In a memoir to be published in May, James Longley, founder of the Corby-based energy-switching business Utility Bidder, reveals that, as a young RAF aircraftsman in the early Noughties, he got into an altercation with a taxi driver after a heavy night’s drinking. The altercation turned nasty and Mr Longley, who is now 50, was given an eight-month prison sentence.
He was convinced at the time that he had wrecked his whole life. However, upon his release from North Sea Camp open prison in Lincolnshire, he was determined to pull himself together. He borrowed money to set up a taxi business, and a chance meeting then led to the energy-switching venture, initially set up in Market Harborough in Leicestershire, but now based in Corby.
The business enables customers to swap suppliers in order to get cheaper bills. Mr Longley sold the company for an eight-figure sum in 2018, by which time it employed around 70 people. He now coaches founders and CEOs, but he has written the memoir, Power Through, to give hope to other prisoners and ex-offenders.
‘The details of my life story may shock many people who know me, so writing the book wasn’t an easy decision,’ he said. ‘But by breaking my silence to share it, I’m trying to show by example that better paths exist and crime isn’t the only option. I want to offer hope to those who are in prison or who have recently been released. I’ve already given a talk in a prison about my own experiences, and that’s what the book is for too. I’ve chosen to help prisoners because I have an affinity with them and I strongly believe we all deserve a second chance.’
A keen football fan who had trials as a teenage with Leicester City and Scunthorpe United, Mr Longley has been a director and co-owner of Corby Town FC since 2014.
His book comes with the endorsement of former BBC presenter and award-winning documentary maker Tim Samuels, who calls it ‘inspiring and courageous – a gripping tale of how hitting rock bottom can be the ultimate blessing in disguise’.
Power Through is published by Eye Books on 15 May, price £10.99.