About Me
Hi – My name is Hugh Barker – Welcome to The Social Edge!
I’m a successful entrepreneur – although it’s going to be a few years before Elon Musk or Bill Gates are worrying about my presence.
I have an amazing life, I really do! I live with my wife – best friend and soulmate – on the edge of a beautiful national park. I volunteer part time on a heritage railway which runs through incredible scenery, where I get to help deliver conservation programmes and rub shoulders with steam engines (it’s a guy thing). I have two fabulous daughters who never cease to amaze and delight me with their drive, focus and achievements.
My Story
Me? I never did take to academia. Dad wanted me to be an accountant but unfortunately – math was a complete mystery to me so that never happened. I had zero confidence. I hated social situations and would gaze at the floor and mumble when someone asked me a question.
I was packed off to a boarding school aged 12. It’s pretty brutal and I quickly realised that the only way to survive was to make as many friends as possible in as many different peer groups as possible – or life would be very unpleasant!
That expensive education was a waste of money academically. It taught me a useful lesson on creating and managing relationships though.
After school I worked as a barman, builders labourer, DJ, tyre fitter and software developer in a financial institution. It’s a common misconception that software development is all about math – fortunately for me it isn’t. But it is soooo dull. I wasn’t good at writing software.
What I was good at was developing friendly, useful working relationships with key people in different departments where we were able to sit down, figure out the problems and design well thought out solutions.
I suddenly understood that – the ability to form and maintain relationships – was a really important skill.
I jumped into an innovative programme being run by a local university – all about transferring technology from the US and establishing it in Europe. I hooked up with a US software house and introduced their technology to a very high profile brand name operating in France – it was a big deal at the time. The guys in the US then decided to deal directly with Europe and bought me out.
In a short period of time I had overcome some major cultural barriers and formed trusted commercial relationships with people on two continents.
I was pleased and excited by the process.
In 2009 I decided to start my own software business. I’d spotted a niche and thought I saw a profitable opportunity.
I had talks with potential customers, raised money, employed developers and gradually the business grew. We won and delivered complex projects around the world. It was an exhilarating, fascinating time.
In 2017 I sold that business to a competitor.
Since then I have become a real estate investor and have built up and run a mixed commercial and residential portfolio.
Ultimately the one thing that has glued all of this together has been my ability to create, nurture and strengthen relationships with many different groups of people – family, lenders, customers, employees, suppliers, tenants, neighbours – every moment of our lives is affected for good or for bad – by the relationships we create with those around us.
I’m looking forward to helping you become the best version of yourself.
Speak soon!
Hugh Barker.