- What is your name and what is the name of your business?
My name is Ben Elsey and my business name is Macen.
- What does the business do and who are your customers?
We are a firm of chartered quantity surveyors, regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). We provide quantity surveying and project management services to private clients and developers for delivery of various construction projects across London, Surrey and Sussex. Schemes vary from new build projects to refurbishments.
We become involved at the earliest stages of a project — often prior to planning — enabling clients to establish a realistic budget and make informed design decisions from the outset. Once planning permission has been granted, we can take the client through the all the design stages of delivery from helping them find a contractor, cost management through to completion and handover. Projects vary from hospitality, residential, mixed-use schemes to high-end residential projects London and South of England.
- What’s the history of the business & what’s your role within the business?
I started the business just as Covid hit. Day one of trading coincided exactly with the country shutting down, which was understandably daunting! I had two small kids and so working from my bedroom in a small house was difficult! It was an extremely stressful and intense period, but I just worked every hour I could to get the business going. Thankfully, during Covid, the building industry proved more resilient than many others and work carried on. Sites were set up to be safe to work with Covid-friendly measures. And then it really boomed. People moving south out of London to Surrey and Sussex really drove the construction industry down here and I managed to ride that wave. I am grateful we came through that period stronger than expected — having built a solid reputation, established trusted relationships, and secured repeat clients. Today the majority of our work comes through referrals and word of mouth.
- How long have you had an office here at Freshmill and why were you looking for a space like this?
I moved into Freshmill six months after I started the business, not long after it opened. I began as a hot-desker working alone and came here every day as Covid continued, which was great. It gave me separation from home. It just wasn’t practical being there with two very young children, especially as my job involves being on the phone so much speaking to project managers.
- Why does Freshmill work well for you and your business?
For us as a business, Freshmill is a really nice space. It is a turn-key office, so everything is here for us. Everyone is always super-complimentary when they come here and clients enjoy visiting. The staff love working here too. The location is also great, being walking distance from the station is excellent. We regularly use the meeting rooms for presentations and the different quiet spaces available are really useful.
- What is the most important lesson you have gained from your career so far?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned since launching the business has been about leadership. As a business owner, you quickly realise that your leadership style sets the tone for everything.
In the construction industry, challenges are inevitable. Issues arise on projects, difficult conversations need to be had with clients, and solutions must be found quickly. At the same time, you have a team relying on you for support and motivation. Keeping morale high, ensuring people feel valued, and creating an environment where they enjoy their work is just as important as delivering successful projects.
Being the sole director also brings challenges. Ultimately, the responsibility sits with me, and there isn’t anyone to naturally bounce ideas off or share the weight of key decisions. Managing cashflow while ensuring projects are delivered on time and to the right standard is a constant balancing act.
That said, the rewards of running your own business far outweigh the pressures. It offers a level of flexibility that you simply don’t have when working for someone else. I can shape the direction of the company, choose the clients and projects we take on, and build a team of people who share the same values and standards.
Family is also incredibly important to me. I want to create an environment where everyone here can achieve a healthy work–life balance.
- Where do you hope to be in 5 years’ time?
We are planning to double the size of the team this year, which represents a very positive step. Over the next five years, the objective is to establish a small to medium-sized consultancy with a strong leadership team, a loyal base of repeat clients, and a steady stream of work from both repeat clients and new ones.
Developing young professionals is an important part of that vision. I benefited greatly from professionals in the industry investing time in my development, and I am committed to doing the same. It is vital to the long-term growth of the business, and exciting to watch them grow and succeed.
In time, I hope to step back from leading as many construction projects myself allowing the team can take some of the strain. This will help me to adjust my work life balance, so things are a bit more controlled!
So ultimately it is more of the same, continuing to grow the company in a sustainable way whilst maintaining our reputation of a high level of quality of work.
8. What advice would you give your younger self just starting out?
If you are looking to get into the industry and are interested in surveying, then I would recommend looking for a company that will support you through an apprenticeship and University degree on a RICS accredited course. This way you get to work 4 days a week in industry and then one day at uni. That is how I qualified and we are supporting an apprentice through this journey at the moment. It will take you a bit longer, but I think you become a much more solid surveyor when you it comes to becoming a chartered surveyor.
Secondly it is important to try to work in different sectors rather than narrowing your experience. At Macen we don’t just work with clients, we work with contractors as well, so on both sides of the fence, which is quite rare in this industry and gives us all a full skillset across the broad spectrum.
9. What is your favourite quote/mantra?
‘The harder I work the luckier I get’. Originally said by the South African golfer Gary Player, I think it is a great quote. People often say I am a really lucky person, but I think it is more about how hard I work!
10. If you could, who would you switch places with for the day, and why?
I think it would probably be someone like Gordon Ramsey – Gordon Ramsay is both super-skilled at what he does, but also such an incredible leader (but also a bit like marmite too!!). I would love to understand how he grew his business to where it is today, and how he has setup a business that is now global. He has to ensure that the business continues to turn out high quality food, service and experience for all his clients everyday – when he isn’t around too. He has a business where everyone understands what high standards means and being consistent every day is critical to his continued success, which is fascinating for me while growing my business.
