The Hour

In our regular series of career profiles, businessman Tahar Ali puts himself in the spotlight.

How long have you been in your current position?: Six years.

Describe your route to this position: I always knew I’d have my own business one day and thought the best way to do this would be to learn the ropes through working for others first. I have been employed by some of the world’s best companies - and some of the worst - before starting up on my own.

The knowledge I gained was priceless. It helped me avoid the mistakes and pitfalls in everyday business life. My first business venture was Clear Property Investment with my business partner Kamran Khan and we now own five different companies under the Clear Group brand.
When you started out what was your dream job? I have always had the travel bug to see different places and cultures around the world and wanted to become an airline pilot.

What’s your dream job now? I will be setting up an entrepreneurial academy soon where I will work as a business mentor and champion future business entrepreneurs towards success.

What’s the best thing about your current job? Being able to find the perfect work/life balance and not having to take orders from anyone.

What’s the worst? Dealing with the pessimists who see the difficulty in every opportunity rather than the opportunity in every difficulty.

What advice would you offer to someone starting out? Never limit your own ambitions – there are plenty of people who will do that for you. If you are going through hell in your business, keep going and never give up. Surround yourself with positive people who will make an impact on your life and dump those who see everything as a negative. Always have a business mentor that can help you avoid the mistakes they made before they became successful.

Anything else? Anyone wishing to discuss any aspect of starting up their own business or would like help with an existing one should feel free to contact me at at the Tahar Ali webiste.

THEIR WORK LIVES

• The architect
• The helicopter pilot
• The composer
• The solicitor