10 minutes with... Rik Pancholi
We caught up with Rik Pancholi, Managing Director of key LBF sponsor Patterson's Law, to find out what makes him tick...
Q: If you weren’t doing this what would you be doing with your career?
A: I’ve always had a keen interest in graphic design. Before embarking on the legal career, I’d wanted to be in a creative industry where I could be artistic or creative. As a corporate solicitor, I quickly realised on qualification, this role allows me to be creative in a way I never imagined before. I guess in a way, I’m still being creative although it is more with businesses, their future and planning!
Q: What’s one thing people don’t know or expect about your company?
A: I’m a huge Marvel Cinematic Universe fan and I’ve always admired the long term vision of how they managed to build such a successful franchise over 10 years. They did this by splitting their movies into ‘phases’ to make standalone movies in a bitesize manner but as part of a much bigger picture.
When setting up Pattersons Commercial Law I knew where I wanted it to be in 5 years and I adapted the ‘phased’ approach from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This meant I had five phases to go through before 2021 which had clearly defined objectives and strategies to achieve that.
The approach is all down to the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
Q: What is the most adventurous thing you’ve done in your business, or the biggest risk you've taken?
A: Setting up in the first place! It is quite easily the biggest risk because you simply don’t know whether it will work or where the first piece of work is coming from. I was lucky to have great support from my wife and family to get the ball rolling and once we had completed our first year, we moved onto the second phase of the business growth.
Q: What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received?
A: This is the easiest it’s ever going to be.
The moral of this story is that being a lawyer and a business owner is a challenging career – be ready and enjoy the ride!
Q: What are you most excited about at this time in your career? (and don’t say retirement!)
A: The next phase of growth in the business – this is a very exciting change and the next few years are going to be a lot of fun to get us to where we want to be. I’m excited to see how the plans for 2023 will shape up.
Q: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
A: The ability to fly anywhere (like Iron Man).
Q: Which three celebs invited to your dinner party (dead or alive)?
A: My celebrities are the ones I admire – these will be my three families (those I want to spend the most time with).
Q: What is your favourite way to relax when not at work?
A: Hanging out with the family exploring the World, listening to music, reading books and spending time at the Gym.
