INTERVIEW
BUSINESS REVIEW EUROPE speaks exclusively to Chris Phillips , whose hugely successful investment firm ‘ Just Develop It ’ has made him one of the continent ’ s standout young entrepreneurs
CHRIS PHILLIPS HAS already squeezed more into his 32 years than most business leaders fit into a lifetime .
Phillips is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Just Develop It , one of Europe ’ s most ambitious investment and incubator hybrids . It works with over 25 separate businesses through a network of over 300 employees , investing hundreds of millions of pounds to aid growth and profitability .
The venture led to the Portsmouthborn entrepreneur pocketing an estimated personal fortune of £ 70mn before turning 30 , earning him recognition on numerous young persons ’ rich lists alongside the likes of Ed Sheeran and Andy Murray – but Phillips ’ rapid route to success hasn ’ t always been smooth .
Growth speed at Dot5hosting , the web hosting service representing his initial foray into business , saw the company accumulate an uncontrollable amount of debt before it was eventually saved through a sale . Phillips pinpoints that period as a defining time in his short career .
“ Those lessons were probably the most valuable because we learned what not to do in business , which is just as important as the success ,” he tells Business Review Europe in an exclusive interview . “ It was great watching the sales and the money come in , but it was the things that we did wrong that probably put me in best stead for the business we did after that .”
Like most enterprising businesspeople , Phillips can trace his entrepreneurial instincts back to his youth , when his desire to enter the world of work , along with his lack of interest in academic pursuits , pointed him in one direction .
Most teenagers take on a paper round to earn money , but Phillips took this to another level , obtaining four
12 December 2017