Tom Hitchcock, the 158th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is a bloody smart guy.

When he was in his early twenties, Tom, a native Englishman, got a job at a call centre in Spain. He quickly realised he could earn 20% commission selling the client’s product on behalf of his employer … or 100% if he went out on his own. So he called the client, did a deal and set up his own business.

Tom’s business quickly grew. At the height of his Spanish empire, Tom had five call centres selling five different products; and he had a nightclub as well. But then the GFC hit and revenue fell off a cliff. So Tom gave up his businesses and moved to Glasgow, where he took a job in recruitment.

Eighteen months later, he qualified for a visa to Australia, which had been his plan all along. In 2018, he earned permanent residency, and then started his own recruitment agency, Purple Patch Consulting. 

You don’t have to spend much time with Tom to realise he’s got a wonderfully creative mind. Instead of doing what everyone else does and expecting different results, Tom finds his own path. That mindset is what makes him great at sales and business.