This week Rach chats to Glynis Wright, Head of Practice for Glynis Wright & Co. Glynis is multi-award winning and her successes span both regional and national award categories. She shares her own personal experience as a candidate but also as a judge and sponsor – who better to give us tips about how we can all get ourselves award-ready?
Video Transcription
Good morning. Good Morning. I am a very happy Rach, an award-winning award writer with The Awards People because I have got one of Leicestershire’s finest on the Sofa of Success. In fact, she probably has her own Sofa of Success—you’ve probably got several Sofa of Successes, have you not, Glynis Wright?
GW: [Laughs] No. I couldn’t possibly compete with you, so the Sofa of Success is yours.
[Laughter]
RH: For now.
GW: But thank you for the fantastic introduction. Hello, everybody.
RH: Erm, please tell those—that one viewer who doesn’t know who the hell you are because I doubt there’s any more than one—give us your name, rank, and number. Let’s do a blatant plug for you and your business.
GW: Well, thank you very much.
RH: Yeah, go for it.
GW: Hello, everybody. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Glynis Wright, and I’m head of practice of a company called Glynis Wright and Co. And we are specialists divorce and family lawyers. We’re also mediators. So, if that one viewer out there who doesn’t know me is needing a divorce, you know where to come to.
[Laughter]
RH: Hell, yes. Sadly, I’ve had two divorces, and neither of them were looked after by Glynis, but I will have her on a retainer just in case, you know, that finger ever does the wrong thing and has a ring on it.
GW: Yep. Prenup.
RH: She’s my girl.
[Laughter]
RH: Or my lady. She’s my lady.
GW: Good to know.
RH: But, no, you’ve, you’ve got a fantastic practice, a fantastic career—
GW: Thank you.
RH: And it’s just growing and growing and growing. The stuff that you’re doing with the practice within, some might say, quite—
GW: [Crosstalk 01:38].
RH: – quite rigid boundaries of law, some might say—
GW: Yeah.
RH: – is, is, is cutting edge.
GW: Mm.
RH: And you probably won’t be surprised with my saying things like that to hear that Glynis is—Glynis and her company, one should say, er, is a multi-award winner, both, er, locally, regionally, and now nationally.
GW: Well, we’re finalists. Nationally, we’re down to eight firms for Law Firm of the Year in the National Law Society Excellence Awards which is amazing.
RH: My, god.
GW: We are popping 02:07. We’re going to Grove now—the Grosvenor Hotel in London in October.
RH: Ooh.
GW: So, I’m arranging for my staff to be chauffeur-driven down there.
RH: Ah, wonderful.
GW: My heart is beating with anticipation and excitement.
RH: Oh, my god. When is it? Beginning, end of October?
GW: Yeah, er, beginning of October. First week.
RH: I am gonna be—
GW: Yeah.
RH: – hanging on that social media feed, finding out where the hell, what’s happening, going on. That’s just—
GW: Amazing.
RH: I mean, it’s a big award. Let’s make no bones about it.
GW: Yeah. It is. Yeah.
RH: You’re up with some, I would imagine—
GW: Mm.
RH: – big names—
GW: Yep.
RH: – big reputations.
GW: Yep.
RH: There’s our Glynis. Come on. Come on, come on.
GW: Yes.
RH: So, er, Glynis in her own right as well, she won’t say because she’s modest, but is also award-winning. Er, the company is, er, obviously, she formed how many years ago now, Glynis?
GW: Er, seven.
RH: Seven.
GW: On the first of April. How about that? April Fool’s Day. You too?
RH: That’s when mine is. Yeah. Oh, yeah.
GW: Really just goes to show, although sometimes in business you do think, “I was a fool to do this.” Depends how the business is going. When it’s going well, you think, “This is the best thing in the world.” And then you have your days when you think, “Why? Why?” But no, it’s been amazing. It’s been a roller coaster. We’ve got exciting plans going forward. So, at the moment, the future’s bright.
RH: Fantastic. Glynis has also very much played her part in the awards scene locally, or have you gone any wider? Er, locally, regionally.
GW: Yeah, regionally.
RH: Re-, regionally—
GW: Regionally and locally, yeah.
RH: – erm, on sponsoring awards, and is also an awards judge.
GW: Yeah.
RH: And I sat on a panel with you, and you were fantastic in terms of chairing that panel.
GW: Oh, thank you.
RH: I really enjoyed that whole experience. You kept all the judges to order and made us concentrate on what was going on.
GW: [Laughs]
RH: And it was a difficult one.
GW: Typical lawyer.
RH: Well, I couldn’t possibly say, er, for legal reasons. Erm, but no, I was talking to some—
GW: I won’t sue you. She got me to sign a disclaimer.
RH: Oh, if only I’d been that clever. Erm, erm, and I was talking to somebody about that particular awards, er, judging session because we had the amazing Barrie Stephens bounce in, present, present, present—
GW: Oh, he was incredible.
RH: Yeah. And when he left—
GW: One of the best presentations I’ve ever seen.
RH: I said that. I said exactly the same thing.
GW: Yeah, he was amazing. Barrie, you were awesome. I told you afterwards. Incredible.
RH: Absolutely rocked.
GW: Mm.
RH: And you know what? I-, if I could’ve videoed that and used it when I’m coaching clients—
GW: Mm. Yeah.
RH: – [indiscernible 04:24]—helping them, training them to present—
GW: Mm. Because one of the things you’re looking for as a judge—
RH: – I’d be a rich woman.
GW: – is you are looking for proof. You’re looking for facts and figures. And so there’s a certain amount of due diligence to it which is important.
RH: Of course.
GW: You’ve got a fantastic nomination. It looks like this is a great company or a great individual. And you wanna be able to look at stats, turnover, things like that, and Barrie just had it all there, beautifully presented, dynamic, charismatic. He was the man. That’s why he won.
RH: But you reminded me, or us, as we sat at that table afterwards, when Barrie bounced out and we were, like [gasps], “Whirlwind.”
GW: It was a bit of a “whoa” moment, yeah.
RH: A whirlwind has hit us. I think it was, like, two or three seconds before anybody spoke, and you, you spoke and went, “Right. The next person who’s in, we need to still, judge them on their, er, presentation today—
GW: Yeah.
RH: – and on their awards entry.”
GW: Yeah.
RH: And it really reminded you because when you’ve been blown away by somebody’s presentation, you’ve got to then go, “Okay,” because the next person—and it’s not going to be a Barrie Stephens, potentially.
GW: Yeah. Yeah.
RH: It’s going to be Bob Smith.
GW: Yeah.
RH: And we’ve got to—
GW: But they may have different things to offer.
RH: Exactly.
GW: And not everybody is a fantastic presenter. And I think with awards—
RH: Yes.
GW: – that has to be borne in mind. You get lots—
RH: Right.
GW: – of different ways, potentially, in which your company or your team may be presented—on paper, in photographs, on stats, on figures, on achievements, on recommendations and testimonials from your clients, so it’s not just about individual charisma. It’s actually about the whole package, so people should not be deterred. Please don’t be deterred from going for awards because you think you’re not that charismatic, Barry Stephens-type person—
RH: They are rare.
GW: – because—well, they are rare, but there’s a lot more to it.
RH: That’s why he knocked the socks off of us, isn’t it?
GW: Yeah, exactly.
RH: Erm, but then I have, I have got some clients who are very modest, to the point of almost self-deprecation—
GW: Yes.
RH: – and—but they are still award winners because what comes across when they—either on their paper submission or if they sit in front of judges, is the fact they know their onions. They’re still passionate about their business—
GW: Exactly.
RH: – but it’s, it’s much—
GW: It shines through.
RH: – it’s much, er, quieter.
GW: Yes.
RH: It’s much more modest. It’s much—it-, it’s not pow.
GW: Yeah.
RH: But, they, they win because they, they still have a really good story to tell. It’s the telling of the story that’s the important thing, and it’s telling it in a way that’s authentic to you, I think.
GW: Exactly. And validating it.
RH: Yes.
GW: Validating it with facts—press cuttings, this is my turnover, these are my profits, those kind of things. Always about validation.
RH: Janine Edwards was sitting on the sofa earlier.
GW: Oh, yes? I know Janine.
RH: Yeah, and she was saying very similar.
GW: Ah.
RH: So, yeah. Erm—
GW: Smart lady.
RH: – a very, very smart cookie. Yes, I feel like I’m clinging on with my fingernails to this morning’s conversations.
[Laughter]
GW: You’re doing very well.
RH: Erm, one that I think—because, obviously, as we know, Janine sponsors and judges. You sponsor, judge, and enter and win.
GW: Mm. Hopefully not at the same time.
RH: Nope.
GW: That wouldn’t be very transparent.
RH: Nope. We’re all about transparency. But, there-, there’s a question that I can ask you that I couldn’t ask Janine because she, she—
GW: Mm.
RH: – chooses not to enter awards—
GW: Yeah.
RH: – for various different reasons—
GW: Mm-hmm.
RH: – that she went into in our little interview. What do you bring to the—either to the judging process or to the entering of awards from the other camps? So, as a—as somebody who’s filling in, or perhaps one of your team is, er, filling in the awards entries, do you bring your experiences as a judge? What would I be looking at if I was, erm, judging this? And, and—
GW: Mm.
RH: – on the other side, as a judge, what would I be thinking is—if I was, if I was—you know? Perhaps you can get behind those stories and those quieter personalities sometimes—
GW: Mm.
RH: – because you’ve also been an entry. How does one affect the other? Or does it?
GW: Well, it’s, it’s a very interesting question, actually, because it’s been quite an organic process for me because as a very young business, I think I was in my first two or third year, either the second or the third year, when, er, we took Law Firm of the Year 2015—
RH: Good Lord. That’s early.
GW: – in 2015 for the Leicestershire Law Society which was absolutely incredible because I think my firm was, er, there were about six employees at the time. We’re now 21—
RH: Blimey.
GW: – which was amazing. And that was exhilarating and incredible and such an affirmation that we were going in the right direction. Then after that, my next transition was as a judge for completely different set of awards, business awards. I was asked to be a judge, so there then took experience as a judge. And after that, I moved on to being a sponsor of awards. So, I’ve actually organically developed into the different roles.
RH: Right.
GW: So, I suppose inevitably you are going to bring something from one part of the process into the next.
RH: Mm.
GW: I mean, certainly I can say transitioning to a judge, knowing how much hard work goes into those types of nominations where somebody’s nominated you, but clearly you get a request from the company to say, right. You’ve been nominated. Tell us, yeah, about—
RH: Here’s the paperwork.
GW: – yeah, exactly. Tell us about the company. Share with us what you do. Where’s your testimonials? What are your figures, etc.? Erm, I would, therefore, look at those nominations that were submitted as a judge expecting detail, expecting clarity, expecting effort—
RH: Mm.
GW: – expecting people to be able to demonstrate and be transparent about their successes. It depends on the type of award it is, of course.
RH: Of course.
GW: Erm, so I suppose that would come from the effort that I, myself, have put in as an individual. And, of course, the effort that my team have put in because it’s definitely not about me. It’s about my team.
RH: Yeah.
GW: And the very best awards, everybody, are those that are about your firm or about your team. I, I wouldn’t have entered the ones about me individually because, actually, the ones that are really amazing are the ones where my entire team get celebrated. So, we were Team of the Year for the East Midlands Chambers of Commerce and the Women’s Awards.
RH: Yes.
GW: I think it was last October.
RH: Yes.
GW: And I cannot tell you the faces that I looked at around my table, my staff. I mean, they were jubilant. They were joyful.
RH: That’s brilliant.
GW: So, again, in terms of positivity about awards and why I think companies should go for awards is it’s not narcissistic. There is a marketing element to it, of course—
RH: Of course.
GW: – there’s a commercial aspect to it because it gives you credibility. It gives you prestige. And it’s fantastic as marketing opportunity, but look at what it does for your staff.
RH: And potential recruitments?
GW: Definitely. Of course. Definitely for recruitment, retention of staff, but also being able to look at your individual staff. If they’re fantastic at what they do, then maybe they can be nominated for an Employee of the Year award, or your team. What do they do collectively? What makes them shine? There’s nothing that says thank you to your team more than getting them up there on the stage and knowing that they’re valued and respected for what they do. It’s an incredible feeling. And as a boss, it just makes you feel amazing.
RH: And you know what? I’m kind of getting excited about it.
GW: Ooh.
RH: Erm, yeah.
GW: [Laughs]
RH: I have a virtual team, but I don’t have employees.
GW: Yeah.
RH: So, you know, it’s, it’s yeah. I’m kind of getting that buzz off of you.
GW: Ooh.
RH: Now, one thing that I find fascinating with your company and the, the awards you choose. Er, in fact, let’s ask you about how you choose awards, and, and I’m mindful of fact that you don’t just, erm, sponsor business awards. I don’t know if you sponsor any legal awards, but you don’t, it j—it’s not just business. You, you sponsor some very—
GW: – community-based things.
RH: Yeah, yeah.
GW: Absolutely.
RH: Would you talk a little bit about—
GW: Yeah, sure. I can tell you that, erm—
RH: Awesome.
GW: – probably one of the most heart-warming that I’ve sponsored for that purpose was the Heroes of Leicestershire Award. It’s part of the Leicester Mercury awards. And that was not last year but the year before. And I sponsored it because I’d been invited by the Leicester Mercury to sit on their Table of the Year before and participate, and it was about the people of Leicestershire. These were people who were humble. They don’t do awards. They did amazing things within their community for each other, brave or selfless. I mean, truly, and I’m sorry. This is gonna sound gushy, but when I went to that first awards ceremony with the Leicester Mercury, there were tears filling up my eyes because—
RH: Wow.
GW: – these stories were incredible.
RH: Yeah.
GW: And then I sponsored it the following year. And that felt equally incredible. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to sponsor it the following year. That was purely to do with other commitments that I had, but I fully intend to sponsor it again—
RH: Wow.
GW: – because there is nothing better than feeling like you’re putting something back for the community. And this was celebrating local people for amazing things they’ve done. So, that isn’t about, that isn’t about commerciality. That’s about saying that I as a business want to give back to my community and celebrate our culture, our community, and the amazing people who live in our community.
RH: Did I also see you on one of the social media feed—possibly Facebook, erm, something around the Leicestershire Curry Awards?
GW: Yes. Yes, I was a sponsor of the Curry Awards—
RH: Ah.
GW: – with Romail. Absolutely. Again, you see, that was a real feel-good factor.
RH: Your frock was amazing, can I say?
GW: [Laughs] Thank you very much.
RH: I know it’s all about frocks.
GW: [Laughs] It is about frocks.
RH: It is about frocks and shoes.
GW: And shoes. Definitely about the shoes.
RH: But, no. It was, it was lovely. So, again, kind of, what, what was driving your decision to sponsor that because you might go [crosstalk 13:29].
GW: Well, that’s down to the amazing Romail. It’s down to the amazing Romail because he approached me, and he was telling me about how important food, the curry industry is, in Leicester.
RH: Huge.
GW: I mean, we all love it.
RH: Oh, god.
GW: I absolutely adore a curry. It’s my favourite food.
RH: [Crosstalk 13:44] about it for a second.
GW: Yeah, curry. Wow. Absolutely.
RH: Yum.
GW: Yeah, it’s what I had on my birthday on Monday. What did I want? First choice, curry. And so he was talking to me about that and how amazing it is to celebrate. I mean, economically, the curry industry is very, very important in Leicester—
RH: Mm.—
GW: – but there are so many of our community out there—
RH: Yeah.
GW: – who are part of that. And often it’s family-run businesses.
RH: Yes.
GW: And again, he inspired me with that. And I loved it. It’s a celebration of the diversity that we have in our community, so I was really, really proud to sponsor that as a business. And yes, Romail. Come and talk to me again for next year.
RH: Ooh.
GW: I know he will be—
RH: [Laughs]
GW: – because it was an amazing night. We had an incredible time.
RH: It looked it.
GW: Very glittery.
RH: It looked it.
GW: Mm.
RH: I must say I looked at it and, er, you, you get invited to a lot of stuff, don’t you?
GW: Yeah.
RH: And perhaps even more so either when you’re doing what you’re doing but what I’m doing for, for, for—
GW: Yeah.
RH: – you know, as an awards writer.
GW: That’s why I need to lose weight. I eat too many nice meals.
RH: But, but, and you, kind of, go [blows air], but that one looked really nice. I thought, “Oh, damn. I need to go to that.” You know, it was that kind of—
GW: Yeah. Well, then you’re on my table for next year, so you just got yourself an invite.
RH: But it just, it just looked really—
GW: Yeah.
RH: – like you were saying, vibrant.
GW: Yeah.
RH: It looked awesome.
GW: Yeah. And it was, again, erm, when I watched it afterwards, and I watched the filming of the individuals who’d won—
RH: Yeah.
GW: – and what I loved about it is it was so often families going up on to that stage.
RH: I love it.
GW: Sometimes generations.
RH: Oh [crosstalk 15:10].
GW: And, and again, you know, it’s a joyous thing—
RH: Yeah.
GW: – to see people so, so happy to be recognised. And it’s great for them, isn’t it? It’s supporting our local business community—
RH: Yeah.
GW: – because they can use that to bring in more business for their restaurants. Amazing.
RH: But there’s a lot of people out there, Glynis, who wouldn’t say it. They’d go, “We are a law firm. Why are we sponsoring the Leicestershire Curry Awards?”
GW: Yeah, but I’m idiosyncratic. You know this.
RH: Well—
GW: [Laughs] It’s not—I don’t see my business as being a law firm alone. I see my business as being part Leicester community.
RH: And there’s the difference.
GW: We specialise in law, and maybe it’s because we’re family lawyers as well because that’s very much—it’s, erm, not like commercial law perhaps or, say, probate work. You know, with family work, you have to be aware of the dynamics—
RH: Yeah.
GW: – that’s going on in families during a break-up. I think a certain type of person is attracted to family law, very often quite warm individuals who really want to help and support in some way. And I guess when you run a business, you run that business in the character that you are. You can’t help it. What else will you do?
RH: Mm. Mm.
GW: Until I bring in other partners and directors which is possibly on the horizon—
RH: Ooh. You heard it here.
GW: – in terms of expansion, then they will obviously start influencing the company as well. It will take on a slightly different character. It needs to, but thus far it’s very much been a reflection of me. And I love these events.
RH: Mm.
GW: It’s, it’s about feeling good and warm and enjoying what you do. It’s not just about, you know, what is the commercial ROI I can get on this particular—
RH: Mm. Mm.
GW: – erm, sponsorship. It’s also about, “No. I wanna do this just because I wanna do it.” And that—
RH: Mm. So, it’s different buckets—
GW: Yeah.
RH: – but even sometimes it might not fit into any of those buckets. It’s just what feels right.
GW: Yeah. Well, you know some of the projects I’ve run.
RH: Mm.
GW: And they technically don’t have very much to do with lawyering. Some of the workshops that I run don’t have too much to do with lawyering, but it’s my way of giving back—
RH: Mm-hmm.
GW: – and getting involved in my community in a broad way.
RH: Mm-hmm.
GW: It’s just part of what we do.
RH: That’s awesome. It’s absolutely awesome.
GW: Thank you.
RH: So, what or, if any, can you share in terms of plans going forwards around, kind of, the awards piece—sponsoring, cha-ching, all that kind of sch-nagle 17:18. Obviously, you’re down in London for the biggies.
GW: Yeah.
RH: You’re very much involved. Headline sponsor for Niche?
GW: Yes. Yes. We’re headline sponsor for the Niche Business Awards.
RH: Sponsor, so you’ll have a table or twenty there?
GW: So, that’s September. It’s going to be very exciting as well.
RH: So, erm, can you divulge any other bits and bobs that you’re looking at at the moment, or is it a closely-guarded secret?
GW: Oh, I’ll tell you something about the Niche Awards because that’s another one which I’ve actually developed organically into because—
RH: Yeah.
GW: – we were, erm, winners—
RH: Yes.
GW: – one year. We won Team of the Year. Erm—
RH: And one other thing, was it not? You were definitely nominated. I remember because I, I think we might’ve been even in the same category for one of them.
GW: Were we competitors?
RH: I think we were.
GW: Ooh!
RH: I thought well, I’m not winning that–
[Laughter]
GW: No way. She probably won.
RH: – in that way that we all do. No, I didn’t.
GW: Oh, I probably didn’t either.
RH: I can’t remember, to be honest. But I remember going, “Put the smile on when you’ve not won,” as in Joey in Friends. Ah, that’s wonderful. Inside I was dying.
GW: [Laughs] Then after that, I went on to be a sponsor—
RH: Yeah.
GW: – and I was the sponsor of a small category. It was Rising Stars ’cause I wanted to—
RH: Oh, how lovely.
GW: – sponsor the category of young people with entrepreneurial spirit—
RH: Yeah, yeah.
GW: – which again, it’s a warm feeling, isn’t it?
RH: Yes.
GW: Then we went on to be sponsors of Businesswoman of the Year. Very close to my heart. Erm, as you know, I do a lot of work with Jenny on Inspirational Women in Business seminars—
RH: Yes.
GW: – supporting other women in business. And then I went on to be a judge and headline sponsor. So that is the classic example of how as a business you can work with amazing people like Jenny, for example, ’cause she’s been awesome—
RH: Oh, yeah.
GW: – in the way that she really knocked it out there with the Niche Business Awards. And she set up a business around the same time as me, so we’ve kind of followed each other’s paths to a certain extent. I’ve been very interested in her development as a business and vice versa.
RH: Yes.
GW: And it’s been awesome to work with her in lots and lots of different ways. So, we’ll see how the headline sponsorship goes at the event.
RH: Wow. And, er, you know, Jenny sat on the Sofa of Success. She was very kindly one of our first ones in. I know that your diary has been mental, and it’s taken us more than a few months to pin this lady down, but—
GW: Sorry.
RH: No. Not at all. They always say the best ones are worth waiting for. So, erm, you know, I—and I said to Jenny, you know, I think we’ve got to give her credit. She came into doing a business awards in Leicestershire—
GW: Never done it before.
RH: – never done it before, with a huge competition from the Leicester Mercury Business Awards.
GW: Yeah.
RH: So, I mean, it’s just gigantic-enormous [19:37]—
GW: Yeah.
RH: er, which I know is not a word but it, kind of, sums it up.
GW: It does indeed.
RH: Erm, and I was like [blows air], and she went, “You know. Well, I just felt like I wanted to do it, so I did it,” or words to that effect.
GW: Yeah. Yeah. And absolutely knocked it out there.
RH: And I remember saying—
GW: I think there were about 400 at her first event.
RH: I know.
GW: Incredible.
RH: Which is, you know, not—
GW: Mm.
RH: – an insignificant amount of people.
GW: Absolutely.
RH: And it’s just grown and grown and grown.
GW: Of course, the trouble for people who organise awards is they don’t usually get to win them, do they?
RH: No.
GW: Poor Jenny. I definitely think there should be award for people like her.
RH: She is in Forward Ladies. She’s a contender in Forward Ladies.
GW: Ah, excellent. Yes. Go for it, Jenny. You deserve it.
RH: So, yeah. Absolutely. She really does.
GW: Mm.
RH: You know, she really does.
GW: Mm-hmm.
RH: But, I, think it’s, it’s down to businesses because you were obviously an early adopter with her as well. It’s about down to business. It’s going, “Yeah, I’ll back that, that lady.” I’ll, I’ll—
GW: Yeah. I do think a lot of, a lot of, er, the business decisions that you can make when it comes down to where you might want to sponsor, what kind of marketing you want to do. I know this is slightly off the—
RH: No, no, no.
GW: – the subject of awards—
RH: Not at all.
GW: – but it about building relationships.
RH: Yes.
GW: You have to decide who you want to work with, whether they’ve got integrity, whether you trust them, whether they can perform well in a relationship with you, and I’m very loyal to those that I work with who I think have got integrity.
RH: Yeah.
GW: Erm, and that’s quite important to the success of a business. As I say, you shouldn’t run a business in isolation. You should always see yourself as part of the community and form those links with those around you who can really maximise—they maximise the impact of your own business with their own skills and expertise. You are a classic example, Rachel.
RH: [Indiscernible 21:09].
GW: I mean, that’s what you do, isn’t it? You help businesses to maximise their profiles. You are the expert in that.
RH: Oh, and it’s, it’s—I just love businesses growing in whatever form that looks like because, like you said, it’s not necessarily all about the turnover and people and all that kind of stuff. It’s—er, growth is in—is many and varied for different businesses—
GW: Mm.
RH: – but I love to see businesses grow. I love to see businesses celebrated. I love to see businesses succeed.
GW: Mm.
RH: I love to hear the new stories, to me new, that I haven’t heard before, and see the new faces, and hear the new names—
GW: Mm.
RH: – because we live in a really rich world.
GW: Mm.
RH: And sometimes people say to me, “It’s—oh, it’s always the same people that win the awards.”
GW: Yeah. Yeah.
RH: Well, you know what the answer is.
GW: Yeah.
RH: Get your award entry in there.
GW: You won’t win it if you’re not in it.
RH: Exactly. Give ’em a run for their money.
GW: Mm. And be brave. I think particularly with new businesses, be really brave. I was really brave because I can remember the very first time I’d even contemplated—
RH: Two- or three-years in.
GW: – it. Yeah. And you think, well. I haven’t got a cat in hell’s chance, but then, all of a sudden, you find you have because—actually be proud of yourself. It’s not about narcissism.
RH: No.
GW: When you set up a business, you create something out of nothing. It’s a source of huge pride to me that I’ve been able to create 21 jobs—
RH: Of course.
GW: -you know, within a 7-year period. You’re giving back in that way because there weren’t those jobs before.
RH: Mm.
GW: So, it’s a fantastic opportunity to feel proud. It’s not about narcissism, but it is about recognising that you may have something of value of in your business, and actually allowing your staff to feel proud to be part of that team and proud to part of what you’re trying to push forward in your business.
RH: We can sometimes suffer from that British hiding light under the bushel.
GW: Yes.
RH: What’s special about your or business? [Mumbles]
GW: I know. And, and I, although I do like the British for that.
RH: Well, I absolutely—
GW: And we queue so well when we’re abroad. [Laughs]
RH: Oh, absolutely. So, we have to [indiscernible 23:02].
GW: I’m not too good [indiscernible 23:03]. I just get in there now.
RH: Sharpen my elbows. I mean, life’s too short for queuing.
GW: Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
RH: But, erm, you know, I-, I’m not knocking it. I understand where it’s coming from but, but it’s, like, allow yourself to shine.
GW: Mm-hmm.
RH: You’re worth it. Do it.
GW: Well, the way to do that, because it’s very hard for us as individuals, and I struggle with it, but it’s easier if you’re doing for others.
RH: Yes.
GW: If you think about your team—
RH: Yeah.
GW: – if you think about your team, then it’s much easier because you will want to support them. You will want to give back to them, and that makes it very, very easy then to go forward with awards or whatever it happens to be. If you—if it’s all about you, then you probably wouldn’t do it.
RH: Mm.
GW: And the awards that you mentioned that were individual to me, that was actually something that I had nothing, you know, obviously it was a, a private nomination—
RH: No, you were nominated by—
GW: – which was absolutely wonderful.
RH: – which is lovely as well—
GW: Yeah.
RH: – because, erm, you know, Mark was saying that he was nominated by four other people for the category he chose to nominate himself for, or his business for, in the Niche Awards.
GW: Mm.
RH: And, you know, it’s—let’s not knock that. If somebody has taken the time, I don’t care how simple that online form is to nominate—
GW: Do it. It’s a wonderful.
RH: – somebody’s still taken that time to fill that in.
GW: It’s a wonderful comment on your company and you.
RH: That’s, that’s awesome. Yeah.
GW: I mean, the East Midlands Women’s Awards—
RH: Yes.
GW: – which I know you, Rachel, were very, very heavily involved in that. Sandra Pollock organised. You were a judge, I believe.
RH: I was the first year.
GW: And a sponsor.
RH: A sponsor this year.
GW: Again, incredible. I cannot—I mean, you saw my face—
RH: Yes.
GW: – when I won that award. That was an individual thing I didn’t know anything about it.
RH: And you won two there, did you not?
GW: Exactly.
RH: Well, that’s lovely.
GW: Absolutely incredible.
RH: You looked genuinely gobsmacked. That’s usin’ an East Midlands phrase.
GW: Sandra said it is the first time she’d ever known me not be able to think of anything to say which was true.
RH: There had to be one. There had to be one, Sandra.
[Laughter]
RH: No, but yeah, yeah. It’s, it’s true but, you know, it’s—
GW: Yeah.
RH: – it’s still lovely. And I fully appreciate and value what you’re saying in terms of that whole team piece, but I do also think there is a value to the figureheads, the founder, or whatever we wanted to call that, that leader person within a business also being recognised because without you having started the business up, there would be no business to be a contender in the national—
GW: True.
RH: – for a firm. So, you know, it’s—er, you know, this, this, this is your interview. I’m not gonna push it in a way that you’re not happy with, but I just wanted to reflect that because there is, you know, there’s—
GW: Mm.
RH: – and, and when you—if you are fortunate enough to hear some of Glynis’ back story, er, she has not been a lawyer, er, you know, younger woman, er, through. You actually came from a very different background.
GW: Yes, local government. Mm-hmm.
RH: Yeah. I mean, it couldn’t be much more different really. And I’m sure there are strands that would link across it. So, you know, to come from that background, put yourself through DMU, was it?
GW: Yeah. DMU.
RH: The law school there.
GW: Yeah. I did a conversion course from my first degree to law degree. Yeah.
RH: And then to do a bit of time in—
GW: I was 42. I know you don’t think I look that now [laughs], a bit of give-away on the age, isn’t it? [Laughs]
RH: But, you know, it’s—it, you know, you, you did a bit of time in a, er, er, er, another established practice and then set up on your own. I mean, it wasn’t—
GW: Yeah. I think I was three years qualified.
RH: Yeah, I mean, it’s not long, is it?
GW: Mm.
RH: And then you went [blows air] let’s do this. So—
GW: Yeah.
RH: You know, that history.
GW: Be brave, everybody. Take risks.
RH: Yeah. That history and that—
GW: Yeah.
RH: – that, kind of, where has Glynis come from piece is amazing. And—
GW: Thank you.
RH: – you know, and, and can be used. Like you say, it’s not about narcissism. It’s not about ego, but it can be used as an inspiration for other people—
GW: Exactly.
RH: – which is exactly what you do with Jenny and the Inspirational Women.
GW: Take other people with you.
RH: Yeah.
GW: Take other people with you.
RH: Yeah.
GW: Give them a helping hand. Show them that it can be done.
RH: Yeah.
GW: Teach them how to brave like you and to take the risk.
RH: Yeah.
GW: And I enjoy that.
RH: Yeah.
GW: And that’s another way of giving back.
RH: Yeah, ooh. It’s awesome. I’m getting all tingly.
GW: [Laughs]
RH: I’m feeling all tingly. Oh, right. Er, before we let you go—
GW: Yes.
RH: – because I know you on a, a, a timeline, and I have to ask everybody who sits on the Sofa of Success—
GW: Right.
RH: – the three—
GW: Three.
RH: – the three big questions.
GW: Ooh.
RH: Now, we have actually got [crosstalk 27:11].
GW: Live to the universe and everything?
RH: Forty-two.
GW: Exactly. [Indiscernible 27:15]. Yeah.
RH: Love it. Erm, now Janine and I have got a bet on one of the answers to the questions. It’s a stupid bet because, er, we know that we’re gonna win, but, erm, so the three questions are er, you are sitting with your team at a table—
GW: Yeah.
RH: – and you are award winners, or you’re award finalists.
GW: Mm.
RH: Somebody stands on the stage and says, “And the winner is Glynis Wright.”
GW: Yeah.
RH: Is it a bear hug or a high five?
GW: That I give to my team?
RH: That you give to your team.
GW: It’s a gigantic shriek and massive high five.
RH: Ah, wonderful.
GW: Was that the answer?
RH: Ooh! There’s no right or wrong answers? I listen just to hear what people say. Er, you go up on to the stage. Just yourself or the whole team?
GW: No, no. Whole team.
RH: No, I thought you’d say that from what you said earlier. But—
GW: It’s about the team. Whole team. If you scan the publicity photos, always whole team.
RH: Yep. Brilliant. Erm, and then—and this is the one that Janine and I have got a bet on—
GW: Yeah.
RH: I’m at the bar, and I go, “Glynis. What’re you drinking? Is it Champagne or Prosecco?
GW: Champagne. [Laughs]
RH: Yes. There you go.
GW: Preferably Bollinger.
RH: Ooh! She’s a Bolly.
GW: A Bolly.
RH: I’m a Veuve Clicquot lady, I’m afraid.
GW: I like Veuve. Well, actually, I’m not too fussy really.
RH: [Laughs]
GW: If it’s fizz, I’m happy.
RH: Just not the cheap stuff, friends, or you’re in trouble. Erm, yes. Janine and I were talking about these questions and when, when the camera finished there, we—I said, “Oh, I’ve got Glynis on.” And she said, “Well, you know it’s gonna be Champagne.” I went, “Of course.”
GW: [Laughs]
RH: If she says anything other than Champagne, I’m gonna to, “No, no. Cut, Dave.”
[Laughter]
GW: What’s wrong with you?
RH: What’s wrong. Where is Glynis, and what have you done with her?
GW: Definitely.
RH: Yes.
GW: Although as George from the Leicester Mercury knows, I also like Real Ale.
RH: Ooh.
GW: Mm.
RH: It’s nice.
GW: Yeah.
RH: Sandra Pollock’s a pint of Guinness.
GW: Is it?
RH: Yeah.
GW: Wow. I didn’t know that.
RH: Yeah. She says neither. She says it’s a pint of Guinness. I went. “Oh, that’s fair dos.”
GW: Wonderful.
RH: Jenny’s a Jägerbomber. No surprise.
GW: Of course. [Indiscernible 28:59]. Wasn’t that—it’s just so amazing, isn’t it? Have we stopped, the way?
RH: No, we haven’t.
GW: Oh, it’s still going. Oops. Sorry.
[Laughter]
RH: But no, that’s why I love asking the questions ’cause you-, you’ll get some people who go. “Ain’t Champagne.”
GW: But doesn’t the, doesn’t the drink of the individual match the personality?
RH: One person—
GW: Do you not think?
RH: Who did I? I can’t remember for the life of me who it was, but one person said, “Frankly, it’s whatever’s on my table.”
[Laughter]
GW: That’s just an alcoholic.
RH: That’s just a sweeper, isn’t it? Sweep. Sweep it up.
GW: Yeah.
RH: I love that. I just makes me smile. Thank you so much for coming in and [indiscernible 29:30].
GW: Oh, it’s been wonderful. It’s been wonderful.
RH: I’m so grateful for your time.
GW: You’re very welcome.
RH: Oh, I can’t wait. Can’t wait for October.
GW: Yeah.
RH: Good luck to you and the team.
GW: Thank you
RH: I know you’ll having a smashin’ bloomin’ time whatever happens—
GW: Oh, we will. We will.
RH: – but—
GW: Champagne.
RH: All the way. Bolly, baby. Right.
GW: Nice to meet you all.
RH: Thanks to Glynis. We will see you next week for more exciting happenings on the Sofa of Success.
[ENDS]