About Derek Gallimore

Derek Gallimore has been in business over 20 years. He has evolved significantly in that time, in terms of business but also his life and ambitions.

Below are some of Derek’s main interests and pillars. These help define who Derek Gallimore is, and what he’s all about.

Derek Gallimore on business

Derek is passionate about business. It’s not about making money and the oft-crticised capitalist tendencies, but rather it’s about the art of creating something from nothing. It’s about finding a need, and servicing it. About finding that itch, and scratching it… Business to Derek is quite an artform. People might see business as binary spreadsheets, but Derek sees business very much as an art. There’s a myriad of open ended decisions within business, and it’s how you navigate through these that determines who you are as a person, and what the company you’re building stands for as a result.

Derek Gallimore read the book Maverick, by Ricardo Semler when he was about 19 years old. This book single-handedly changed his life. It (further) inspired Derek down the path of entrepreneurship, but it also inspired him to build ethical, open companies. Companies that produce a positive impact for the people it serves, as well as the people working within it.

Property development

Derek Gallimore has worked very hard for everything. Nothing was achieved without Derek putting in long hours, and commonly finding a solution to something which at first seemed impossible.

Derek Gallimore was fortunate enough to buy his first investment property in London at 24 years old. However, it was only a fortunate outcome because he worked incredibly hard to make it happen. Everything in business requires an aspect of good timing, serendipity and luck, but it also requires a huge amount of dedication, grit, discipline and blood sweat and tears…

After the purchase of this first property, he bought another one only six months later. He then purchased a series more, and also redeveloped and renovated them.

Serviced apartments

This was the biggest business venture that Derek embarked on to date. The journey was nine years in total. Derek set this business up almost off the cuff. In 2008, the global financial crisis happened which meant that he could no longer buy and develop property (the banking system virtually shut down in UK). So, he went looking for new business opportunities.

Derek Gallimore found that there was an opportunity in providing serviced apartments to travellers ona short term basis. This was back in 2009 when this was FAR FAR less common that it is today. This was prior to Airbnb and prior to the general public awareness of being able to rent an apartment on a short-term basis.

When Derek Gallimore started the company, it was a disruptive product, and relatively unique. The business was a success, and for 9 years provided incredible accommodation in the centre of London, to thousands of leisure and corporate guests.

Unfortunately, by 2016, the busies started to struggle. This has been the hardest journey for Derek Gallimore. By 2016, the company was facing immense competition from Airbnb and the thousands of other apartment providers. Top-line revenues (per apartment) had dropped about 35%+, costs were climbing, and margins were being squeezed from every angle. Eventually the company collapsed – and was put into liquidation.

Derek fought a hard fight for this company. He liquidated ALL of his personal assets and put it all into the company, in an effort to salvage it. He lost all of the wealth he had accrued from his property development, and basically everything from prior to starting that venture. On top of that, it was nine years of his life, gone, which he completely dedicated to this enterprise.

There is a saying that “you either ‘win’, or you ‘learn’”. Meaning that the real learning comes through the losses and the tough times. Derek really believes that he has learned an incredible amount during his time in business, and especially during the tough times.

Derek Gallimore and his passions

Derek Gallimore is immensely passionate about the following:

Business and entrepreneurship (as a force for good).
Life, health longevity
Luxury watches

Entrepreneurship

Derek is really fully-invested in entrepreneurship and commerce. He believes it’s a force for good in the world.

With well-intended and evenly distributed commerce and capitalism, it can be one of the most powerful catalysts to pull the word from poverty and provide its population with opportunity.

Health & longevity

Derek Gallimore is a bit of a health nut. He has never been into traditional sports (and has never watched a game of sports on TV), but started going to the gym at a tender age of 16. He got heavily involved in weightlifting and at 19 won the title of National Teenage Bodybuilding Champion (in New Zealand).

Weightlifting is definitely not the healthiest of sports, but it set him on a path of conscientious body and health awareness.

Today, he is much less about weights, but more about functional fitness, movement, balance and longevity. He has an ambition to live many years longer than the expected norm.

Instead of this just being crazy-talk, there’s now a growing movement of very well funded and influential people in Silicon Valley (amongst other places) that are turning their energies into longevity and bio-sciences. Derek Gallimore is super excited about what developments will come from Silicon Valley in the bio-technology realm over the next 50 years. There’s a significant school of thought that our generation could be the last generation to die… That’s an exciting concept to ponder for Derek.

Luxury Watches

Derek Gallimore has a guilty pleasure – and that’s luxury watches. He likes to live simply, but also enjoys the fruits of life. Derek loves watches from the perspective that they are about the pursuit of mechanical and engineering mastery. They achieve some of the most incredible mechanical feats, do so all within the confines of a tiny 44mm case – and on top of that, they’re designed to look uncompromisingly fabulous.

It’s because of the combination of Derek’s passion for business, and his love for watches that he has launched Chronohaus.

Chronohaus is about changing the way people look at, wear and experience luxury watches. Chronohaus is a subscription based luxury watch service. With a membership, you just pay one simple monthly fee, and you get to experience not just one watch, but up to 12 incredible watches each year. Why would you buy just ONE watch when you can get to wear 12 luxury pieces in one year? You’re never without a watch, and the service is about pure enjoyment and zero hassle.

Other interests

Derek Gallimore is also passionately involved in two other companies, Outsource Accelerator, and Keeping Good Company.

Outsource Accelerator

Derek Gallimore has 20 year’s business experience, 6+ years of outsourcing experience, and 3+ years of living in Manila – the world’s outsourcing capital.

Outsource Accelerator is the culmination of the vast experience, and is a response to the growing need for more accessible information and education around outsourcing, offshoring and BPO. Derek is passionate about outsourcing and wants to get as many business owners doing it, as possible.

Outsource Accelerator is an independent unbiased source of information, education and advisory for the sector. Over 95% of the content on the website is completely free.

www.outsourceaccelerator.com

Keeping Good Company

Keeping Good Company offers phone based conversation, companionship and personal development for the isolated and lonely elderly of the UK.

There are over four million chronically lonely elderly in the UK. The social and health effects of this are devastating.

Derek leveraged his knowledge of outsourcing to come up with a solution. Keeping Good company is committed to offering an accessible and affordable service, for all. The solution is so simple, and fulfils such a basic human need.

Derek proudly employs a team in Manila Philippines who buddy up, and chat with the UK clients. The results are sensational.

www.keepinggood.company