Gary Hickman

I was born and raised in Colchester. I grew up on a council estate, which was known as white City. I can remember in the early days after moving out of my parent’s house people talking about a terrible place in Colchester where they were all drug dealers.. they also told me in this place you couldn’t go out after dark just in case you got mugged or murdered. Desperate not to live in this place I asked where it was only to find out they were talking about the very place I grew up. This taught me a valuable lesson. Don’t believe everything you here and don’t judge people you have never met. Like most council kids who leave school I had an average education and no idea what I was going to do next. I worked in a pet shop for a while it was a fantastic first job. The owner of the shop used to fill a draw full of chocolate and gave me a space in his warehouse where I had a massive mirror so I could practice my body popping and break dancing skills. This was my first passion; I had the shell suites the tacky trainers and a determination to be good at something. This is where I developed my self worth, which gave me an inner confidence that I have come to realise makes me a very lucky person. I then was approaching 17 and I had a new goal, this was to get a car. I tried for a pay rise and when I got told no, I looked for another job and that’s when I joined Anglia Caravans. This set me on the path to my second passion, the psychology of selling. This job paid double the money of my old job and it was a great learning experience. One of My favorite memories is when the manager, Andrew would let me take the car across the yard and collect the trailer that contained the gas and bring it to the front. This is where I learn"t to reverse a trailer, a skill I would find invaluable many times in the future. One Day a Guy called John Gibbs came into the shop to buy some things for his caravan. When he got to the till he produced a gold credit card, in those days you had to be earning good money before you qualified for this special card and I laughingly said I would love one of those. Quick as a flash he produced a business card and said if your serious give me a call. This offer ended up in my joining Crittal Warmlife. a job that changed my outlook on life forever. I now had a driving licence and a new son called Darren so I needed more money and off I went. This wasn’t really a job as I became a commission only salesperson, selling double glazing. John Gibbs who became like a second Dad did everything he could to help me and with his and a guy called Ken Russell who worked for the Bypass Nursery helped my settle in to the career of selling. I did this for ten years and even though there was no set wage I always earned a good level of income. The most important lesson I learned was the ability to create an income from nothing this is like learning a trade, once you master this skill you can never be unemployed again. I still work in sales I now just have my own company and employ 10 people. I am lucky that I never wish for Friday and always love Monday. My work is now my hobby which also means I never have to work again.