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What exactly is Newlife?

In a sense we鈥檙e just a traditional building contractor, concentrating on refurbishment with some new build.

The difference is we鈥檙e wholly owned by an industrial and provident society that has charitable status. We gift aid our profit to them, and they distribute it. But some of that money then comes back to us to spend on training. We use construction as a means of training and investing in people.

So why did you switch from a major contractor to a social enterprise start-up?

I was tired of not paying subcontractors on time. People had been forgotten and it was all about numbers. We talked a lot about training, but we didn鈥檛 employ anyone to do the training. Then I happened to meet the chair of the Leicester Housing Association, which had already set up a social enterprise gas-servicing company, Thorpete. We thought we could do something similar in construction.

How does Newlife do that?

We have a direct workforce of more than 100, of which 25 are trainees, and 20 are ex-trainees who qualified with us. Some of the lads and lasses who come to us aren鈥檛 even on the first rung of the ladder. Some are on probation, or have been excluded from school 鈥� I鈥檇 say that 30% have a 鈥渄ifficult鈥� background. One lad had done some painting and decorating at college, but was working as a taxi driver. With us he got an NVQ level 3 and an HND, and he鈥檚 just picked up a 拢31,000 job as a finishings foreman.

What are the differences between working for a mainstream major contractor, and running Newlife?

I became the boss and I could make a difference, but, in a sense, a cushion was taken away. There was no company car department, no accounts department. Suddenly the bank account was my responsibility and there鈥檚 no 拢1bn firm behind you. At Mowlem, the day-to-day paying of bills wasn鈥檛 part of my life, but here I think: 鈥淲here are we going to get the wages this week?鈥�

How does the salary compare?

My salary is fine. We don鈥檛 operate a bonus system, but we get company cars and health insurance. Just because we鈥檙e a social enterprise doesn鈥檛 mean we don鈥檛 pay people well. In fact, because we鈥檙e a social enterprise, if anything we have to be more professional. We price jobs at the market rate 鈥� the difference is what happens to the profit margin.

But there must be differences compared with operating in the commercial sector.

But we are commercial 鈥� I don鈥檛 make that distinction. Social enterprise isn鈥檛 woolly jumpers 鈥� it鈥檚 important to me to get that across. It鈥檚 about how we decide to invest in our people. We have shareholders, but they demand social justice, not cash.

How do you see your future? Would you ever return to a mainstream contractor?

I feel totally shattered and I鈥檝e never worked so hard in all my life. But I couldn鈥檛 see myself doing anything else any more. The real kick is not making 拢1m turnover, but seeing someone two years on from when they joined and seeing them change their lives and thinking: 鈥淚 helped do that.鈥� I wouldn鈥檛 go back. There鈥檚 a bit of ego in that, but it鈥檚 also enjoyable to see people develop and to be part of that. But maybe in 10 years鈥� time I鈥檒l fall off my New Labour soap box!