Grant Harrold The Royal Butler
Entrepreneurs often come from diverse backgrounds and some only become an entrepreneur after they have developed their own passion, brand or idea in later on in life, Grant Harrold just happens to be one of them and similar to other entrepreneurs he also happens to be dyslexic.
However, if you mention the name Grant Harrold and have no recollection of the name, then surely when I mention the Royal Butler, that might ring a bell. In fact, since setting up his own butler training school he has legally changed his name from Grant Harrold to the Harrold the Royal Butler.
Over the years, Grant has supported two causes close to his heart: one is bullying and the other dyslexia. He is now an Ambassador for the British Dyslexia Association, something that he is immensely proud of. Grant grew up Airdrie, North Lanarkshire. He has never openly talked about how he was badly bullied at school. He has good memories of school, but these are tinged with bad memories. Being bullied at school and at work is sadly something that he is all too familiar with. As a kid he expected it but not as an adult. According to Grant, being bullied as an adult is different to be bullied as it can often be psychological.
After Grant left school it soon became apparent that he wanted to break away from his experiences at school - he wanted to be a butler. He knew that trying to get into the industry was going to be difficult. He wrote to countless places to find an opening and, to date as kept all his letters and replies. Eventually, he secured a position at Ben Alder Lodge in Scotland in 1997 on a two-week apprenticeship during the summer. He stayed there for 2 years whilst training then moved to Woburn Abbey where he spent a further 4 years training, being promoted to butler in his final year. But it was as a butler for the Royal household where he later found fame and fortune. Being a butler, he never considered himself to be a servant. He believed the position was more like a personal servant.
Working as a butler can often present its own challenges and according to Grant, being dyslexic can be a positive thing in this role. He feels that you can think on your feet, particularly when a curve ball is thrown at you, having to deal with it, adapt and plan at the same time. Grant believes that this ability to plan and to think ahead has a positive dyslexic skill.
At the age of 33 Grant was tested for dyslexia. The decision to do this came by a chance meeting at a dinner he was hosting in Bath. He sat next Helen Boden who, at the time was the British Dyslexia Association Chief Executive. She asked him to do an online test and tell her the result. But by this time, he had already thought that he was dyslexic.
Around this time, Grant had left the left the Royal household and set up his own company. He was also publicly recognised as the ‘Royal Butler’. However, a publication had picked up on his new business venture but slated him publicly humiliated him in print for his grammar. Grant said that the newspaper went to town on him. He was upset and distressed about this took it very personally.
In the course of his work and over the years, Grant has rubbed shoulders with the great and the good and made friends with celebrities who phone him up to support him with his latest ventures. He regularly gets asked to do promotional videos and go on live TV. He does not write anything down PR script things in advance, he just stands and speaks. This is something that he loves doing and believes this is the creative side of being dyslexic.
Guest blogger - Ross Duncan