Silas Walton is the founder and CEO of A Collected Man, the curated consignment platform for rare watches. With the pre-owned luxury watch market booming over the last few years, fuelled by a new breed of upscale retailers and an increased appetite in sustainable fashion, Silas talks about the challenges of operating in high-growth market and the importance of client feedback.
What’s keeping you busy?
We’re just moving into a new office and the myriad range of problems that come up, unexpectedly and regularly, are quite remarkable. We’re also aiming to double the size of the team in the next 6-9 months, so recruitment is pretty much the theme of Q3 and 4, of 2021.
What new ideas or opportunities are set to become part of your future business fabric?
We’re investing heavily in creating interesting, original content. So far, the focus has been on written articles, but we plan to make a meaningful push into video in the coming months. We’re definitely a bit late to the party, but we didn’t want to start unless we could do it properly. The new office includes a video studio – so the timing feels right.
What are the biggest challenges you are facing right now?
Right now, I feel like we’re simultaneously putting out fires in our existing house (and having to prioritise which bits of the house to save) whilst building a new floor. I think that’s a similar problem experienced by anyone in a high growth market, having to scale-up to meet opportunity, but conscious of all the gaps in operating capacity.
Is there anything you know now that you’d wish you’d known at the start of your career?
Hire the best you can afford and then delegate. Also don’t wait until you start to feel the capacity and skill gaps – by then it’s too late. Recruit in advance and raise capital accordingly.
Who have been your most important professional mentors / influencers?
Our clients – their support and feedback has had the biggest positive impact on our learning curve, and ultimately, our success.
What has been the hardest thing for you to face or learn?
Accepting that I have no natural aptitude in a whole range of areas and embracing it, rather than letting it foster a sense of insecurity. The moment you stop feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable, is the moment you start growing.
A book you’ve recently read and would recommend?
I don’t get as much time to read as I would like, but recently finished “No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention” by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer. Fantastic book. There’s a fair amount that I wouldn’t try to import into how we operate, but I think the fundamental ideas around talent density, open feedback and thinking of companies as elite sports teams, rather than families, are very good.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Seinfeld and a beer.
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