Charles Skinner: ON Humility, Failure, Resilience and Reinvention

This week on The Merri-Cast, I’m delighted to be joined by Charles Skinner – CEO of Restore plc.

I first met Charles 30 years ago and I have a lot to thank him for. He was the man who gave me my first job in journalism at Management Today magazine. 

Charles’s own career and entrepreneur journey is as fascinating as it is varied. From an early career in investment banking and private equity, then magazine editor, then CEO of several quoted companies before returning to Restore as CEO in the last few years. 

In this episode, he discusses the zigzags of his entrepreneurial life, the lessons learned when things go wrong and his very candid book - ‘Buy, Run, Build: A Guide to Entrepreneurship through Acquisition’ which is as humble, self-deprecating and funny as Charles is himself. 

Key takeaways include:
• Failure teaches us far more than success. 
• The importance of people-first leadership.
• How acquisitions can work for both small and large organisations.
• Don’t just rely on your advisors, do your own due diligence too.
• Why you must focus on secure revenues first – stability before scale. 

This is a reflective and very human conversation about entrepreneurship, growth and humility in business.

Charles Skinner:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/charles-skinner-43833a1b6
New Book: Buy, Run, Build - A guide to entrepreneurship through acquisition
Restore Plc: https://www.restoreplc.com/

Trevor:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn: https://merriborn.co.uk/
Email: trevor.merriden@merribornmedia.co.uk