Kieren O’Connor is a young CEO from Norfolk disrupting the sales consultancy industry. We spoke to Kieren about how he overcame obstacles to find success and what he has to offer businesses in East Anglia.

Eastern Daily Press: Kieren won Rising Star of the Year at the Introbiz Business Awards 2019 Picture: Growth StreamKieren won Rising Star of the Year at the Introbiz Business Awards 2019 Picture: Growth Stream (Image: Archant)

Raised in a council house in Ditchingham, Kieren O’Connor faced a number of challenges in his early life. Growing up with an absent father, this difficult start was compounded when he was diagnosed with dyslexia – a learning disorder that has been stigmatised, he argues, with people wrongly assuming “it means you are stupid”. Kieren was determined to prove those people wrong.

He left his family home at the age of 17 and chose not to enrol at university, instead moving to Norwich to pursue a career in sales. Kieren soon distinguished himself and within one year was a top performer at Epos Now, a Norwich-based software company.

Kieren credits a lot of his early success to Epos Now owner Jacyn Heavens for pushing him to improve and giving him the chance to represent the business in Orlando, Florida. Kieren went on to become commercial director at Nobly POS at the ripe age of 22, heading up teams in Austin, Texas and Uruguay – breaking company records along the way.

“Norwich is a great city, but I had to move as all of the top salespeople are in London.”

Kieren co-founded Growth Stream in London with his business partner Costa Koizi in September 2018 with a vision to create industry-leading sales teams. To date they have earned over £10 million in sales revenue for their clients.

“Growth Stream is different. We work in a proactive way to implement the right foundations in a sales team using our trademarked four-pillar process, which involves assessing a sales team’s daily structure, touchpoint, follow up and follow back process. “We do a full sales audit and provide each business with a tailored report on how to maximise performance and create the industry-leading sales team they have always wanted.”

Growth Stream has already generated £500,000 in revenue and Kieren has set himself the ambitious target of hitting £1.5 million by 2021, which will be achieved through a number of forward-thinking business ventures. “We are currently in the process of building an online course that our customers can complete at their own pace which will be going live soon. We will also be launching a series of masterclasses and international bootcamps where attendees will be invited to an exotic location abroad for a full detox, featuring healthy food, yoga, meditation and sales training.

“We are already expanding the business through new partnerships and advertising, while I also have plans to publish my first book – all of which are key in establishing Growth Stream as a global brand.

“I am confident we will hit £1.5 million by 2021. I’ve never missed a goal in my career.”

It is precisely this kind of self-belief that led to Kieren winning Rising Star of the Year at the Introbiz Business Awards 2019.

“I was driven from a young age. I wasn’t academic and I struggled with dyslexia, but when it came to work ethic, hunger and determination, I knew I had what it takes. I have always wanted to be at work, to be learning. I wanted to get as good as I possibly could as quickly as I possibly could.”

Kieren has some tips for those beginning to forge their own career path.

“My advice is to focus on opportunity rather than money for the first five years of your career. Don’t just go for the biggest paycheck. I have built my career working with start-ups as these are the companies that offer the most opportunity to scale up as you rise through the ranks.

“Associate yourself with people who are better than you to expedite your personal growth and integrate this with a self-development plan: books, articles, podcasts, webinars, coaches, whatever works for you!”

And while Kieren’s meteoric rise has led to him finding success on three different continents, he remains connected to his roots.

“I lived in Norwich for a long time and I want to help businesses in East Anglia. We are offering two free sales audits on a first-come, first-served basis. Please get in touch to see how we can help.”

For more information please visit www.growthstream.co You can also connect with Kieren on LinkedIn at uk.linkedin.com/in/kierenoconnor or kieren@growthstream.co