Risk and Reward, with Michael Welch OBE

On the face of it, Michael Welch OBE seems to have it all: he’s the President and CEO of America’s largest tire distributor, and he sold his previous business – Blackcircles – to Michelin for £50 million in 2015. 

But, Michael’s start in life was not straightforward. Adopted as a baby and stymied by dyslexia and dyscalculia, he ended up working in a local garage, having left school at fifteen with no qualifications. Redundancy followed, but, supported by a grant from the Prince’s Trust, he set up his first business aged seventeen. 

Michael’s inspirational story is one of resilience, determination, and, crucially, a clear appetite for risk – be it writing a letter to business legend Sir Terry Leahy early in his career, which led to mentorship, friendship, and financial investment; leaving a role running Kwikfit’s e-commerce with only a month’s salary to begin all over again, from scratch; or, moving his young family to the US, compelled by the prospect of cracking a new market. 

‘Luck,’ Michael says, ‘follows risk – in almost all cases.’ 

Join us for the latest episode of the Futureverse in which Y TREE’s Head of Brand and Marketing Harriet Johnston speaks to Michael Welch OBE about his relationship with risk, and his journey as an entrepreneur so far. 

Y TREE view is brought to you by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Y TREE. The past is in your head. The future is in your hands.

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