Author: Martin Port

When I was a kid, building my first business selling artisanal bread, I met someone who made a great impression on me.

Back then, I was on the Government Youth Opportunity Scheme, which gave young people £80 a week to put towards setting up a business or learning a trade. I was exhibiting at one of the events organised by the scheme, and all my bread was on display.

This man, was involved with the scheme, came up to my stand and said: “What you need is to find someone who can varnish your bread for you. That will really make it glow. I know someone who can help.”

I didn’t know it at the time, but the man’s name was Arnold Ziff OBE, and he was the boss of a £100m property company called Town Centre Securities. Yet, off he went, this millionaire entrepreneur, and two hours later he returned with a piece of paper. “Give this guy a call,” he said. “He can help varnish your bread for you.”

Arnold Ziff MHDSRIP, who passed away in 2004, was an incredibly successful businessman but that’s not what he is remembered for. He was a renowned philanthropist, who gave away much of his fortune – mainly to projects and good causes around Leeds. And he wasn’t flashy about his charitable work; he did most of it under the radar, helping anyone who needed it – even me.

Last week, I was lucky enough to receive an award from the Institute of Directors (IoD). Not being big headed but I’ve won a lot of awards over the years. This one was different: it was for corporate social responsibility (CSR). It felt like my greatest ever accomplishment.

Charitable work is so important to me. At BigChange, we currently support 18 different charities, across mental health, cancer, education, and careers. These are all causes that are close to my heart.
There are many reasons that I love to help charities and support my local community. It starts with my faith, which is all about sharing and giving. We call it “Tzedakah” in Hebrew and it underpins my whole view of the world.

All my colleagues at BigChange get it. I’ve been so touched by people’s generosity and commitment to our charitable causes over the years. It creates such positivity within our organisation.

Ultimately, when BigChange reaches a certain size, I would love to be able to spend more time working in charitable organisations. Not sitting on committees or joining boards – that doesn’t work for me – but driving real change. I’d like to run projects and deliver on goals, and help charities cut costs and be more effective.

Some time ago I did some work with Age UK, which receives a lot of donations from supporters in the form of bags of unwanted goods and clothes. But when they were taking these donations, they weren’t asking for names and addresses, which meant they couldn’t claim Gift Aid (which allows charities to claim 20pc extra back from the government). We advised them to change their policy, and now the charity makes an extra £2m a year through Gift Aid.

I’d love to do more projects like that, and I hope that other company bosses follow suit and turn their entrepreneurial talents to the third sector.

It brings me great joy to have built a profitable company that can give back, and to have become an entrepreneur with the skills to help charities build better organisations. I hope that Arnold Ziff OBE MHDSRIP would be proud, and I hope that, one day, I too will be remembered. Not for how much money I made, but for helping others.

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

I got into the show for the first time last year. My wife started watching it, so I was hooked. It’s overtaken Coronation Street and EastEnders as the top show watched in my house.

I just love the concept. It’s so light-hearted and upbeat. There’s no violence or real despair. Between Love Island and the World Cup, I genuinely feel like people across the whole country are waking up looking forward to the day. They feel the future is full of promise and entertainment.

I don’t have time for the people who say Love Island is “low brow” or un-PC, but then my kids are all over-18 so I don’t have to worry that they’ll be too influenced by the show. My sons watch it with me but my daughter isn’t such a big fan. I think it’s strange for her to see her dad watching girls in bikinis on TV – even though my wife is just as addicted!

This year’s hopefuls are an interesting bunch. The girls strike me as really vulnerable. There are often tears and outbursts. They seem so young. The boys, however, unless they truly have feelings for their partner, seem better suited to the villa environment.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been watching the personalities develop on screen. We employ a lot of young people at BigChange, so I have been trying to work out which contestant – if anyone! – I would hire off Love Island. And who I would avoid like the plague. I’d like to know what you think of my choices.

I’ve decided that out of all the hopefuls, I would definitely hire Samira. When I listen to her speak, she sounds so well-reasoned and sensible. That’s probably why she hasn’t been getting off with anyone; she thinks before she acts. She seems a more “together” person than many of the others in there.

I could definitely imagine her working at BigChange, either in sales or project management. I think she would be able to understand and communicate even complex technical products. I’m a big fan of Dani too, but she’s a bit too happy-go-lucky. Her head seems in the clouds.

As for who I’d kick out of a job interview, it’s got to be Josh. He has no restraint. He’s just like a puppy, always after the new toy. I’m also not a big fan of Dr Alex. Don’t judge me but I think he’s a bit of a wimp. I’d hate to turn up in A&E and get patched up by him. He’s probably a nice guy but seems so naïve.

As for Muggy Megan, she is getting a hard time from the public. I wouldn’t hire her because she’s a bit too much like Josh – easily distracted. But I do worry about what will happen to her when she leaves the show. I think she will be completely unprepared for what’s awaiting her on the outside. I hope she has people she can rely on to shield her from the worst of it

I wonder how much of the show is manufactured and how much is genuine. Alex Epstein, who was on The Apprentice, has worked at BigChange so I know from him that things aren’t always as they seem in reality TV. It’s easy to get stitched up in the edit.

Whatever you make of the show, you can’t deny that it has become an economic juggernaut. Online clothing brands are making a fortune from being associated with the show. Companies are vying for product placement on the programme. It has created its own fashion economy.

Can you believe that 3.4m people watch the show? I love that everyone, young and old, rich and poor, from every walk of life, seems to be into it. I was at the Dorchester at an awards ceremony last week and heard Andrew Marr talking about it. I bet that they’re chatting about it at Chequers. Theresa May will be arguing with Boris Johnson over their favourites, and Philip Hammond and Michael Gove will be butting in with their tuppence worth…

Ultimately, I think we all know who’s going to win this year. It’s got to be Jack and Dani. But don’t worry, Samira. If you miss out on the £50,000, there’s a job waiting for you here at BigChange!

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

You sacrifice a lot when you decide to build a start-up. Money. Time. Sleep.

Over the last few years, it has been a relief to see more coverage of the mental and physical toll that creating a business can take on you. It feels like a stigma is being slowly eroded, and entrepreneurs are more able to discuss issues such as loneliness, anxiety, and depression.

In some ways, I’ve been incredibly lucky. I’ve built several businesses over the years, and managed to hold on to my sanity and good humour throughout. But I do have one vice. One that poses a real risk to my health.

When I’m under pressure, I eat.

The first five years of building BigChange were a total rollercoaster. First I had the idea, started raising capital, and built a business. Pretty soon, I started running out of cash, which meant I had to go out and raise more money, all the while accelerating sales to stay afloat.

During that crazy period, there were times when I was unsure how I would make payroll. We’d buy in new hardware, and it wouldn’t be quite right. And despite all these problems, I had to maintain my energy levels. I worked hard and stayed late at the office.

I started over-eating to cope. It creeps up on you. First, you eat to stay awake. Then, as you get more tired, you feel hungrier. Over the last five years, I’ve put on four stone.

Carrying around all that extra weight is horrible. You feel uncomfortable. When you wake up in the mornings, you’re sluggish: you don’t feel ready for the day. I developed mild sleep apnoea, which can affect people who are overweight. This means that while sleeping, your breathing becomes irregular and your brain can be starved of oxygen. This, of course, made me feel even more tired, and my concentration was affected.

“Go on a diet!” It sounds obvious, doesn’t it? Every day, you plan to start eating more healthily but then an issue arises, and you order two main courses at dinner. Or you take a prospect out for lunch, and eat the whole breadbasket. I just love bread.

When my blood pressure started to rise, my wife and children had enough. They were on at me constantly to sort out my weight. I felt like Aunt Marge, the woman who Harry Potter accidentally inflates in The Prisoner of Azkaban. I was ready to float away.

Then, at the end of December last year, I finally decided to start my regime. I set myself the challenge to lose 60lbs in six months. I started a JustGiving page and pledged to donate £60 for every pound lost to Cancer Research. Other people started sponsoring me too. Every donation helped to focus my mind on my goal – I didn’t want to let anyone down.

Right now. I’ve lost over 30lbs and raised £2,813 plus gift aid for charity. I’m delighted to say I’ve lost 4 inches off my waist. I’ve also got bags more energy and feel great.

It’s going to take me much longer than six months to hit my goal but I hope I’ll be my target weight by the end of this year.

I lost the weight by using a meal-tracking app called MyFitnessPal. I promise I’m not being paid to say this, but it has transformed my life. My daughter told me about it, and it’s helped me stick to my target of no more than 1,500 calories a day. Friday nights are hardest because we keep the Sabbath and have a big dinner. I break bread but skip the roast potatoes – and only fresh fruit for dessert!

Every start-up founder ends up punishing themselves in some way. Some smoke, some drink too much. I’m grateful I’ve never drunk alcohol – although I’m partial to the occasional cigar. Eating became an addiction for me, and I’m so proud that I’ve regained control. I hope this post is helpful to other over-eaters, who use food to deal with stress. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

If anyone fancies sponsoring me, as I continue to shed the pounds… it’s for a good cause. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/martin-port

I’ll keep you updated.

Sharing this post is another way of holding me to my promise.

Thanks for reading, and take care.

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

When I was 11 years old, my brother and I went for a hearing test at school. We got the results a few weeks later: my brother had failed the test.

He was asked to go back and take it again. But when he had his hearing checked the second time, he passed with no problems. It was only a long time later that I realised what must have happened. My brother is only a year younger than me, and our results had been mixed up; it was I who had failed that hearing test. Looking back, it’s not surprising that I always struggled in school. I found it really hard to concentrate in classes, and was always fiddling with my pen or distracted. I couldn’t hear what the teachers were saying but even I didn’t realise there was a problem. I just thought that it was normal to go into a sort of trance during lessons. Teachers were frustrated with me. They thought I couldn’t be bothered to try. At home, no one realised I was losing my hearing. My parents were often away and I was brought up by my grandparents. The one clue was that I used to listen to my music really loud. I had two massive speakers above my head, and another two on the sideboard, blaring out Michael Jackson or 10cc, or Earth, Wind & Fire. The noise used to drive my mum wild but it’s hardly unusual for a teenager to like loud music. It was only when I got married that I realised there was an issue. My wife saw that I was mishearing words or completely blanking out whole conversations. That’s when I finally went to see an ear, nose and throat specialist. I found out that I had lost 70% of my hearing, and would need to wear hearing aids. In some ways, it was a relief to know that I was hearing impaired because suddenly so many things began to make sense. I never felt sorry for myself – there are people much worse off than me. On the contrary, it made me even more determined to succeed. People are like cars – some can run forever, without breaking down once. Others need servicing all the time, and that’s me. I started working out ways to cope. In the workplace, it was always hard for me to focus. I found meetings especially hard. My wife advised me to start carrying a notebook and pen, and that revolutionised my work life. It forced me to keep my attention on what was being said – and to check if I hadn’t heard or understood anything. Even now, in this age of smartphone, you won’t catch me in a meeting without my trusty pad and pen. And I always take someone I trust in to meetings with me – usually Andrew, my managing director, who is a very good listener. It’s helpful to have another pair of ears in the room to catch anything I miss. I wear hearing aids., which comes with a unique set of challenges. There is a slight delay between words being spoken and reaching my ears. I also speak much more softly, because my own voice sounds loudest in my head. Travel is a nightmare because I can’t hear announcements. These challenges are frustrating but I have learned to deal with them. I don’t make a big point of telling people that I am hearing impaired. I just get on with it. If I miss something or someone is speaking quietly, I will say that I have a hearing problem and wear hearing aids. It means that if I need to ask them to repeat something, they know why. Most people start speaking a bit louder too, which is great. Except that the extra volume usually lasts for about two minutes and then they forget. Over time, my hearing has worsened but I’ve been very lucky – technology has come on leaps and bounds. I have 80pc hearing loss now but I wear Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids that are connected to a microphone hidden behind my tie. It means I can hear myself when I talk. It also means I can take phone calls direct to my hearing aid. People stop and stare when I do it, because they can’t see who I am talking to and think I’ve gone mad, which I rather enjoy… In business – and in life – I’ve always been very solution-orientated. If there’s a problem, I want to find a way to solve it. I tackled my hearing in the same way. My hearing problem has also made me very aware and accepting of other disabilities. We need to do more for people who are struggling with something they cannot control, whether it is a physical or learning disability. This is a cause that is close to my heart – I hope to talk more about this in a later post. For now, I’ll just say that any disability opens your mind to the world in ways that most people don’t see. As an entrepreneur there are many mountains to climb. My hearing loss was just another mountain, so I climbed it. My next mountain? Learning to lip-read.

Wish me luck.

All the best Martin

Martin Port
Founder & CEO