Business North July / August 2021

24 | Having been to the edge and back Karen Phelps Entrepreneur and property mogul Kenyon Clarke: “The true spirit of entrepreneurship is indefatigable optimism and innovation...” DEVELOPMENT Du Val Group “Entrepreneurship is a lifetime commitment and not a part-time flirtation. You have to go all-in. Despite the risks, I can promise you that it’s well worth it.” E ntrepreneur and property mogul Kenyon Clarke knows first hand what it’s like to start from the bottom and work his way back up. He lost a $120m business, his home, cars and all his possessions when the Halifax Bank of Scotland, where he had most of his borrow- ings, went bust in 2008. The phone stopped ringing and no one wanted to take his calls. Kenyon and wife Charlotte were forced to live on government assistance and, at the worst of their personal crisis, the couple ate 50 cent lunches. Now just 13 years later, they are well on their way to building a billion dollar property and lifestyle empire and are the stars of a new TV show The Property Developers, which is currently being filmed in luxury locations around New Zealand. In the documentary styled show viewers get an all access pass to see the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, the reality of what it is like to get on the prop- erty ladder and how an empire is built with a series of smart daily decisions. So what has Kenyon learned from his past that he hopes to pass on to budding entrepre- neurs? “The spirit of entrepreneurship isn’t locked in a business school or in the board- room. It lives in the hearts and minds of those brave enough to walk a treacherous road, filled with unexpected detours, roadblocks, dead ends, sleepless nights, plans that don’t work out, funding that doesn’t come through and the ever-present risk of bankruptcy. “The true spirit of entrepreneurship is inde- fatigable optimism and innovation despite the rejection and criticism you will undoubtedly receive, sometimes from the people you care about the most.” So it’s no surprise that Kenyon is a keen supporter of those brave enough to choose the path of entrepreneurship, utilising his social media platforms to speak to the many aspiring business owners who write to him. He believes that an entrepreneur should add to the economy and the community but that in order to do so, profit must be the first goal. “The key to running a business successfully is to make a profit and as the leader of your business, this is your duty. It feels good to give back, and I’ve met many entrepreneurs who have this as their goal, but they need to be focusing on profit to take care of themselves, their team and their business first. Despite how much social engineering you do, you cannot extract the business or the requirement to be profitable out of entrepre- neurship. Without making a profit there is no growth, there are no jobs, there are no pay rises and there is no innovation.” Kenyon says ‘once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur’ and despite his personal challenges he has no regrets. “Entrepreneurship is a lifetime commitment and not a part-time flirtation. You have to go all-in. Despite the risks, I can promise you that it’s well worth it. “It would be far worse to have had the dream and to have never made the commit- ment to follow it.” Kenyon is the founder and the director of the Du Val Group, which also includes the Du Val Foundation, established by the Clarke fam- ily to support projects that they are passionate about, such as the partnership with South Auckland schools and their recent decision to be a principal sponsor of the Auckland Rescue Helicopter. “One of the best things about making money is giving it away,” says Kenyon. Talk to us today, the feature profile experts Phone: 03 983 5500 waterfordpress.co.nz PROFILE YOUR PROJECT... FOR ALL YOUR EXTERIOR PLASTERING NEEDS Contact us today for more information 28 Notre Dame Court, Pukekohe Phone 0274 960 923 or 0274 960 920 Email moplast@xtra.co.nz Proud to support Du Val Group