Weds 12th March 2025
A long career in international finance has been underpinned by Graham’s generosity in sharing his wealth of knowledge. Being prepared to offer help with no string attached has opened many doors and fostered numerous working relationships.
To illustrate this he recounted a time after Brexit when a client wanted to export goods to the Republic of Ireland and was unsure how to pay the VAT, as the rate is 23% in Ireland but 20% here. Graham’s freely offered advice was to send the goods duty unpaid, avoiding the issue. As a result of this advice, the client utilised Graham’s services to deliver paid training courses.
This has been a strategy of Graham’s for many years, and he has found it to be a very good way to build trust, leading to ongoing work both before and after the Brexit vote.
Covid was another situation that disrupted business for Graham, particularly as he often carries out face-to-face meetings and training courses. A period of not being able to work was alleviated when the Kent & Medway Growth Hub asked him to deliver some import/export training. An initial contact for 6 months ended up lasting for 2.5 years. All because Graham was known to the K&MGW because of his strategy of being generous with his knowledge.