{"id":8374,"date":"2021-08-26T07:46:49","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T07:46:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=8374"},"modified":"2021-08-26T08:30:31","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T08:30:31","slug":"creating-my-own-playing-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/08\/26\/creating-my-own-playing-field\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating My Own Playing Field"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Blane Perrotton \u2013 Reading graduate, Quantity Surveyor and winner of the RICS \u2018UK Young Surveyor of the Year\u2019 award \u2013 shares his inspiration, his success in the industry and his passion for helping others.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Blane is a chartered Fellow (FRICS) of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors<\/a> (RICS), and the Founder and Managing Director of his own chartered surveying practice Pride Consulting IMS (Independent Monitoring Surveying)<\/a>. Blane explains how his journey to success began as a teenager, when he used to help his dad, a carpenter, on building sites.<\/p>\n

He explained: \u201cI always had a passion for the industry and when I told my dad I wanted to follow in his footsteps he told me to be one of the \u2018cool guys in a suit\u2019 instead. It turned out he meant a surveyor, so I went to the library and looked up what they did. I loved the sound of it \u2013 part doctor and part detective.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cPart doctor in the sense that a surveyor checks the condition of a building and assesses if it can be kept alive by giving it another use or refurbishing it, rather than demolishing it. Part detective in the sense that a surveyor\u2019s role is to investigate if cost estimates are correct and if not, to make their own assessment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Having decided on his career path, Blane began investigating universities \u2013 but it didn\u2019t take him long to settle on Reading for his BSc Hons Surveying degree<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI spoke to some surveyors and they all immediately recommended Reading. So I had a look around the campus and loved it \u2013 I didn\u2019t look at any other universities after that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing accepted into Reading was a turning point for me. My course was fantastic, I had an incredible tutor, and I even met my wife there with whom I now have three children.<\/p>\n

\n

“Without Reading I wouldn\u2019t have my career, my beautiful wife and family, and I wouldn\u2019t have the memories and experiences it gave me. I\u2019m incredibly grateful for my time there \u2013 it sounds cheesy, but it really does hold a special place in my heart.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cReading is so highly regarded in my industry and if people know you\u2019ve come from Reading it\u2019s a tick in the box straight away. None of my achievements would have been possible without Reading.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking the leap<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In late 2019, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic began, Blane took the leap to start his own business.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cIn my opinion, working for large corporate businesses is too focused on chasing profit and that can hinder quality.<\/p>\n

\n

“I always say \u2018if you don\u2019t like the playing field, create your own\u2019, so I decided to follow my own advice, leaving my position as Managing Director to start my own firm.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cMy wife was really supportive despite it being a massive gamble. I actually wrote the business plan while in hospital waiting for my youngest son \u2013 now two \u2013 to be born.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blane has followed through on his advice to create his own playing field, by making sure that his business isn\u2019t target-driven.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe the measure of any business should be what good can you do in your community and for those around you? Therefore my business plan is based on confidence and quality, not targets,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI\u2019m also really proud of our Pride Pledge \u2013 every year we donate 1% of our profit to charity. I\u2019d love to donate a higher percentage in the future and to see the wider industry make similar pledges \u2013 how fantastic would that be?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

However, Blane hadn\u2019t banked on launching a new business during a global pandemic. He said: \u201cLuckily technology and video calling platforms made it possible to start the business despite lockdown \u2013 18 months in, we now have seven surveyors in the company and I\u2019m really pleased with the progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think technology can ever replace face-to-face interaction though. A big part of the role of a surveyor is communication and being able to sit down with clients to have difficult conversations and build relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

Award-winning<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Blane\u2019s career has continued to go from strength-to-strength and in 2019 he won the RICS \u2018UK Young Surveyor of the Year\u2019 award<\/a>. These awards recognise the most inspiring and influential surveyors \u2013 aged 35 or under \u2013 in the UK.<\/p>\n

Those on the RICS judging panel said<\/a>: \u201cBlane was highly deserving of the top accolade for not only achieving a high level of success in the industry, but also actively helping to advance the construction market and routes in to the surveying profession.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blane was selected out of thousands of surveyors in the UK and beat tough competition from a shortlist of 80 other surveyors. However, his win was so unexpected Blane wasn\u2019t planning to attend the awards.<\/p>\n

\u201cLuckily RICS got in touch and persuaded me to come and thank god I did,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt was incredible to win. What I love about these awards is that anyone can be nominated \u2013 all the previous winners have different stories and journeys, it doesn\u2019t matter what your age, gender, race, sexuality or job title is.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Inspiring others<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Blane was also commended by the Head of the RICS judging panel<\/a> for not being \u201cafraid to challenge existing systems to ensure success, not only for his own business but for others in their careers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blane tells CONNECTED more about how he is committed to helping others: \u201cI am working to establish a new APC [Assessment of Professional Competency] pathway, as there isn\u2019t currently a pathway for the niche area of Quantity Surveying I work in \u2013 bank surveying. So I\u2019ve been working closely with RICS to enable graduates to qualify as banking Quantity Surveyors, to make the industry more accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blane is also passionate about inspiring others to consider surveying as a career:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI want young kids to know about surveying and aspire to do it \u2013 it\u2019s such an incredible career with a great mix of opportunities and a diverse range of people doing it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a career I\u2019m really proud of. I believe surveyors hold an important role in our economy and infrastructure, and we work on so much more than just houses \u2013 my first role was the 2012 Olympics. This career offers so many opportunities, yet not many young people know about it which is something I\u2019d like to change,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the School of Construction Management and Engineering<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Blane Perrotton \u2013 Reading graduate, Quantity Surveyor and winner of the RICS \u2018UK Young Surveyor of the Year\u2019 award \u2013 shares his inspiration, his success in the industry and his passion for helping others. Blane is a chartered Fellow (FRICS) of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and the Founder and Managing Director of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":8381,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[54,16,17,85,34],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCreating My Own Playing Field - Connected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Blane Perrotton \u2013 Reading graduate and winner of the RICS \u2018UK Young Surveyor of the Year\u2019 award \u2013 shares his passion for helping others.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/08\/26\/creating-my-own-playing-field\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Creating My Own Playing Field - Connected\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Blane Perrotton \u2013 Reading graduate and winner of the RICS \u2018UK Young Surveyor of the Year\u2019 award \u2013 shares his passion for helping others.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/08\/26\/creating-my-own-playing-field\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Connected\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-08-26T07:46:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-08-26T08:30:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2021\/08\/shutterstock_741304186-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"550\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"juliasmalley\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"juliasmalley\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/08\/26\/creating-my-own-playing-field\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/08\/26\/creating-my-own-playing-field\/\",\"name\":\"Creating My Own Playing Field - Connected\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-08-26T07:46:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-26T08:30:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/c5ee593fd48cf9c8d82a6471170664fb\"},\"description\":\"Blane Perrotton \u2013 Reading graduate and winner of the RICS \u2018UK Young Surveyor of the Year\u2019 award \u2013 shares his passion for helping others.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/08\/26\/creating-my-own-playing-field\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/08\/26\/creating-my-own-playing-field\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/08\/26\/creating-my-own-playing-field\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Creating My Own Playing Field\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/\",\"name\":\"Connected\",\"description\":\"Alumni magazine\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/c5ee593fd48cf9c8d82a6471170664fb\",\"name\":\"juliasmalley\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/738c52c5a19d4553b07ee6a8cc541ab7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/738c52c5a19d4553b07ee6a8cc541ab7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"juliasmalley\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/author\/juliasmalley\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Creating My Own Playing Field - Connected","description":"Blane Perrotton \u2013 Reading graduate and winner of the RICS \u2018UK Young Surveyor of the Year\u2019 award \u2013 shares his passion for helping others.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/08\/26\/creating-my-own-playing-field\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Creating My Own Playing Field - Connected","og_description":"Blane Perrotton \u2013 Reading graduate and winner of the RICS \u2018UK Young Surveyor of the Year\u2019 award \u2013 shares his passion for helping others.","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/08\/26\/creating-my-own-playing-field\/","og_site_name":"Connected","article_published_time":"2021-08-26T07:46:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-08-26T08:30:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":550,"url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2021\/08\/shutterstock_741304186-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"juliasmalley","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"juliasmalley","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/08\/26\/creating-my-own-playing-field\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/08\/26\/creating-my-own-playing-field\/","name":"Creating My Own Playing Field - Connected","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-08-26T07:46:49+00:00","dateModified":"2021-08-26T08:30:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/c5ee593fd48cf9c8d82a6471170664fb"},"description":"Blane Perrotton \u2013 Reading graduate and winner of the RICS \u2018UK Young Surveyor of the Year\u2019 award \u2013 shares his passion for helping others.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/08\/26\/creating-my-own-playing-field\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/08\/26\/creating-my-own-playing-field\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2021\/08\/26\/creating-my-own-playing-field\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Creating My Own Playing Field"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/","name":"Connected","description":"Alumni magazine","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/c5ee593fd48cf9c8d82a6471170664fb","name":"juliasmalley","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/738c52c5a19d4553b07ee6a8cc541ab7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/738c52c5a19d4553b07ee6a8cc541ab7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"juliasmalley"},"url":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/author\/juliasmalley\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8374"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/170"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8374"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8430,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8374\/revisions\/8430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}