Common sense, backing the right people and why the guys with dollar signs in their eyes don’t make money

Endless founder Garry Wilson opens up to Sheryl Moore on the best of times, and the why the worst day of his life turned out to be a blessing

Hello Rainmakers,

A real treat for you here.

With three deals completing in as many weeks including exits from TC Edibles Group and supplies and service distributor, evo, it has been a busy month for Endless. As the private equity firm celebrates two decades in business, Sheryl Moore met up with co-founder Garry Wilson for a look back at the highs and lows of the Endless journey.

A round up of the week’s highlights will follow this afternoon…

The Belfast Boy

More than £1.5bn raised, 100 investments and 40,000 jobs safeguarded, not a bad achievement for one of eight kids raised on a Belfast council estate during the troubles.

Garry Wilson has put Yorkshire on the map for mid-market private equity, and his passion for the regions is perhaps unrivalled. It is this dedication that saw him recently crowned Yorkshire Ambassador of the Year, an award he says was an ‘honour’ to receive.

“I may not be from Yorkshire, but I do feel Yorkshire. I’ve beaten the drum all my life, whether that be for Yorkshire, the North or the regions. You know, I’ve always been the guy on the outside that’s been doing things away from London. And I’ll continue to do so.”

By anyone’s standards Endless has been a phenomenal success story. Private equity is a tough business and the stakes are high and, for Wilson, there’s certainly been some ups and downs along the way.

So, what is the secret of its success, as it’s quite clearly more than just the luck of the Irish.