Founder's pride How business started on kitchen table became a finance success story

A BRISTOL millionaire who set up a finance company from his kitchen table in Clifton 40 years ago jokes that the secret to his success is "being too stupid to know when he's beaten".

- Hannah BAKER Business editor

Adam Tavener left school in the 1970s with just a handful of O-levels and shortly afterwards was forced to leave home due to a family fall out.

Following a stint working on a yacht in the Mediterranean, he returned to Bristol to find work. He spotted an advert in the Bristol Evening Post newspaper for a job selling insurance and finance products - and decided to try his hand at it.

The role was commission-only, but Mr Tavener soon discovered he had a knack for sales and decided to set up his own company from his flat in Southleigh Road.

Without any access to startup capital, the young entrepreneur, then aged 23, had only a phone, notepad and diary.

After finding early success selling finance products - and moving to new offices on Whiteladies Road in the city - Mr Tavener saw a gap in the market for an alternative source of business funding for SMEs.

The company launched a pension-led funding product, which allowed business owners or directors to take money from pension savings and lend the cash to their company at commercial rates. The innovation later gained the backing of the UK government.

By the start of 2025 Clifton Asset Management employed around 140 staff across the UK and had assets under management of £2bn.