Aidan Hartley, the 108th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is a new business owner with a growth mindset and a determination to succeed.

Aidan set up his own mortgage broking business, Blue Owl Finance, two months ago after almost a decade in finance.

He’s someone who believes in pushing himself out of his comfort zone.

Aidan had a secure job with a large bank, but he chose to walk away and build his own business – a courageous move at the best of times, but particularly bold during a downturn.

Another example of Aidan’s ambition is the way he’s been publishing a lot of posts and videos on LinkedIn to grow his brand. Initially, Aidan felt nervous publishing putting himself out there like that, but the more content he publishes, the more comfortable he becomes.

During our lunch, Aidan was already talking about hiring staff and scaling Blue Owl Finance. I’ve got no doubt he’s going to be very successful.

Right now, Aidan puts out metaphorical fires for his clients; but he’ll soon be putting out real ones.

When he was young, Aidan wanted to be a fireman, like his dad, which is why he’s training to be a volunteer firefighter.