SOME businessmen like to show off their wealth and success with a fleet of high-powered cars.

Andy Lee’s preferred mode of transport is a modest fuel-efficient Citroen C3 for work – and a collection of bicycles for fun!

Says Andy: “There’s only one reason to have a car – to get from A to B! My car gets me from A to B as many times as I like at 60mpg. However, I love cycling and I have a fleet of bicycles, one of which is 30 years old. I have a road bike, a tour bike, a fold-away tour bike and two mountain bikes. I do a lot of cycling and I like the outdoor life!”

Andy, who worked in education for many years before moving into coaching and personal development, says: “I still cycle regularly with staff and ex-staff from Almondbury High School. We go to Brittany for a cycling holiday every year.”

The bikes may get only an occasional outing for now, however, as Andy is busy preparing to take part in the forthcoming Kirklees Business Week, which begins on Monday, September 24.

Andy will be delivering three seminars during the week aimed at helping business owners achieve greater success.

Andy’s enthusiasm for enterprise is evident. He admits to being energised by working with business owners – both through his coaching activities and as franchise owner of the Entrepreneur’s Circle for Huddersfield and Halifax.

Entrepreneur’s Circle is the brainchild of renowned serial entrepreneur Nigel Botterill, who has built a series of multi-million pound businesses and is thought to have helped a “mere” 8,000 people with their business ideas.

It’s billed as the largest membership organisation in UK fully dedicated to helping small and medium size businesses grow. It operates as a franchise and is already well-established in many parts of the country.

Andy, who lives at Wilshaw, near Holmfirth, was introduced to Entrepreneur’s Circle at a networking event and decided to join. “I joined in January and by April I had bought the franchise for Huddersfield and Halifax,” says Andy. “I learned an astonishing amount about business in that short space of time. It‘s a really good fit with my coaching business.

“Entrepreneur’s Circle changes people and helps them to understand their businesses better, to understand their lives better and to get more out of both.

“It’s not about networking or sitting around a table – it’s about practical stuff and giving people the mindset of an entrepreneur.

“Through Entrepreneur’s Circle, members stop being a business owner and develop into an entrepreneur by recognising how they can build more business opportunities.”

Andy gives some examples. “One member is a hypnotherapist looking to launch a business providing high-end personalised dog coats. You couldn’t get more different than that! Another person who has launched two businesses since becoming a member is now launching a third – a low-cost online booking system for bed & breakfast owners.

Says Andy: “What business is about is understanding what people want or need to buy and being able to supply it in a way nobody else can. Entrepreneur’s Circle is about taking business ‘A’ and ending up with something completely different – and making a lot more money and getting more out of life.”

Entrepreneur’s Circle provides members with monthly magazines, Nigel Botterill’s best-selling book and access to seminars on subjects such as websites, customer service, how to use a database and personal productivity – the last explaining how business owners need to spend a proportion of their time working “on” the business as opposed to “in” the business.

There’s also online learning covering issues such as copyright law and winning customers as well as an application which allows members to get an honest appraisal of their marketing methods.

Says Andy: “People join the Entrepreneur’s Circle and it takes them out of their comfort zone – and they develop as people as a result.”

Andy’s foray into the world of business follows a career in teaching.

Andy, who was born near Chester, went to Hull University to take a degree in history and American studies.

“I loved this side of the Pennines so much I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life here,” he says.

“It was always my vocation to teach. My first teaching post was at Colne Valley High School. The community and the young people there were fabulous. I was there for seven years and it was incredible, lovely and a lot of fun.”

Andy moved to Almondbury High School, where he spent 17 years and specialised in special needs teaching, before joining Nortonthorpe School as deputy head and later becoming headteacher.

His teaching career now behind him, Andy says his experiences as a leader and manager in education have helped him in his more recent role.

“There are similarities,” he says. “The similarities are things to do with personal development, being innovative, improving people’s prospects, working with people who need to acquire new skills and people who are at a difficult stage in their lives.

“All the stuff I was doing with school staff and pupils I am now doing with business owners.”

Says Andy: “Business owners need a completely different range of skills.

“They begin as the person who makes a product and become the person who manages other people who make the product.”

What a lot of business owners need to recognise is the importance of adding value, says Andy.

It’s a message that can get lost in the battle to win business in a difficult economic climate.

“A lot of businesses think the way to win more business is to cut prices,” he says.

“They think ‘If everyone else is selling something at £30 I’ll sell it at £29 and make more money’. It doesn't work like that

“Price cutting is not good for customers because the business becomes unsustainable and it’s not good for the local economy.

“The key is to find ways to differentiate your business and add value.

“That means giving the customer something they don’t expect – either additional goods or services that were not part of the deal or additional levels of customer service.”

Andy, who is also a member of the BNI Terriers networking group, which meets at Lockwood Park, sees his task at Entrepreneur’s Circle as “helping business owners escape mediocrity to get the life they want”.

He says: “What is fantastic about working with business owners is that they are incredibly positive and optimistic.

“They may be competitors, but they are really supportive of each other in a way that you wouldn’t find in any other walk of life.”