Rory James MacLaren-Jackson is a British entrepreneur, multi-discipline business specialist, speaker, personality, promoter, musician and writer. He is known for his maverick style and dynamic, counter-culture approach to life and business. Entrepreneurship With a unique, often highly alternative business style, especially in relation to marketing and promotion, MacLaren-Jackson has successfully developed interests in lettings and property management, video production, life coaching, business training, youth enterprise, martial arts, health and fitness, financial trading and investment. MacLaren-Jackson has a flair for new start-ups, starting many of his businesses from scratch. He now also advises others on the best strategies for successfully starting their business and keeping it profitable. Business Style A strong believer in the freedom and positive lifestyle that self-employment can provide, MacLaren-Jackson shares his experience and enthusiasm through his training and regular contributions to business and enterprise training channel TheBusinessLadder.co.uk. Regarding the future of business and enterprise, he has commented that: “What we have seen in recent years is the failure of the ‘corporate model’ for a large number of people trying to build a career in the traditional sense. There has been a global shift in the demands of the employment market and a great deal of education has been lacking in addressing this and/or is out of date by the time it is delivered. "These are times of exponential change and to get different results in life and business you need to actually do something different. Do it whilst embracing and adapting to new technologies and working methods, but most of all do it with the old-fashioned values of enterprise that have stood the test of time - innovation, tenacity and the willingness to take a calculated risk for a definable reward.” Writing (‘Rory James’) Writing under his middle names, MacLaren-Jackson co-wrote the book Dude, Where’s My Career? with Luke Della Robbia in 2007, a humorous and witty analysis of the concept of a modern career. In the same year, he founded the Artists & Saboteurs online collective for showcasing interesting artists and creative projects. In 2008, he teamed up with Luke Della Robbia again to write the stageplay The Escape Artists, featuring a downtrodden office worker and an aspiring painter who enact a bold plan to attain their respective goals. As well as ongoing work on comedies and short stories, he frequently posts poetry and other creative works on his blog, where other artists are also welcome to contribute and promote their work. Music MacLaren-Jackson is a bass guitarist and vocalist, having first played in bands in his teens. In late 2008, he began work on a new collaborative project, combining Punk, New Wave, Indie and Art Rock influences. Martial Arts and Healing MacLaren-Jackson has trained in the martial arts since the early 1990s. He is a qualified instructor in the , training with internationally renowned experts Alan Orr Sifu and Guro Mark Wiley. In addition, he is a qualified Qi Gong practitioner and has trained in massage therapy. MacLaren-Jackson is also a keen student of martial philosophy, and the influence of this is evident in both his personal and his business style. Other Qualifications MacLaren-Jackson holds a BA (Hons) History of Art and Film from the University of Leicester and a from the . Rating experience over qualifications, he prefers to point to tangible achievements rather than relying on “mere pieces of paper”, saying on one occasion that “business is like football in that way, you really are only as good as your last game”.