Episode description
On this episode of The Invisible Gift, Andrew chats to CEO of VERB Brands Chris Donnelly. Chris brings Andrew back to his childhood, highlighting the incredible support he was offered in school, and how influential seeing other successful CEOs with dyslexia was in moulding his ambition and confidence. Chris and Andrew also spoke about their families, the positives and negatives of leadership and dyslexia, how the pandemic has brought the best out of their proactive mindsets, and they also explore how dyslexia helps forge the independent thinking required to excel as an entrepreneur.

Top quotes
“Because you fail so much as a student, when you go out into the world, failure doesn’t scare you.” - Andrew Kitley
“I think with dyslexia and ADD, they do make you resilient. You will come up with solutions because you have to.” - Chris Donnelly
“With dyslexia, when you get good enough to be normal you’re really disciplined in understanding how to overcome challenges.” - Chris Donnelly
"My advice to dyslexics is: Don’t fear. They say you have a problem; I see it as a positive.” - Chris Donnelly

About the guest
Chris Donnelly is the founder of VERB Brands, a luxury digital ad agency based in London. Chris was surrounded by dyslexia growing, with his brothers and father all having the same neurodiversity. From his entrepreneurial family, his naturally inquisitive mindset, and the academic support he received in school, Chris excelled. At 21, Chris founded what would become the multi-million pound company VERB Brands in his dorm room. Chris also has ADD and dyscalculia, which makes operating the financial side of his business a challenge. Despite this, Chris’ meticulous and positive outlook has led to Verb Brands becoming a thriving business worth millions of pounds.

Resources
https://www.kitall.co.uk/
https://verbbrands.com/
https://www.onefineplay.com/

About the host
The Invisible Gift is hosted by entrepreneur and dyslexic, Andrew Kitley. With twenty years experience, Andrew Kitley has worked his way up the metaphorical and literal ladder to become Managing Director of Kitall: an engineering and scaffolding firm. Under Andrew's guidance, Kitall is now one of the most sought after names to complete complex engineering projects in the UK. In each episode of The Invisible Gift, Andrew seeks the advice & inspiration of a fellow trailblazer who has defied the odds to achieve the extraordinary - turning the challenge of dyslexia into a gift.