Neel, is a member of the Royal Navy Reserves and owner of Dorking Brewery.

Neel has been a member of the Royal Navy Reserves for 10 years and has branched out into the brewing industry with his business Dorking Brewery, a craft brewery based in the heart of the Mole Valley in Surrey.

When and why did you join the Forces?

I’ve been a member of the Royal Naval Reserves for 10 years now. I actually joined after a good friend of mine invited me to a party at BRNC Dartmouth. I signed up the following week!

How many tours/deployments did you do and where?

I have done 2 tours of duty, one to UKCC in Bahrain in 2011. I did 7 months there during the Arab Spring so it was quite exciting!

My second tour of duty was working for the Commander of the Amphibious Task Group on board HMS BULWARK in 2015. We went out to the Mediterranean to help with the Migrant Crisis.

What made you decide to set up your own business and what advice would you give to other people thinking about becoming an entrepreneur?

I always wanted to be my own boss, and I would say don’t let others put you off and ask for help if you need it.

What are the challenges you’ve faced in running your own business?

Too early to say, but the amount of paperwork just to set up is far more than I imagined!

How has X-Forces Enterprise helped you?

By working fast, providing guidance, contacts to network with and a loan at a sensible rate.

2021 Update: Neel recently came into our Birmingham offices for a work meeting. It was great to meet him and his team, and he had this to say:

We are now a larger team, and my first employee who was a cask washer has just joined as a board director with share options. We are now up to 9 staff.

Tangible progress thanks to X-Forces Enterprise!

To find out more about Neel and his business Dorking Brewery you can visit his website.

Neel also joined our podcast to talk about his journey. Listen here.