Former naval officer Jim Leese celebrates business success (From Dorset Echo)

Former naval officer Jim Leese celebrates business success

5:00pm Saturday 11th February 2012 in News By Harry Hogger

A NAVAL officer turned successful businessman is hoping to prove to others that there is life after the armed forces.

Jim Leese is celebrating the first anniversary of the opening of his second convenience store in Dorchester and says he owes a lot to a Royal British Legion fund that helps ex-serviceman make a start in business.

After 22 years as an aircraft engineer in the Royal Navy, Jim rejoined civilian life in 2006 and soon opened a convenience store at Charlton Down.

After the Londis store proved a success and won awards, he was keen to take on another project.

He said: “My first business got off the ground really quickly and four years later I was looking for the next challenge.

“A second store seemed like the perfect next step.”

However, Jim needed significant investment to refit his chosen store in Monmouth Road, Dorchester, as well as stacking the shelves and getting ready to re-open.

It was then that he came across the Royal British Legion’s Be the Boss scheme, which was launched in June 2010 to help ex-forces personnel set up in business.

Jim successfully applied for £7,500, making him one of the first people to be funded through the scheme.

He said: “Be the Boss has been a fantastic support.

“Not only did I get £7,500 funding from the Legion but the process that the team there put me through in applying was incredibly thorough. This means that you’re in a much better place when it comes to applying for funding from the banks.

“But it wasn’t just the financial support I received from Be the Boss.

“They also gave me a business advisor who helped me develop my business plan and financial forecast. I now have mentoring with them on a regular basis so they are really with me every step of the way.”

Jim, 45, said the project management and personnel management experience he picked up in the Navy have been invaluable in his new role as a local businessman and he was keen to encourage other veterans to use the skills they pick up during their time in the forces to help them achieve what they want in civilian life.

He said: “I never thought when I was in the Navy that one day I’d employ 50 people.

“Who knows, next year I might be opening my third shop and employing even more!”