Successful entrepreneur wants to give a helping hand to young business talent
THERE WAS a time when successful entrepreneur Laban Roomes had nothing.
His car shipping business had been sold behind his back. His mother was ill, and when his finances crumbled his girlfriend made a quick exit too.
But Roomes wasn’t prepared to be a failure. Now he is having the last laugh as head of global firm Goldgenie, a luxury gold-plating company based in London which counts the Beckhams and Usain Bolt as clients.
The company produces items such as gold-plated iPhones and iPads as well as other bespoke pieces.
“Up until then, I had done well out of various different businesses I had started. In 1994, I literally had lost everything and my girlfriend did not want to know anymore. She was a gold digger, basically,” Roomes said.
“I founded Goldgenie when I was homeless and sleeping on a friend’s floor. I’d seen something similar in America and wanted to reinvent it for the UK market. An old friend lent me the money to buy the machine. Very soon I had Lexus as a client and was even flown to the Emmy Awards to present my products to stars like Helen Mirren and Denzel Washington.”
His business was taken to the next level when he entered BBC show Dragon’s Den in 2007 and won over entrepreneur James Caan who invested £60,000 into the business.
Roomes humbly accepts he would not have made it as far this quickly without Caan’s support and help in securing deals with high end department stores such as Harrods and Selfridges.
But it was only down to a tragic twist of fate that the east London born guru even decided to go on the show, having turned down the opportunity twice.
“At the time, I did not have one person around me who thought I would be successful. I was worried they would steal my business. I was worried producers would turn me into a laughing stock,” Roomes explained.
“But I had a good friend called Mark McKenzie. We fell out for six months over a stupid argument and I said I would never forgive myself if something happened and we weren’t talking. The day I tried to reach out to him, he died. Mark was a handsome, talented guy who did a bit of acting and wanted to be a singer. But he was always too scared to go on stage even though he was brilliant.
FEARLESS
“After his death I promised myself I would never be scared again. The worst thing that can happen is that someone turns you down or say they don’t like you. Life is too precious not to give it your best.”
In turn, the 43-year-old now wants to use his success to help young people who have a good idea but need someone to believe in their vision in order to get their business off the ground.
He is investing his own personal finance into promising entrepreneurs and gave his backing to a business hub set up last week by Barnet Council, in north London.
Roomes added: “There are people who learn how to do business and there are those just seem born into it. I have always been someone who likes to make my own money.
“From a young age I was always washing cars, clipping hedges, selling clothes; doing whatever I could to make money. I’m a hustler. I grew up in a poor family. I’m proud to say everything I did was above board and legal.”
And the hard work has paid dividends. Even though Roomes dropped out of his business course at Waltham Forest College after six months, he now has offices spread across three floors in Victoria, central London, with a small team of dedicated staff.
“Let me just say that I enjoyed the course immensely and I think it is good thing to have formal training,” said Roomes. “On the other hand, nothing beats experience and I consider myself to be an experienced businessman because of the ventures I’ve had over the years.”
He added: “At the time I dropped out of college, I had a business selling designer clothes from the back of my car and I was independent and making really good money. I felt at the time that was more productive.”
SUPPORT
While Roomes is happy to support driven young people he has some strong words for the iPod generation.
“Young people today just don’t seem that hungry. They seem content to accept there are barriers and that the world is against them.
“I believe there is no such thing as prejudice for someone who is determined because you will be judged on the content of your character if you demonstrate you are passionate enough.
“There will always be people who will try and hold you back but you can’t focus on them. It’s a sorry excuse. If you want it enough, doors will open. – The Voice
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