LDC Top 50 2024
Neil Richardson
Founder
Think Hire
Neil Richardson started Think Hire in 2018 in response to the mounting carbon crisis in the building and infrastructure sector. “I felt there was a huge opportunity – and responsibility – to make the industry more sustainable and fundamentally change the way businesses operate,” he says.
After 18 months of intense R&D, he launched the company’s flagship product, a hybrid solar power generator proven to halve CO2 emissions and reduce fuel costs by up to 80%. His business now employs 52 people and supports customers including Network Rail and Siemens. “Great products mean nothing without great people. I’m proud to employ a diverse workforce and encourage a culture of innovation.”
Great products mean nothing without great people. I’m proud to have built a diverse workforce spanning 12 ethnicities and created a culture of innovation.”
Q&A
Where does your entrepreneurial spirit come from?
When I was 16, I wanted to get a job rather than go to college so I walked around the local industrial estate handing out copies of my flimsy CV. A lifting-equipment company took a chance on me and offered me a business administrator apprenticeship. I loved the pace and dynamism of working with entrepreneurs in my early career and I think that’s what sparked the ambition to ultimately start something myself.
How do you motivate your team?
We offer everyone corporate-level benefits such as private healthcare, free gym membership, flexible working, counselling support and a learning and development budget. We’re a pet-friendly office too, so there are always dogs running around! Many of our long-standing employees are also shareholders in the business – watching them accrue personal wealth and experience gives me a real kick.
How do you encourage innovation within the business?
We tend to hire from outside the industry to bring in a rich mix of skill sets and viewpoints. Our employees come from sectors ranging from retail to robotics. We encourage regular job swaps within the business; the sales team recently went out with the truck drivers and I spent the week as an operational administrator. I want everyone to constantly challenge the way things are done. The most important question you can ask is: “what if…?”
