Why I Founded The Ogilvie Business School
Business is Learned by Building Businesses
There has never been more information available about business than there is today.
Thousands of books.
Millions of YouTube videos.
Countless online courses.
Business degrees, MBAs and professional qualifications.
Yet many people still finish their education unsure how to start a business, grow one, or make commercial decisions with confidence.
That's because business is ultimately a practical discipline.
You learn leadership by leading.
You learn sales by speaking to customers.
You learn financial consequences by making commercial decisions.
You learn entrepreneurship by building something that people genuinely value.
That simple belief is why I founded The Ogilvie Business School.
Experience Before Theory
Throughout my career, I have worked with organisations ranging from small, unique start-up businesses to large, established multinational groups.
I've worked in finance, strategy, sales, acquisitions, restructuring, business turnaround and leadership, often helping organisations navigate significant commercial challenges.
One thing became increasingly clear. The people who made the best decisions weren't always the people with the most qualifications. They were the people who understood how businesses actually worked. They understood customers, cash flow, people, operations and commercial reality.
Those lessons don't come from a textbook alone. They come from experience.
Practical Education for the Real World
Everything we teach at The Ogilvie Business School has one purpose: helping people become more commercially capable.
Whether you're an artist building your first creative business, a manager learning finance, or an executive leading organisational change, our programmes focus on applying knowledge immediately.
That means practical workshops. Real business examples. Discussions based on genuine experience. Tools you can use the very next day.
Business education should change the way you think.
Building Businesses, Not Just Qualifications
Our professional qualifications have been designed differently. The aim isn't simply to complete assignments. The aim is to leave with something tangible.
Our Professional Qualification in the Business of Art has been designed so that participants build their own business as they progress through the programme.
By the time they graduate, they haven't simply learned about business. They've started one.
The same philosophy runs throughout our executive education programmes.
Every session is designed to help leaders return to work with practical ideas they can immediately implement.
Learning From People Who Have Done It
One of the founding principles of Ogilvie Business School is that education should be delivered by people with real-world experience. Business changes constantly. Markets evolve. Technology moves quickly. Leadership challenges are rarely identical.
That is why practical experience matters.
Our ambition is to bring together experienced entrepreneurs, executives and specialists who have built businesses, led teams, solved difficult problems and created meaningful results.
Looking Ahead
The Ogilvie Business School is only just beginning.
Our initial programmes focus on executive education, with niche topics particularly focused on various aspects of business finance and leadership, plus two specialist professional qualifications, and an entrepreneurial undergraduate programme commencing September 2027.
As we grow, our commitment will remain the same.
To provide practical, experience-led education that develops confident leaders, capable professionals and successful entrepreneurs.
Because I believe business isn't something you can simply study. It's something you build.
