In this Q&A we hope to get an indication of the man behind the wheel!

Q1: Hi Gary, firstly, what inspired you to start Now Careers?

It was about survival in the beginning, that’s what inspired me to start it back in the day. It wasn’t to create a business, company or vision. It was about creating my own job.

Q2: Who would you cite as your main inspirations?

They change from time to time. I would have to say Lewis Hamilton & Alan Sugar.

Sugar inspires me because of his passion and not taking any bulls**t with his no-nonsense approach to business and on a sporting side, Hamilton because of his attitude and passion to win.

Q3: What advice do you have for people who want to start their own businesses today?

My advice is: be clear about what you want to get out of it in the end. Don’t just focus on the service and product you want to promote, but also what you personally want from it? Make sure you have the right plan and advice. If it’s for lifestyle, be clear that that’s what it’s going to be and what you want it to be, for you, personally.

Q4: Away from work, we know you enjoy car racing and you are currently participating in the Ferrari UK Challenge series, how and when did this passion start for you?

As a little boy! I always played with cars and had a passion for cars. I had a satchel full of them that I then passed onto my son, goodness knows where they are now! More recently my interest in cars has gotten more in-depth.

In car racing, I can push the limits and boundaries and improve my skills. There’s a massive correlation between sport and business. You can use data on the track to make gains, like in business, where you can use data to do the same. The correlation just works really well for me.

Q5: You have travelled quite a bit over the years, what were some of your favourite places to visit and why?

Tenerife, because I have a home there. I’ve been to some glamorous islands like the Maldives and highlands, it’s beautiful. But Tenerife is my sanctuary, it’s a place where I can relax and chill.

Q6: Away from the hustle and bustle of work, what do you do to unwind?

Get drunk? Haha no, I enjoy watching F1 and I love getting engrossed into a movie. Top Gun is one of my favourites, I went to the cinema to see it 8 times!

Q7: You seem like quite the tattoo enthusiast, what was your first tattoo and what is your favourite?

My first tattoo was an English rose on my right arm which was £14, I was 16 years of age. I jumped on my Vespa and drove to a tattoo parlour on a Sunday afternoon. My favourite tattoo though is on my chest. It’s of a lion with the words “Turning my heartbeat up” which reflects the heart condition that I have. I shouldn’t really be doing what I’m doing, but here I am.

Q8: Who were your favourite bands/musicians growing up?

The Jam, The Who. I actually met Roger Daltrey in a Manchester hotel. He was literally having breakfast in front of me and I just said “Hi”. Later on, we saw this crowd of people, I thought “What’s going on here?” Turns out it was the support band for The Who! I spoke to Roger’s Manager and later spoke to him over email – he thanked me and gave me free tickets to see The Who – we were two rows from the front!

Q9: What are you currently listening to, and do you have any guilty pleasures?

I have mainly been listening to a lot of Northern Soul.

As for guilty pleasures, I’ll have to say, Elton John, George Michael, and Queen!

Q10: Would you be able to tell us something about yourself that we might not know?

Now, I probably come across as quite clean-cut and well dressed, as a child who had been educated. You might not know that I was asked to leave school after being a troublesome child! I thought school was a place for mischief and to see how much trouble I could cause in the day. I left without passing any exams. I didn’t understand why I was doing it that’s the problem, but I understand the importance of school now. This correlates with business, the more we understand in business the better. I’ve had to educate myself through different forms to get to where I am now.

Q11: Any exciting plans for the future?

To grow. Grow the business, grow the people. Develop myself. Develop our business into something that’s different, not the norm. Some businesses stay the same over a long period of time. We recognise that people are key to any organisation. My plans for the future is to be working with people at all levels, so the people are operating the business.