Toby Dixon – Private Equity Fund Founder “Entrepreneurs can be graduates too”

Whilst in Bangor, Toby also operated as an entrepreneur - working around the clock alongside his studies, before graduating in 2002. After 20 years’ experience in business, he sold his recruitment business for over £30m. Alongside some other high profile business interests, he is now running Growth Fund 1, a private equity fund exclusively for entrepreneurs, enabling them to achieve greater profitability, controlled growth and successful exit processes for founder-owned business.

Toby’s many accolades include the Queen’s Award for International Trade and European Business Awards winner in 2019. He is regularly featured in industry publications, and has had consecutive listings in FT 1000, the Financial Times’ annual ranking of Europe’s fastest growing companies. Toby has built up high profile connections in the business world: he was one of the first Investor-Advisors to invest in BBC Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett’s invitation-only ‘Flight Fund’.

Toby Dixon said: “I discovered a passion for being an entrepreneur very young. There’s this perception that entrepreneurs all left school at 16 and have a rags-to-riches success story, but I’m an outlier - entrepreneurs can be graduates too.

Above: Toby Dixon

“I nearly dropped out of Bangor University to run a computer distribution business from a bedsit, but I decided to stick it out. I knew that I’d be taken more seriously with a degree, and I’m really glad that I graduated. I’ve been following Bangor Business School over the years, and I can see that it has some great alumni and international connections now.

“My top tip for students is to work hard ‘outside’ of your studies – not just on your course, but to get real-world experience in the workplace while you’re at university. I’ve hired hundreds of graduates over the years, and you can always tell the ones who had a job while studying. Employers want people who will stick at a task and I’m a firm believer that hard work trumps talent.

“Work hard, commit and don’t quit – these are mantras that have served me well in life.”

“It's a highly competitive recruitment market out there – I worry about what the future will hold for my children’s generation if they don’t strive harder than their peers. The road to success is always bumpy: you need to have a seriously hardcore work ethic to succeed at the highest level. A glossy education simply isn’t enough anymore.

“Of course, life as a successful entrepreneur does afford the good things in life and you should aim high. That said, my life is not all Ferraris and helicopters - giving something back is really important. I always enjoyed the rivalry between the Welsh and the English playing rugby while at Bangor University, and I now coach my local under 9s rugby team as well as a SEND disability team. I’m also looking forward to becoming a mentor through the Prince’s Trust so that I can discover and support the entrepreneurs of the future.”

If you would like to learn more about setting up in business and becoming a successful entrepreneur, Bangor Business School is launching a new degree for September 2024: BSc Business Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

Discover more about other courses in Business and Marketing at Bangor Business School