A Source Of Family Business Inspiration

Source One Consulting is a business run by a small team comprising first and second generation family members who are full of entrepreneurial spirit.  Paul Andrews went to meet them to find out more.

Source One Consulting was launched by Pat and Lisa Lewis in 2002 with the ambition of creating one of East Anglia’s leading office design and refurbishment businesses. Since those early days, they have grown and expanded, developing their service to offer a couple of desks and chairs to full office refurbishments and fit outs, with a close-knit team of experts.

The team now delivers projects of all sizes from a small office to a Cat A, B and Shell & Core fit out, but have retained all the strengths of a small, agile and nimble family business.

Co-founder and Chairman of Source One Consulting, Pat has more than 40 years of comprehensive experience in the business of people, sales, project management, and consultancy. He has successfully generated extraordinary business growth through creating effective brand awareness and developing highly successful case studies.

Co-founder and Managing Director of Source One, Lisa is a lively, gregarious business owner who combines professionalism with a down-to-earth personality.

With over 25 years' experience within the Business and Office Interiors world Lisa has well rounded and valuable knowledge within this Industry.

As a practical, proactive person with single-minded attention to detail, she ensures all Source One projects are brilliant, on time and on budget.

Pat and Lisa have worked tirelessly from the start to build their business, having met when Pat was on the road selling office equipment but with no guaranteed career progression and Lisa was working for her parents in their family business which made office chairs.  Lisa was well versed in the dynamics of family firms, having been brought up in one and spent many years working with her family.

Starting out with £5,000 that they had borrowed, Pat and Lisa set out to build their business. 

As Lisa explains, “We worked really hard and did what we had to do, making the most of the opportunities that came our way.  I remember that Lloyds and SAGE had teamed up to offer customers a free website, when the internet was first available, so we took them up on the offer and our first web presence soon followed."

"It might have been a simple site, and looked very much like everyone else but it gave us a presence and helped us in those early days."

"Hard work and determination to succeed is in our blood, it’s a family thing, so we just got on with it and took one step at a time.”

As Pat recalls, “We built the business on relationships, trust and customer service, doing all we could to exceed customer expectations and over time were being asked to do more for our customers and the business grew."

"It was hard work, but we loved it and were happy to work hard to build the business.”

The business continued to grow and in 2017, Chloe Hector, Lisa’s daughter, joined the business.  Chloe has similar traits to her Mum, being highly driven, hard working with a strong attention to detail.  She quickly progressed from being a management trainee to being an important part of the business, working with clients on projects of all sizes.

Chloe was always destined to work in the family business, having done her GCSE’s and then her A levels and gained work experience at Tesco, saving money and was actively encouraged to go to university by her teacher. 

As Chloe adds, “It was not going to be for me, and we fell out about it.  I made my own choice, and some might call me headstrong, but university was not for me, and I stepped into work.  From a young age I remember sitting in the office with Mum at the business she was working in with my grandparents and I knew that was what I wanted to do, and it was in 2017 that I joined the team.”

The business continued to grow, and the family worked well together, delivering a range of projects for their customers, and then in 2020, the global pandemic arrived, and things changed, as they did for all businesses the world over. 

Lockdown duly followed and the team had to work hard to keep things going, recognising that there was an opportunity to help create environments in which people could work safely, something that has continued subsequently.

This is a close-knit family that are well versed in working hard, sharing the same values and supporting each other through thick and thin.  Their relationships as a family and working together in business were further challenged in 2021 when Lisa was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to step away from the business whilst undergoing treatment. 

Chloe, who at the time was 23, stepped up to the plate and ran the business.  Chloe was selfless with her emotions when her Mum was diagnosed and underwent a massive operation. 

As Pat explains, “Chloe was invested in the business, in our family with her siblings and single handily steered the ship at Source One for a few months which allowed Lisa to recover and afforded me the time to support Lisa and help her siblings.”

“At that time Source One had major projects on the go that clients, whilst understanding and supporting Source One, needed to continue and to move toward completion. Chloe’s ability to compartmentalise the business and her personal feelings and emotions were that of someone of a much older head with the life experience to match. This was recognised and commented on by her peers, clients, suppliers and her mentor.”

“She is a truly remarkable young lady and deserving of recognition for all that she has done, and continues to do, to make Source One the business that it is today,” continues Pat.

As Chloe adds, “This was a game changer for me and I did what had to be done."

"It was very much fight or flight and whilst I was in at the deep end I had no choice but to keep going and do what we needed as a family and as a business, for us all.  It was not easy, but we go through it and have come out stronger as a result, both as a family and as a family business.”

Chloe’s sister, Ellie, supported Chloe throughout and after initially joining the business on a part time basis, now serves as the dedicated Health and Safety champion at Source One, a position she assumed after joining the family business in 2023.

Ellie brings a strong commitment to maintaining a secure and hazard-free work environment for all employees and their extended team on Source One projects.

With clearly defined roles and a structure that works well for them, the family team at Source One are on a journey, but as Lisa explains, boundaries are important.  “I had some difficult times growing up in a family business and am fully aware that as a result I have a desire to do things differently to maintain our relationships."

"Both girls have their own homes, so we are able to get time apart, respect each other and for me this is important.  I get the need for boundaries because of my journey, and it is really important.”

Pat and Lisa love what they do, and like many family business founders, are passionate about what they do and how they do it.  As Lisa continues, “When I was unwell, I really missed the business.  I missed working long hours, but my cancer diagnosis was a wakeup call and taught me the need to stop and take time out for me, and whilst I missed work it was a proud moment to see Chloe flourish.”

Family businesses are all about the dynamics and relationships within them and as a blended family, Source One is no different.  Pat has a son, Josh, from a previous marriage who's Mother sadly passed away in 2009 and Lisa adopted Josh as her own.  “Chloe and Ellie were brilliant with Josh from day one and have been ever since and he is part of the family.  It was not easy with three kids and trying to run a business during times which were often challenging but the business was the glue and kept us going,” continues Lisa.

"Whether the children work in the family business or not, they are all important to the business!"

As Pat continues, “Growing a business from scratch is not easy and Lisa and I went for periods in the early days when we never took salaries but we worked through it together and it is great to see where the business is today as a result of all the work we put in back then.”

Family values and being part of the community are important and right from the early days Source One has given back.  “We truly believe that if you take out from the community, it is good to give back,” continues Pat, “and that is something rooted in the heart of the business and our ongoing support for local sports teams, food banks and other community projects.”

As time has progressed and with both Chloe and Ellie getting more involved in the business, Pat has been able to take a step back, focusing on strategy and other business interests within the Source One ‘Group’.  “I love business and all the mechanics associated with running businesses and now have the opportunity to do other things with the business and we are growing a diversified group of operations that will provide a legacy for future generations.  Lisa and I are proud of what we are building, doing it the right way and adding to the Source One family and we are delighted with the way that the journey continues today.”

“We are a business that is based on a real sense of purpose, prepared to roll up our sleeves and do the dirty as well as the glamorous and go the extra mile to make things work and exceed expectations.  Every day is a workday, and we get to work closely with our family so what is not to like and be appreciative of?”

“Add to the mix the people we get to work with, and you’ll have more of an understanding of what life is like at Source One too, “continues Lisa. 

“Electricians, Builders, Plumbers, Fitters, the extended Source One family includes our expert trades people. We are proud to have built up a close-knit group of experienced and awesome contractors and suppliers over the years, people we trust to deliver brilliant work for our client's time and time again.  They are all part of the family and share our values, commitment and help us deliver the incredible projects that we do, each and every day,” she concludes.

Find out more at www.sourceoneconsulting.co.uk