There was great energy, honest conversation and a real sense of purpose at the Barclays Eagle Hub in Old Street.
I was delighted to be invited to speak during a Barclays Relationship Manager training day, sharing my business journey with the National Business Development team, specialist colleagues and members of the leadership team.
The room was full of curiosity and a genuine desire to learn. That matters to me because small and medium-sized businesses do not grow through finance alone. They grow through relationships, understanding, practical support and people who take the time to listen.
I shared the stage with Richard Ward from Brebners, with the conversation hosted by Paul Elsey. We brought different experiences to the room, but the purpose was shared: to help the people supporting businesses better understand what life is really like for entrepreneurs.
We spoke about building a business, neurodiversity, dyslexia, access to finance, and the challenges faced by SME owners every day.
These are not abstract topics for me. I have lived them.
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Why This Conversation Mattered to Me
I have spent much of my working life building Pall Mall Barbers.
That journey has included growth, difficult decisions, international expansion, financial pressure, recruitment, property, marketing and the responsibility of supporting the people connected to the business.
It has also included dyslexia.
I know what it feels like to enter a professional meeting with a clear vision but struggle with the way information is presented. I know the pressure of having to make an important decision while also processing figures, documents and language differently from the people around the table.
That experience has shaped how I think about leadership and support.
My MBE recognised my services to international trade, mentoring and supporting people with dyslexia. I am proud of that honour, but I see it as a responsibility to keep sharing what I have learned and helping other people move forward.
Speaking at Barclays gave me the opportunity to take those experiences into a room filled with people who can make a meaningful difference to business owners.
Small Businesses Need More Than Financial Products
One of the strongest messages I shared was that SME owners value genuine relationships.
A business owner does not simply walk into a bank looking for a product. He or she may be carrying years of work, personal risk, family pressure, employee responsibilities and an ambition that is difficult to summarise on a form.
The figures matter. The business case matters. Proper assessment matters.
But understanding the person behind the business matters too.
A strong relationship manager should bring knowledge, clarity and practical value. They should understand where the business stands, what the owner wants to achieve and what is preventing progress.
Barclays itself highlights relationship teams, specialist support, networking opportunities and introductions to investors as part of its support for established businesses. It also provides Business Relationship teams as a route for SME customers seeking lending and wider banking assistance.
The value of that support increases when the relationship feels human.
Listen Before Offering the Solution
Entrepreneurs are often surrounded by people offering answers.
What they sometimes need first is someone prepared to understand the question properly.
A business may ask for finance, but the real issue could be cash flow timing. It may appear to need a new product, but the larger challenge could involve international growth, recruitment or commercial planning.
The first answer is not always the right answer.
I have learned this through building Pall Mall Barbers. When you are responsible for a business, each decision connects to something else. A property decision affects cash flow. A recruitment decision affects service capacity. An expansion decision affects operations, marketing and the people already working with you.
The person supporting that business needs to see more than the immediate request.
That requires good questions.
It requires listening without rushing.
It requires understanding the owner’s ambition and the reality in which that ambition must be delivered.
What My Business Journey Has Taught Me
My journey began in a barbershop when I was young, sweeping floors and making tea.
I later trained in barbering, moved to London and worked near Savile Row before taking the risk of buying Pall Mall Barbers. I entered business ownership with practical barbering experience, ambition and determination, but I also had to learn many things while building the company.
My dyslexia created challenges, particularly around reading, writing and business administration. I could have treated that as a reason to stop. Instead, I found ways to keep progressing.
Over time, Pall Mall Barbers grew from one London barbershop into a wider brand with locations in London and New York. That growth did not happen through one decision. It came from years of learning, resilience, trusted relationships and people who brought the right knowledge at the right moment.
That is why mentoring and relationship-led business support matter so much to me.
Nobody builds properly on their own.
Neurodiversity Should Be Understood, Not Hidden
We also spoke openly about neurodiversity and dyslexia.
Different people process information differently. They may communicate differently, organise ideas differently or notice opportunities that others miss.
Those differences can be a source of strength.
They can also become a barrier when professional systems are designed around only one way of thinking, reading or communicating.
An entrepreneur with dyslexia may understand his business completely but struggle with lengthy written documentation. Another person may be highly creative and commercially aware but need financial information explained in a more direct or visual format.
That does not mean standards should be lowered.
It means communication should be clearer.
It means asking whether the person understands, rather than assuming silence means agreement.
It means giving people the chance to explain how they work and what support enables them to perform properly.
I have never wanted dyslexia to be treated as an excuse. I want it understood as part of how some people think, solve problems and build businesses.
When people feel able to speak honestly about what they need, professional relationships become stronger.
Access to Finance Is Also About Access to Understanding
Finance can determine whether a business stands still or moves forward.
It may fund equipment, premises, new employees, international trade or the next stage of growth.
But accessing finance can feel difficult, particularly for an owner who has not been through the process before.
The language may feel technical. The documentation can be demanding. The owner may not know which funding route is appropriate or how to present the business clearly.
Barclays Eagle Labs recognises that funding can be a complex area and offers programmes, services and connections intended to help business owners understand their options and prepare for investment.
That is where a good professional relationship can make a real difference.
The role is not to promise that every application will succeed. It is to help the owner understand the process, identify what is required and make informed decisions.
Clarity creates confidence.
Even when the answer is no, a clear explanation can help an entrepreneur understand what needs to change before trying again.
The Value of the Barclays Eagle Hub
The location reflected the purpose of the day.
Barclays Eagle Labs brings together entrepreneurs, investors, businesses, mentors and banking knowledge. Its network provides workspaces, mentoring, learning tools, events and growth programmes intended to help ambitious businesses connect and scale.
The Barclays Innovation Hub in Shoreditch is specifically positioned as a space for collaboration, creativity and growth across the UK innovation economy.
That kind of environment matters.
Entrepreneurs need more than occasional advice. They need access to networks, people with relevant experience and conversations that help them see their business differently.
A strong ecosystem does not remove the responsibility from the founder. The owner still has to make the decisions and do the work.
But the right ecosystem can reduce isolation and improve the quality of those decisions.
A Day Built on Purpose
I left the Barclays Eagle Hub encouraged.
The room brought positive energy, honest questions and a genuine willingness to understand the realities faced by SMEs.
I am grateful to everyone who organised the training day, to the Barclays teams who took part, to Paul Elsey for hosting and to Richard Ward from Brebners for sharing the stage and bringing another valuable perspective to the conversation.
Teamwork matters because no one person sees the full picture.
When business owners, financial institutions, advisers and mentors share their experiences openly, we create better understanding. Better understanding leads to stronger relationships. Stronger relationships can help more businesses access the guidance and support they need to grow.
That is the meaningful difference we can make together.
Stay Connected with Richard Marshall| CEO and Founder of Pall Mall Barbers
Richard Marshall’s journey shows that consistency, craft, and service can take you from the back of a barbershop to Windsor Castle.
If you have ever searched “barbers near me” and walked into a Pall Mall Barbers shop, you are part of this story.
Thank you for being part of the journey.
Keep Sharp Every Day
