Keeping it in the family

HE may be the joint managing director of the firm his father started decades ago, but life could have worked out very differently for Chris O’Connor.

As a youngster, he never imagined going into the family furniture retail business because he wanted to follow his own path, and instead enrolled at Teesside University on a graphic design course.

After completing the course and working for a few years in the industry, aged 29, he decided he wanted to go it alone and approached his father with a proposal to set up his own design firm.

Instead, his father, who was nearing retirement, asked him if he would be interested in joining the family business.

“He put a proposal together. The deal was I would come in as joint managing director with Robert Stevens, a senior manager had worked with my dad for 18 years.

“I declined - it wasn’t something I envisaged doing “But I went away and I thought about for six months, and then I made the decision to come in.

“I had always wanted to go and make my own way in the world. It was a very, very difficult decision for me. I am quite a proud person. I don’t like to be handed things.

“I had to see it as an opportunity which had to be taken.” Since then, Chris has never looked back.

“When I came into the business, we had two small stores at Hartlepool and Peterlee. “Within the last ten years, we have got four huge stores on retail parks and the business has trebled in size.

“We have grown quite organically – the opportunities have arisen and we have taken them.”

“The partnership with Robert works really well. We are both very, very hard workers and will do whatever needs to be done.

“My dad worked very, very hard to build the business to the size he got it to and he’s still a director. We would always consult him on any major decisions.”

For Chris, the best part about his job is helping people make their homes comfortable.

“It is nice when you can help people make their homes look beautiful. It is really nice when you go round someone’s house and spot a bit of our furniture – you get a bit of a kick out of that.”

As the firm’s main buyer, Chris travels extensively to hunt out the best pieces for the firms distinct four stores.

“We buy a lot of British stuff, but we also get a lot from Europe – France, Germany, Italy, Holland. “The most compelling place I have been was Tallinn, in Estonia. The contrast between wealth and poverty is vast. You could walk out of a really nice restaurant and see an old lady carrying a huge bag of sticks on her back. That was a real eye opener.”

Being part of a family business has some real advantages, Chris said, and definitely came in handy when the firm’s two newly acquired and refurbished stores – formerly Home interiors and Race Furniture – on Portrack Lane recently flooded during the heavy rain which washed out Teesside last month.

“When disasters like that happen, being a family business is a real advantage. People just rallied round and everyone pitched in.”

And he said it worked both ways.

“I think when you have this much responsibility to your staff and their families to make something work, the pressures are high.

“It’s the pressure of not letting yourself fall or being defeated, because you have got so many people depending on you.

“It makes you a serious character at work and makes you enjoy your free times outside of work. I wouldn’t change that.”

Five minutes with... Chris O'Connor

Favourite North-East landmark, and why?

The Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough. It is such an iconic symbol of the area. Plus I got the opportunity to bungee jump from it last year.

What was your first job and how much did you get paid?

Glass collector in a nightclub in Hartlepool, which paid about £2.50 per hour.

What is the worst job you've had?

Once helped a friend with a karaoke business – I can’t sing and the pub we were in was very, very rough.

What would you cook for me if I came around for dinner?

Chilli, I consider myself a chilli guru.

What would your superpower be?

To be able to fly – must be the ultimate adrenaline rush.

Name four people, dead or alive, who would be at your perfect dinner party.

Comedian Ross Noble, TV survival expert Bear Grylls, late Apple founder Steve Jobs, and supermodel Elle Macpherson.

Most expensive thing you've bought - other than car or house - and how much?

My Tag watch, which cost about £1,800.

Who is the best person to follow on Twitter and why?

While, I personally do not have a Twitter account, the business does have one which is all about communicating with those interested in design, home interiors and top end furniture.

Favourite book?

The Hitman by Max Kinnings - surreal and very funny.

What is your greatest achievement?

Climbing Kilimanjaro and raising £4,500 for the Butterwick Children’s Hospice.

When did you last cry?

I shed a tear at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in June.

What's the best piece of advice in business you've ever been given?

If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you always got.

Favourite animal and why?

Great White shark - the ultimate predator. I am fascinated by them and would love to cage dive with them in the wild.

Most famous person on your mobile phone?

Musician John McGough.

What was the last band you saw live?

Swedish House Mafia.

Describe your perfect night in.

Cooking the perfect chilli with a fine Rioja and relaxing with a gritty movie.

In another life I would be...

A stuntman.

Who would play you in a film of your life?

Liam Neeson.

What irritates you?

People who’d rather text that talk.

What's your secret talent?

I can eat ten hotdogs in under ten seconds - if you can call it a talent!