How to make it: The value of ‘coachment’ Opinion This National Mentoring Day, every leader should remember that, in business, you can’t do it alone, says Richard Harpin You probably don’t realise it but today is one of the most important in the business calendar. At least it is for me. Because National Mentoring Day and what it represents can turn this country into [...]
How to make it: The best leaders micromanage Opinion It’s an unpopular opinion, but from Steve Jobs to Tufan Erginbilgic, the best leaders get involved in every aspect of their business, says Richard Harpin Every successful sports team has a manager constantly tweaking tiny details to get the upper hand. Michelin-starred chefs are lauded because they inspect every dish that comes out of the [...]
How to make it: be ready to replace your CEO Opinion If there’s one inevitable in business aside from death and taxes it’s that the CEO will always leave, so succession planning is essential. But why hire an expensive headhunter when the right person could already be in your boardroom? Asks Richard Harpin As the new football season nears kick-off, I’ve been pondering that famous old [...]
These three things make a great entrepreneur July 3, 2025 Richard Harpin created and sold a £4bn business – now he wants to help others do the same Like Sophi Horne, I wanted to be running businesses even before I left school. You may not be familiar with Sophi’s name but, if you’re lucky, you might be enviously staring at one of her super-sleek yachts [...]
HomeServe: Checkatrade owner in the red despite sales passing £1bn June 23, 2025 HomeServe, the domestic repair and emergency services giant, fell into the red despite its sales surging to more than £1bn last year, it has been revealed. The Walsall-headquartered business has posted a revenue of £1.1bn for 2024 while it reported a pre-tax loss of £31.7m. The figures compare to the revenue of £774m and pre-tax [...]
Government to fully fund apprenticeships for small firms, Rishi Sunak to announce March 18, 2024 The government will fully fund apprenticeships for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with a £60m investment in up to 20,000 training places, Rishi Sunak will announce.
HomeServe founder pours £110m in crusade to revive flailing British high street August 20, 2023 HomeServe founder Richard Harpin is injecting £110m of his own cash into medium-sized businesses, aiming to breathe life back into the UK’s beleaguered high streets. After cashing in on the sale of insurance company HomeServe to Brookfield last year for a cool £4.1bn, the home repairs mogul Harpin said he is trying to “help others [...]
£4bn takeover of HomeServe set for early 2023 as profit rises for repairs firm November 22, 2022 A £4.1bn takeover of repairs firm HomeServe by a Canadian suitor is on track to be completed by early 2023 at the latest. The pipe-fixing company has been snapped up by Bidco, a subsidiary of Canadian company Brookfield Infrastructure funds. HomeServe said all necessary regulatory and competition approvals have now been obtained in the UK [...]
HomeServe agrees to £4bn acquisition with founding chief exec and his wife netting £495m May 19, 2022 London-listed firm HomeServe has agreed to a £4bn acquisition, with its founder and his wife picking up a cool half-a-billion. The pipe-fixing company has been bought out by Bidco, a subsidiary of Canadian company Brookfield Infrastructure funds. As part of the agreement, each shareholder is entitled to 1,200 pence per share, with founder Richard Harpin’s [...]
HomeServe accelerates performance amid Covid-19 headwinds April 5, 2022 Home repairs giant HomeServe has accelerated its performance despite Covid-19 headwinds. In the year ended 31 March, overall customer satisfaction and global policy retention went up in line with expectations, from 83 per cent last year to 84. In North America, despite the pandemic’s impact, policy retention remained high, at 85 per cent, while partner [...]