Wayne Quinn: Ambition is a physical feeling

Have a go

Co-Founder, CentreMove, CEO & Founder, PEM Group and building businesses that challenge industries, Wayne Quinn does not spend much time wondering whether something can be done. His instinct is to have a go, learn as he goes and see where it leads.

That mindset has taken him from early ventures selling sweets, motorbikes and items online to leading a varied business portfolio spanning engineering, renewables, hospitality, property and technology. His main business, PEM Group, employs between 70 and 120 people across the group, depending on project demand, and works in sectors including oil and gas, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, biomass and wind energy.

Yet Wayne is quick to play down the label “entrepreneur”.

“I don’t know,” he says. “It’s just somebody doing it.”

Those close to him might see it differently. Behind the matter-of-fact approach is a lifelong drive to build, improve and explore opportunities - something Wayne now recognises as ambition.

A Drive to Try

Wayne grew up around hard work. His father was an engineer and members of his wider family worked in farming, where earning money meant getting out and doing the job. Summers included strawberry, pea and potato picking, and the lesson was simple - if you wanted more, you had to earn it.

That experience shaped his outlook. From around the age of 14, Wayne was always trying something - buying and selling, testing an idea or finding a way to make a little extra income.

Not every venture was successful. Wayne recalls buying hundreds of Fraggle Rock toys to sell online, only to discover that many did not work and the market was not as enthusiastic as he had hoped. He sees that as part of the process rather than a reason not to try again.

“You try it,” he says. “Try it and see what happens.”

His attitude to risk has evolved as his businesses have grown. In the early days, a £20,000 investment felt significant. Today, he is more comfortable dealing with larger figures, focusing on whether the numbers work rather than being intimidated by the number of zeros.

“You are always an apprentice,” he says. “You never stop learning.”

That belief inspired the title of his book, Apprentice Entrepreneur. It is not an autobiography, but reflects the approach that has shaped his career - stay curious, keep learning and be prepared to adapt.

Building Businesses

PEM Group remains the centre of Wayne’s business world. The company manufactures and installs pipework, delivers project management and recruits specialist teams for both internal and client requirements. It operates in technically demanding sectors and, like many engineering firms, faces an ongoing challenge in finding skilled people.

Wayne believes there is a significant skills gap following years in which university was often seen as the default route for young people, while trade skills received less attention. PEM Group currently has six apprentices, and Wayne is enthusiastic about the talent coming through. The business also supports a university student through an internship.

His willingness to enter new sectors is also evident across the wider group. Engreen Renewables was born from soaring energy costs and a belief that households and businesses should have better options. The company installs solar panels, battery storage and EV charging points, largely for residential customers but also for commercial developments.

Wayne is realistic about the challenges of a competitive market. He does not pretend every new business will follow a straightforward path. But he sees value in taking action, learning from the response and developing the offer over time.

Creating Centre Move

Perhaps Wayne’s most ambitious recent project is Centre Move, a technology platform designed to make property transactions clearer, faster and less frustrating.

The idea came from personal experience. A residential purchase took nine months, despite the mortgage, deposit and other arrangements being in place. Wayne found the lack of visibility particularly frustrating.

“You can order a pizza and see where it is,” he says. “You can buy a car, a boat or a jet plane online. But buying a house - the biggest investment most people make - goes into a black hole.”

Centre Move aims to change that by bringing buyers, sellers, estate agents, conveyancers, lenders and other relevant parties onto one transparent platform. Users can see progress through every stage of a transaction, with clear traffic-light indicators showing whether an action is on track, delayed or overdue.

The system is designed to reduce the time professionals spend answering status-chasing calls and emails, while giving buyers and sellers the information they want without repeatedly having to ask for updates. It can also provide key property-search information rapidly, potentially reducing avoidable delays.

For Wayne, the opportunity is about more than technology. It is about remembering who the process is ultimately for.

“I think the industry has forgotten who the customers are,” he says. “The customers are the buyers and sellers. They want to move into that property as soon as possible.”

Centre Move is attracting early interest from estate agents, conveyancers and potential investors, with the team preparing for PropTech activity in London. It is a completely different world from Wayne’s engineering background-but that does not deter him.

“I’ve never done all this before,” he says. “But I’m not bothered any more. I just do it.”

Finding Support Through FEO

While Wayne’s energy and self-belief are clear, he is equally open about the fact that running a business can be lonely.

Like many entrepreneurs, he has experienced the pressure of rapid growth, cash-flow concerns and the responsibility of paying people’s wages. In PEM Group’s early years, the business grew quickly and there were moments when payment timings were tight. Wayne remembers the anxiety of needing money to arrive before payday, even though the team was never left unpaid.

More recently, he has faced personal challenges alongside business decisions. Close family members have been unwell and he also suffered a bereavement. This period naturally led Wayne to question whether he should step back or sell parts of the business.

FEO’s End Games programme gave him space to consider those questions properly. Rather than simply viewing an exit as a transaction, the programme encouraged Wayne to think about his personal and business goals, understand the options available and prepare for future opportunities.

“It made me think about a five-year plan,” Wayne says. “I’m 57 now, so in five years I’ll be 62. It made me think about planning for that exit, rather than just soldiering on.”

Although he is no longer actively looking to sell PEM Group, the process has helped him become more prepared. He has strengthened his thinking around accounts, structure and long-term planning, so that if the right opportunity arrives, he can make an informed decision.

Wayne has also taken part in FEO’s Step Change programme, which helped him focus on improving processes, becoming more accountable and spending more time working on the business rather than simply reacting to day-to-day demands.

A customer survey undertaken through the programme gave Wayne valuable insights, including feedback that was not always comfortable to hear.

“Some bits were good, some bits needed working on” he says. “But you need to know about it.”

For Wayne, that openness is central to FEO’s value. It is not simply networking or a route to referrals. It is a trusted group of people who understand the realities of business ownership.

“You realise it is not just you,” he says. “Everybody goes through the same journey. You lose sales, you battle for a bit, cash flow can be a problem. When you are doing it by yourself, you do not realise it is a natural process that everyone goes through.”

He values the support of mentors, including contacts outside FEO, as well as the advice of trusted professionals who are prepared to challenge him. He also values the friendships built through FEO.

“If I had a problem, I could just pick up the phone,” he says.

What’s Next?

Wayne is candid about being drawn to the next project once a business is running well. He recognises that stepping away completely can sometimes create issues that require his attention, but he is learning to put the right people and structures in place while focusing on the work that energises him most.

He may not believe he has “achieved” enough yet. His friends, family and advisers may disagree. But Wayne is not motivated by looking back for long. He is motivated by what comes next.

“I set myself a goal, and once I have achieved it, I have forgotten about it,” he says. “It is working now - what’s next?”

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