Dom's Story: From passion to purpose (8/8)

If there’s one thread that runs through my story, it’s this: I never gave up.

Leaving Siemens and the training centre, I thought I was starting a business. The truth is, I was starting at the bottom all over again. I knew how to train people, but I didn’t know how to do business. I didn’t know how to dress for meetings, what to say, who to talk to, or what to focus on.

For a couple of years I contracted offshore, had a few failed starts, and questioned if I was cut out for it at all.

Lessons in leadership (good and bad)

I picked up work with Nissan and Technip FMC on the Tyne. One of those jobs I loved, with brilliant bosses. The other… I had to endure one of the worst. Egocentric, immature, impossible.

At a time when I was already thinking of giving up, he actually gave me the push I needed. He taught me exactly how not to lead a team. I realised I didn’t want to be at the mercy of someone like that ever again. If I could work for myself, maybe I could build something better.

Then came Senvion. Some great people, some not so great. More lessons. More laughs. And the third time I had to pick myself up.

The big break

After five years of “nearlys,” “next times,” and “no’s,” I finally landed two contracts at once. Some people would call it luck. I know it was the product of years of learning, failing, and not giving up.

It forced me to grow: my communication, my business acumen, my ability to show clear value. And it gave me something priceless: clients who trusted me to solve their problems. I still work with one of them today, nearly five years later.

The real challenges

The truth is, we’ve only just grown out of the “early days.” Cash flow headaches, feast and famine cycles, being at the mercy of clients. Balancing all that with real life, kids, family, and everything else, has been tough.

There were deals that fell through, investment that didn’t happen, and bad clients who paid for one thing but expected more. I’ve worked away, missed Lauren, the kids, even the dog. The hardest years were the first five, before Lauren and Kate came into my life, when all I had was debt and stubbornness.

The thing that kept me going was the same question every time:
“Are you done, or do you have more to give?”
And every time, the answer was: “I have more.”

The people who changed everything

The turning point came when Lauren came into my life. She was the first person who truly believed in me. We’ve been through thick and thin, and I couldn’t have done any of this without her support and strength.

And then Kate Cooper-Fay. Mentor, Non-Exec Director, and someone who’s been absolutely solid for me and for WTS. She knows when to step in and when to step back. Every conversation with her leaves me buzzing with belief and energy. I can’t thank her enough.

Add to that my mam, dad, and of course my kids. They’ve all been part of the fuel that kept me moving forward.

The ups worth remembering

There have been some brilliant highs.

• Delivering great equipment.
• Developing our own courses and seeing them work.
• Winning contracts.
• Flying abroad for meetings.
• Even being on the news.

But more than any single event, it’s the relationships. Our clients trust us, and we trust them. Most of them are repeat clients, because they know we mean it when we say we put people first. That’s not just a catchphrase, it’s how we operate.

From passion to purpose

Looking back, I think the younger me would believe I got here. What would surprise him most is my self-belief.

I didn’t have that then. I do now.

WTS wasn’t built overnight. It was built on years of knocks, setbacks, small wins, bigger losses, and the choice to keep going when it would’ve been easier to quit.

And that’s how passion became purpose.

Looking forward

WTS isn’t the finished article, and maybe it never will be. We’ll keep growing, keep learning, and keep improving. What matters is that we stay true to what got us here: resilience, honesty, and putting people first.

None of this was planned. But all of it mattered.