Story to members of GSAL’s Business Networking Group. Jonathan’s story covered his first foray into business running the school tuck shop to building up his own company Straight plc, specialising in recycling containers for domestic and industrial use. The company started in 1993 with “me, a desk and a telephone”, and was floated on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market in 2003. The narrative was interspersed with Jonathan’s ten commandments for business – from No 1 ‘set clear goals’ up to No 10 ‘lead by example’. Jonathan sold the company last year, feeling that the time was right after 21 years, and added an eleventh commandment – ‘know the exit!’ Asked whether he would do it all again, Jonathan said: “Never say never, but I’m having fun at the moment doing what I would like to do.” This brings us back to No 8 ‘keep reinventing’ – and Jonathan has a number of new projects on the go, including working with charities, social enterprises and fledgling businesses, and pursuing his interest in environmental matters and new healthy foodstuffs. The GSAL Business Networking Group provides a forum for parents and others associated with the school to meet termly and hear a guest speaker, to share the latest ideas and advice on issues important to anyone in business. To join the group search for ‘GSAL Business Networking Group’ at http://www.linkedin.com/ Alumni News
