It was after a stint as watch leader aboard the 2004-2005 Global Challenge Round the World winning yacht BG-Spirit that Ben Gough decided to rejig his Christchurch-based property business. He rebranded under the name Tailorspace Investments, specialising in redeveloping existing office space to tenant demand. The 35-year-old’s previous investment forays include mobile surgical services, forestry and meat processing. With a position in the family business (Gough,Gough & Hamer) a possibility, he instead poured his energies into property development and management in 2000. Since the 2006 rebrand, he has focused on South Island properties only.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?
A good challenge. I find nothing more rewarding than the chance to challenge yourself in life. It’s important to have goals to channel your drive and energy.

What has been the most difficult obstacle you have overcome in business?
Ageism. I still consider myself pretty young despite the fact my wife calls me an ‘‘old fart’’. When I started in the property business other people considered me young but I never accepted youth as an excuse – it made me prepare more and try harder.

What is your company’s competitive advantage?
Our company name says it all. We work with tenants to create space that suits their needs rather than the ‘‘build it and they will come’’ philosophy of a lot of developers.

Who is the business leader you admire the most?
Sir Peter Blake. Many may not consider him a business leader but I think he was. He put together great teams, managed corporate sponsors, fundraising and finance, and was successful in a cut-throat market.

What is your number one tip for managing people?
Get the right people to begin with. It’s better to have the right people on board at the start or you’re doomed. Lead by example, listen and put the team’s interests before your own to get quality results.

How do you create and sustain company growth?
Sustainability is an interesting word because we’re not about short-term, quick profits. We have a long-term view and reinvest in the business and our tenants. Cashflow is the lifeblood of our business, which does have risk. While many developers are all about one project and focused on one project at a time, we like to build a platform of properties that we leverage off rather than move on to the next job.

What are your business goals?
I want to create exciting, new spaces that benefit tenants, us the owner, and the city. If we do that well we should create shareholder wealth. My personal goal is to continue to challenge myself.

Is there a lesson you’ve never forgotten?
When heading into a meeting or negotiation or building a business plan, you can never be too prepared. I once went into a meeting with a tenant about seven or eight years ago and was completely underprepared. I got shot to pieces. It probably cost me tens of thousands of dollars over the entire period of the lease.

What’s the best advice you’ve had?
Stop and look. Life can get quite hectic but you need to step back and look at the big picture. I once read in a book on family businesses to ‘‘look through the telescope, not the microscope’’.

What’s your greatest regret?
I don’t have any regrets because you can always take something valuable out of any experience, good or bad.

How do you reduce stress?
Physical exercise. I love going out for a run, particularly after a stressful day. It’s usually where I come up with my best thinking. I usually run on my own, just around Hagley Park.

How do you think your competitors would describe you?
It is often the small details that separate us from competitors. I think they’d say I was professional.