Beales traces his work back to humble beginnings. “I was born in rural Norfolk, where there wasn’t much choice: bricklayer, farmer, builder,” he recalls. “At school, I watered the nursery. I had an affinity for it; I took an interest in what I was doing. I worked for five years at a nursery, studying horticulture and botany.” His talent for horticulture was put on hold for a short time while he took a larger look at life. “I joined the royal artillery, spent two years in national service, and saw there was a big wide world out there, which I hadn’t been aware of as a country bumpkin,” he laughs.
After completing his national service, Beales worked at a rose nursery in the south of England, but he was soon faced with a choice. “I had two options: an advanced degree or starting out on my own. So I rented a small piece of land in Surrey and built a house on borrowed money,” he says. With his natural knack for the rose business, Beales soon moved on to greener pastures. “In the 1960’s I cashed in,” he adds, “and I had enough to buy a small nursery back at my roots in Norfolk: two and a half acres and a small house. Then I moved on to 10 acres in Attleborough, took on staff, and began to show at Chelsea and other national shows.”
The 10-acre nursery in Attleborough has now grown into one the biggest rose nurseries in England, raising more than 250,000 roses each year. With a quiet pride and dignity, Beales relates, “We publish a catalogue, direct to public; we’ve won 20 gold medals at the Chelsea flower show, [as well as] gold medals at many other shows.”
Beales has also demonstrated keen business acumen by expanding his enterprise in several ways. He says, ”We have a mail order business, 24-hour arrangements with carriers, and we even send to garden centers in Japan and China.”
Even in the rose business, however, Beales pointed out that bureaucracy interferes with the flow of operations. “We have a small window in April because of ‘plant health’. Not anything to do [really] with health, but regulations say you need soil inspection – we do it every two years; America requires it every year. “Red tape” he laments.
Peter Beales Roses Ltd. is a very personal enterprise: a way to express his affinity for people as well as his affinity for plants. And he makes sure to credit those who have helped him along the way. “I had a great mentor, Edward Legrice, at my first job. I also learned a lot in the army. I was the driver for a captain, who was good at man management. I learned a lot, especially the importance of motivation,” he said. “I make sure that my staff enjoy their jobs and that I provide a reasonable salary. One of my employees has been with me 28 years; another has been with me 25 years.”
As a successful businessman, Beales knows how to stay afloat financially. “My advice to anyone starting out as an entrepreneur is to take a foundation course in running a business. Marketing is key, maybe even more important than growing, so we have an expert marketing team.”
It is also important to Beales that the nursery operates in a way that is consistent with the green movement. He explains, “We are totally in tune with the environmental movement. Peat is depleting rapidly, so we substitute coconut fiber and other [more sustainable] products.”
Peter Beales Roses Ltd. has proven to be fertile soil for Beales’s inherent passion and talents. His children are getting involved in the family business, and the future looks bright.
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