Who is Joshua Cole?
A good question!
Why should you listen to me? Who am I, exactly?
People often describe me as “a man on a mission”, which is fair.
I’m certainly a workaholic, which is one reason I get so much done in each 24-hour period. My “work” is my life. I can’t sit still, can’t ‘let things lie’, and absolutely cannot ever waste either money or time on non-productive activity.
My progress at school was unremarkable, and I brought up two boys as a single parent. Despite this ignominious background and balancing my duties as a father with earning enough money to support us, I knew instinctively that education would be the key to my eventual success.
So, I studied hard in my very limited available ‘down time’ and started accruing valuable qualifications through distance learning. Ultimately, I also attended and achieved a First Class Honours Degree in Social Work from Sheffield Hallam University.
In fact, I was so taken with distance learning I founded MyDistance Learning College, an online educational institution that ultimately helped more than 30,000 students achieve their own goals and gain worthwhile qualifications to improve their lives. This was my first business venture, and its success spurred me on to other significant achievements.
I’m now (with both boys ‘out there’ blazing their own trails) a highly qualified, experienced, and effective Entrepreneur and Business Professional, with a Master’s Degree in Advanced Professional Practice. As a Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist, I also have Post Graduate Diplomas in Child Care Law, Child Protection, and Mental Health (CBT – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy).
Never one to ‘sit on my hands’, as alluded to earlier – I later qualified as a Tier 4 (highest level) Paralegal (Lawyer), and Fellow of the Institute of Paralegals.These qualifications underpin my subsequent wide-ranging experience and competence in multiple commercial sectors and disciplines.
How can I help you?
As an established commercial leader, influencer, and Chartered Manager (Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, CMI) I have expertise in corporate governance, and am an active member of the UK Institute of Directors (IoD). Peers within the wider business professional ‘community’ regard me as an inspirational, visionary leader and a ‘safe pair of hands’.
I have comprehensive experience of building, developing, mentoring, and sustaining successful teams, and create structure by adding process and procedure to operations, which I’ve done effectively in several commercial sectors, including Education and Training, Health and Social Care, Property Investment, Development and Management (both Domestic and Commercial), and in Vehicle and Hire Fleet Management.
Successful Business Investments
In 2011 I founded Focus Awards Limited, a nationally recognised company and regulated awarding body accountable to the UK Government via Ofqual, through which I developed a significant range of c. 300 professional qualifications and educational products up to degree level. The value of the business today is c.£6m ($7.2m). I have also invested in several entrepreneurial and philanthropic projects, of which relevant ventures to-date include:
- Purchased 8,000 sq ft commercial office building in 2014 and cleared mortgage finance within 1 year. The building is currently leased to three separate blue chip business tenants on commercial renewable terms.
- Developed a large domestic property portfolio, completing outright purchase of 20 residential homes in just 24 months to rent out as affordable housing in deprived areas of South Yorkshire. The resulting business is valued at £10m ($12m)
- Achieved Accredited Landlord status with the National Association of Residential Landlords (NRLA) in UK and is now also a Member of the USA’s National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM).
- Created Property Management consultancy (https://www.wemanageyourproperty.com) to assist other landlords with marketing and promoting their properties, managing their tenancies, and providing a knowledge and support hub in a highly competitive, challenging, and rapidly changing marketplace.
- My most recent venture entailed an investment of substantial personal funds (c. $350k / £320k in USA to execute outright purchase of a luxury condominium in Orlando, Florida in late 2023, together with a vehicle rental fleet (15 cars, currently) to appeal to the voracious Orlando tourist rental market. The process of establishing the GoOrlando Vacation Rentals LLC business is already yielding rental income and generating profits only 8 months since inception.
Go Orlando Vacation Rentals LLC
This US LLC (Limited Liability Company, equivalent to a Limited Company in UK) is already producing income and building its reputation in Orlando. Ongoing success at this early developmental stage needs my presence as CEO periodically (every six weeks for two to three weeks at a time) in the USA to ensure it is guided and directed along the correct path.
Although working with local business leaders (one of whom is employed in USA by the LLC), my “exceptional entrepreneurial acumen” (not my words, I hasten to add), together with the direct management, leadership, and control skills I bring to the venture, are fundamental to success. The necessary desired results and returns cannot be achieved by an employee or contractor, or by managing remotely ‘at arms’ length.’
I directly controls all operations and decision making ‘on the ground’, where I ensure my funds are disbursed in the most efficient and effective way for both the LLC’s benefit and the business’ ongoing success. In so doing, the contribution and benefit GoOrlando brings to the local community and economy will be maintained and make employment of further Florida residents possible.
This is the way I operate. I never ‘take my eye off the ball.’ I can do this for you, too…
Focus Awards LTD
I personally created fully compliant business systems, policies and procedures to drive the business forward in a highly competitive and heavily regulated operating environment from a standing start to today’s value of £6m / $7.2m This extraordinary growth has been generated entirely through my relentless personal stewardship (and bringing in and developing good people who form my ‘home team’), shrewd deployment of my diverse range of skill sets, and my proven entrepreneurial capability.
Focus Awards now employs more than 25 staff, including infrastructure and developers in India, Pakistan, and the Philippines, who have helped facilitate growth of the core business. Under my careful ‘hand on’ direction, bespoke, state-of-the-art management systems have been created to effectively fund and support my other entrepreneurial ventures. I can do this for you, too…
Previous entrepreneurial, philanthropic, and development ventures have included:
Family Minds, Children’s Charity
Family Minds (previously Home Start Rotherham) is a registered charity that works with parents to build confidence, enhance existing skills, and empower them to regain control of their lives. As Trustee and Supervising Social Worker, my professional contributions included:
- Development of the necessary policies and procedures for the organisation’s safeguarding
- Supervision of volunteer support workers with varying levels of ability and
- Planned, developed, and delivered training to volunteers and parents in several critical
- Interfaced and liaised with local authorities and third-sector
BPDWORLD, Mental Health Charity
I created and ran this charity as Founder, CEO, and its primary Practitioner. As a direct result of BPDWORLD being a Stakeholder for the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) Guideline on Borderline Personality Disorder, I was requested personally to formally support the Quality Standard for Borderline Personality Disorder.
- I organised and facilitated conferences on BPD, which have included contributions from key speakers and subject matter experts such as Professor Anthony Bateman, Consultant Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist, and Honorary Senior Lecturer at University College, London (UCL).
- I have contributed to various mainstream media presentations, including the BBC radio programme “All in the mind”, with Dr. Raj Persaud (Consultant Psychiatrist and Gresham Professor for Public Understanding of Psychiatry), and a documentary on BPD “Too late for Kate”, which investigated the theories, causes and treatment of the disorder.
- I manage a clinical team of psychotherapists and volunteer helpline workers, operate a drop-in centre, and provide free counselling services, including a national telephone helpline. I also direct all day-to-day operations, including the management of a team of 20 mental health support workers. My professional oversight includes:
- Interface with Primary Care Trusts and service professionals to develop communication and ancillary support infrastructures.
- Monitoring and controlling the effectiveness of work with mental health clients, ensuring that clients’ confidentiality and sensitivities are preserved.
- Directing and controlling legal and compliance issues, ensuring that ethical standards and practices are maintained, rigorously observed and consistently delivered.
MyDistance Learning College
Mentioned earlier, as Managing Director and Senior Tutor, I created and set up this brand-new, groundbreaking distance learning establishment to further expand the much-needed flexible learning environment for people unable to attend full-time tertiary education.
- Through shrewd marketing tactics and reputation management, I quickly built the college up to service and inspire over 32,000 students and generated more than one million pounds (£1m) turnover.
- We were the first online/distance learning institution to market in the crowded and competitive ‘online deal’ space. I brokered deals worth several million pounds with sector leaders, including Groupon, Amazon and Reed.
- Pioneered unique tailored offers completely unheard of in distance learning, which included free digital tablets with orders.
- Created innovative new technologies and student management systems that were ultimately rolled out to other providers and even adopted by competitors.
Do you think I could help you maximise returns in your business or venture? Without wanting to sound arrogant, I know I can. My track record speaks for itself…
Contact me TODAY for a no-obligation chat to explore (endless) possibilities…
