Real Business

14 September, 2007: Millionaires’ Mission – week one

What the hell am I doing?!

The day has finally arrived. Have I gone completely mad? Have fatherhood and all the late nights at the office finally pushed me over the edge? Am I really going to be sleeping in a tent in rural Uganda for almost a month? It would appear so. Millionaires’ Mission is go!

So, what’s this all about? Well, a while ago now I was approached by Silver River, a production company who were looking to find eight entrepreneurs to ship out to an impoverished region of Uganda as part of a series for Channel 4, Millionaires’ Mission.

The idea was that each entrepreneur would put in their own money and then take up a challenge from World Vision (a charity on the ground out there) to see whether enterprise can really make a difference in the future of developing countries.

No brief, no fixed projects to do, just a fund of money, the advice and support of the charity and our entrepreneurial skills. Up to us what we do and how we do it. Sounds intriguing, eh? Well, I thought so. But then it’s easy to think that when you’re sitting in your office sipping a coffee surrounded by all your creature comforts.

So that’s how this came to be. Me, standing outside my house, “creature comforts” reduced to two bags, looking at my wife and son waving goodbye at the front door. No backing out now.

Bring it on

The journey to the airport was definitely one of mixed emotions. I was really choked at leaving Heidi and Max behind. Max is 16 months now and changing so fast. I realise it’s only a month apart, but I know he’ll change in that time and I’m going to be really sad to be missing it.

Then there was the worry. I’ve got pretty much zero first-hand experience of charity work “at the coal face”. I’m a marketing guy. What good are those skills going to be in rural Uganda? Am I even going to be able to make a difference? Am I even going to cope out there? Am I just going to end up looking like a complete idiot (well, more than usual anyway)?

And then I arrived at the airport and all of those emotions were quickly forgotten when I found a camera being thrust in my face. Here we go... When I used to work in ad agencies I’d always be on the other side of the camera.

Back then I never really gave a second thought as to how hard it was to be the one being filmed. So here I am at the airport, camera in face, emotions swirling around, trying to think of the right things to say. Not good.

We’d done a fair bit of pre-filming – just scene setting type stuff. It struck me during that filming that I’d have to really think of some interesting things to say on camera or this was going to be four hours of really boring TV. Despite this resolve, I’m sure that I still came across completely like a rabbit in the headlights. Surely, it’ll get easier though.

Meeting the rest of the Mission Crew

During the pre-prep for the series, Silver River was fairly cloak-and-dagger about the names of the other entrepreneurs taking part. I think their concern was that we’d all get together and start scheming and planning off camera before we set off. Which is probably exactly what would have happened, truth be told.

The eight of us had met up once before for a day of pre-planning but hadn’t had a chance get to know each other at all. So, save the background research that I’m sure we’d all done on each other (and a couple of covert phone calls, of which the production crew knew nothing…), this was the first time we’d all properly met. So here’s a round-up of the others and my first impressions of them:

Deirdre Bounds: She runs a travel company called i-to-i. I think she might be tough to win over – she and I are a bit like chalk and cheese.

Tony Callaghan: Tony’s the founder of the Yesteryear pub chain. I immediately like him – funny, kind and trusting. I’m really pleased we’ve got someone like that in the group.

Steve Morgan: Steve’s a construction guy who founded Redrow Homes. I’m sure he just sees me as some ponce from London. I’m not sure how well we’ll get on, but we’ll see.

Pepita Diamand: Pepita founded a wedding list service called Wrapit. She and I have already spoken on the phone a couple of times. I knew at once I’d like her. We both live in the same neck of the woods and are into the same kind of things. Great fun!

Dominic McVey: Dom made his first million by the time 15 importing those micro-scooters (you know, the ones that have you wide-eyed with fear as young children race towards you on them completely out of control). I like Dom. He’s a young guy who’s bright and ballsy, just what I think we need for something like this.

Yvonne Thompson: Yvonne founded Choice FM and a PR company called ASAP and has done a load of great community work as well. I’m worried she might not take to me, but we’ll see.

Shahid Azeem: Amir Khan’s uncle and an IT guru. Seems like a nice guy – really into his charity work.

So how will these intrepid explorers Crew get on without their creature comforts? Watch this space for more of Seb's diary entries...More diary entries from Seb Bishop:

Goodbye Blighty, hello AfricaSwapping five-star luxury for makeshift tentsEmotions run highEco-tourism – a potential goldmine?