A man has explained why he feels he is "richer than Elon Musk and Bill Gates" after he built a business from nothing.
Howard Plant arrived in the seaside town of Blackpool with no shoes on his feet but has now managed to build a business that he and his family can rely on. The 64-year-old opened up about how he was born on a fairground and moved to what he describes as the "best place in the UK".
Now, Howard offers "bargain parking spaces" in the busy coastal resort and has a strong passion for customer service after arriving in the town 40 years ago with almost nothing to his name. He went through jobs like no tomorrow before stumbling across this venture that made him a millionaire at one stage, Lancs Live reports.
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Howard said: "Growing up, we didn't have a lot of money at the time. My distant family, they were quite successful in the fairground industry but we weren't really that well off.
"I came to Blackpool to visit a relative and I ended up staying. I got a job. I got two or three jobs. I worked on the door as a doorman or worked behind the bar someplace. I worked in a factory repairing coach seats, I worked in a garage valeting cars. And then I decided to go on my own.
"I never looked back and I went self-employed in the early 1980s. Since then, technically, I've not worked a proper job for anybody else. I've always been self-employed."
Howard built his business up, and by 2008, he was at the top of his game. But when the recession hit, it spelt disaster for the businessman.
He said: "I was really wealthy at one stage in 2008. In 2008, I was a millionaire. And then in 2009, I was about to go bankrupt, I'd lost everything.
"I had to sell a large portion of my car parks to keep the bank off my back. It's been a really hard last 12-14 years since the recession and things were really difficult but now I've got myself back into a position where I'm doing well now.
"I used to tell the wife 'this time next year we'll be millionaires'. And the following year, any money we had would go to pay the taxes, or we needed to do this, or we'd need to do that. Every year, it was like there was always something stopping us getting there. But I can say now, we're in a position where we're comfortable now.
"I'll never retire. I will never say right that's it. I'm not working again because I enjoy what I do. And if you find a job that you enjoy doing, you'll never work again."
It's clear to see that Howard loves his job. Whilst speaking to Lancs Live, he was down at his car park, offering change to customers, explaining how to use the machine and showing them how to pay online and making sure they get the best value possible for their stay.
He says that this personal level of customer service is what sets him apart from other car parks, and he takes great pride in keeping his customers happy.
He said: "There's nothing better than when you tell a customer 'that's £5 until Monday' or whatever and they go 'there's two pounds you get a drink on me', I just think that's amazing, it really is.
"One person can't help everybody, but everybody can help one person.
"Blackpool is one of them places you've got to understand, it's not like any other town in the country. And I honestly believe that Blackpool, if you understand it and know it, is a great place to be, a great place to live. Without a doubt I believe Blackpool is one of the best places in the country for a holiday."
Howard has devoted his life to Blackpool, and despite spending his 64th birthday tending to his car park, he considers himself to be one of the richest men in the world.
"I'm richer than Elon Musk and Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, I'm richer than all of them. And you know why? Because they will never have enough.
"I'm not afraid to say that I want more money. I want to earn more money, I've got family that I need to take care of, you know, I'm not gonna be here forever.
"But I want to make sure that my family and my closest are looked after when I'm gone. I'm not gonna leave millions but I'm going to leave knowing I've given the grandchildren an education, my family an education. I'm doing pretty good, my position now is I'm not worried about next week. I mean, the business is looking after itself.
"And I'm still a long way away from having it completely boxed off. But my life is so much better than when I walked into Blackpool with no shoes on."
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