Mark Barrett.
Founding Director and Business Strategist.
Having qualified in 1984, Mark’s first directorship came when he was 27 and by just 29 he was finance director of a PLC and had a floatation on the third market of the Stock Exchange. He subsequently held a number of financial directorships across a range of sectors before founding RiverView Portfolio.
Mark’s passion is helping our Clients develop and realise their strategic plans, drawing on his experience to support their growth and to manage risks. In addition, he’s our lead property tax specialist – a commercial and residential landlord himself, Mark really walks the talk.
When not working you will find Mark enjoying his time in good restaurants and improving on his newly found golf hobby.
What’s a quote that gives good life advice? “Give up, give in, or give it all you’ve got.” I know very well what choice I’ve have and always will make!
Give an example of a business challenge you’ve faced? Like many others, Black Monday in 1987 saw the stock market wealth I had built wiped out. It only took me a few days before I refocussed and formed my own practice. Having seen what can happen to wealth if left to the stock market, I was careful to diversify and so began my journey into property investment.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? I follow sports including football and golf and particularly enjoy classical music.
What do you enjoy most about your work? At 42 I tried semi-retirement, but I’ve got to tell you that retirement is overrated; I lasted six weeks before I was back in the driving seat of my business – I think that tells you everything! It’s great fun to work with new entrepreneurs and use my experience, skill and knowledge to help them achieve their objectives. It’s this focus on helping businesses perform and solve their problems, rather than just being number crunchers, that drives me and everyone else at RiverView Portfolio.
What’s a good bit of business advice you can share? Having a strong network is essential, and I believe in the “farmer approach” to networking – that the best approach is develop and nurture relationships rather than coming at it from the perspective of what you can get for yourself. This is generally a good rule for life, I find: it’s so important to give back.