The Crisp Guy – Where It All Began
I’ll be the first to admit “The Crisp Guy” is a strange name to be known by. But I’ve grown to embrace it, because it represents a complete transformation in how I lead, how I live, and how I see myself.
Hitting the Wall
Around six years ago, I was burnt out. ATG had survived the recession, but just about. We’d lost hundreds of thousands when clients went bust. We were keeping the doors open, no redundancies — but I’d lost all joy in running the business.
After 25 years of being involved in every detail, I didn’t recognise myself anymore. Some days I couldn’t even get out of bed. My wife Rebecca was beside herself. I was depressed, demotivated, and stuck. Something had to change.
The Catalyst
Then a book arrived through the post, completely out of the blue — The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn, sent anonymously by a friend (thanks Phylip Morgan).
I hadn’t read a book since school, but one afternoon I picked it up. Three hours later, I’d read it cover to cover. It wasn’t just about a postman called Fred — it was about passion, purpose, and going above and beyond without needing recognition. It struck a chord.
That one book sparked a habit. Since then, I’ve read around 60 business and self-improvement books. Here are 10 that shaped me most:
The Fred Factor — Mark Sanborn
The E-Myth Revisited — Michael Gerber
Make a Difference — Dr. Larry Little
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team — Patrick Lencioni
The Go-Giver — Bob Burg
Turn the Ship Around! — David Marquet
Traction — Gino Wickman
Get a Grip — Gino Wickman
How to Be a Great Boss — Gino Wickman
What the Heck is EOS? — Gino Wickman
The Crisp Packet
So where does “The Crisp Guy” come from?
One morning I spotted a prawn cocktail Walkers packet on the ground right outside our office. Fifteen people worked at ATG. Fourteen of them had walked straight past it. Day after day, it sat there. Nobody touched it.
It drove me mad. I was fuming at my team — until one day, weeks later, it was gone. Not because someone at work picked it up, but because Rebecca got sick of me moaning about it and binned it herself.
At the same time, I was having a nightmare with builders on a house project. Jobs done wrong, details missed, me constantly firing and replacing people. Then one night, it hit me: the problem wasn’t them. It was me.
I had never shown them what “good” looked like. I just expected people to know.
That was the turning point. From that day on, I made a commitment to explain clearly what I wanted, to set expectations, and to trust people with responsibility.
The Transformation
Everything shifted. ATG became process-driven, not Mark-driven. The business started smashing targets. I went from 70+ hours a week to 28 — and Fridays off for lunch with Rebecca.
More than that, I found my purpose again:
To enable others to be the best they can be through creative, unique mentoring.
That’s what The Crisp Guy is all about.