From Parachute Regiment to Property - Why Discipline Never Leaves You
When I left the Parachute Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group in 2016, I knew that life would never be the same again. Nine years of military service changes the way you see the world. It changes the way you work, the way you deal with pressure, and the way you view success.
Many people assume that when you leave the Army, you leave everything behind. The uniform, the routines, the long hours. In truth, the opposite is often the case. The habits and mindset you build in the forces stay with you for life. For me, they have been the foundation of everything I have done since.
Discipline is the obvious one. In the Army, it is drilled into you from the first day, but it is not about following orders. It is about developing the ability to show up every day and do what needs to be done, even when you are tired or things are not going your way. That consistency has been the backbone of my businesses, from launching a global coaching platform to building Castle into one of Liverpool’s leading agencies.
Teamwork is another lesson that carries over. In the military, your life depends on the people next to you. That creates trust, accountability, and respect. In business, you cannot succeed without the right people around you, and you have to earn their trust the same way. When I started The British Regeneration Project, I made sure to build a team with different skills, but with the same shared values. That is why we now work with more than 300 developers and over 3,700 landowners.
Resilience is perhaps the most important lesson. In the forces, things rarely go exactly to plan. You adapt, you keep moving, and you never let setbacks stop you. In business, setbacks are guaranteed. But with the right mindset, they can be lessons rather than failures.
Charity work has also been a big part of my journey since leaving the Army. Supporting veterans is something I feel personally connected to. Through events like our annual clay pigeon shoot, we have raised over £200,000 for charities, helping with housing, therapy, and support for ex-service personnel. For me, that is as important as any business win, because it is about giving back to the community that gave me so much.
I often get asked what advice I would give to veterans leaving the military and thinking about starting their own businesses. My answer is always the same: the skills you already have are enough. The discipline, resilience, and teamwork you relied on in uniform will carry you through in business.
It is never about forgetting your past, it is about using it to build your future.