Nobody tells you that confidence is not something you start with as a founder.
It is something you build by backing yourself when there is no proof yet that you are right.
For me, confidence was never about bravado. It came from experience, pattern recognition and a deep belief formed through years of working with clients.
Time and again, I saw that businesses rarely failed because they were careless.
They failed because they did not understand the risks they were facing until it was too late.
As a lawyer, I often met people at their lowest point. They were not running bad businesses. They just did not have the knowledge or awareness early enough to make better decisions.
That insight became the foundation for rradar.
In 2012, I walked away from a senior role at one of the world’s largest law firms, cashed in my pension, mortgaged my home and backed myself to build something different in Hull.
It was a decision that required confidence long before certainty.
Nobody tells you that you have to believe in your idea before anyone else does. If you do not, nobody will.
From the outset, rradar was designed around education. I was clear that helping people meant more than stepping in after a crisis.
It meant empowering clients to understand legal, regulatory and operational risk so they could prevent problems in the first place.
Technology became the enabler. By leveraging digital platforms, automation and data, rradar was able to scale knowledge that had traditionally been inaccessible, expensive or locked behind complexity.
Clients were not simply advised. They were supported to learn, develop awareness and build confidence in their own decision-making.
Nobody tells you how powerful education can be in business. Once people understand risk, they behave differently. That changes outcomes.
What is also rarely discussed is how much confidence is shaped by the people around you.
Having the confidence to listen
As rradar grew, I became increasingly clear that backing myself did not mean having all the answers. It meant being confident enough to listen, learn and be challenged by my team.
I learn constantly from the people around me. We have built teams with deep expertise across law, technology, risk and regulation, and I rely on that collective intelligence every day.
That openness has become a leadership principle. Confidence grows when founders trust strong people and create space for ideas to surface from across the business.
Another truth few founders hear early enough is that opportunities are always there, but they rarely arrive fully formed or risk-free.
I believe confidence is not just about backing yourself, but about staying alert to opportunity and being ready to act when it aligns with your purpose.
Opportunities present themselves all the time. The challenge is having the confidence and clarity to recognise which ones are right for the business, and the discipline to say no to the rest.
Many of rradar’s key developments came from being prepared, not reactive. By staying close to clients, listening to the market, and encouraging ideas internally, the business was ready to move when the right opportunities emerged.
Confidence, however, is rarely a solo endeavour. One of the things I believe founders underestimate most is the value of mentorship.
Early on, I benefited from being around other entrepreneurs who were prepared to share their experiences honestly.
Mentors are key
That belief has stayed with me. I have long been passionate about supporting new founders through mentoring, particularly through For Entrepreneurs Only, the peer-led organisation supporting entrepreneurs across Hull and East Yorkshire.
I give my time as a mentor in a range of forums, helping founders navigate leadership, growth, and uncertainty.
Nobody tells you how much faster you learn when you talk openly with people who have been there.
As rradar grew into a national legal and risk management group with offices across the UK and more than 250 people, the responsibility grew with it.
The business has since been recognised in The Times Best Law Firms and featured in The Lawyer Top 200, but I view these milestones as reflections of trust rather than arrival.
Outside the business, that sense of responsibility has translated into action.
I recently ran the London Marathon, raising thousands of pounds for Cancer Research UK, and I have since become chair in establishing the Hull and East Riding Business Beats Cancer initiative.
For me, backing yourself means using what you build to help others.
So, what is the one thing nobody tells you as a founder?
That confidence comes before clarity. You stay alert, back yourself and take the right opportunities when they come.
For me, confidence has never been about standing still. It has been about learning, listening and moving decisively when the moment is right.
- Founded in 2012, rradar has grown to seven offices and 270+ employees.