College Dropout Who Founded Firm in Shed Becomes Billionaire
- Peter Kelly’s Softcat has returned more than 300% since IPO
- He stepped down from board in 2015 but still owns 33% of firm
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Success put Peter Kelly on the brink of failure.
During the 1990s, booming business at his fledgling mail-order software firm sparked a cash-flow crisis as money owed from customers mounted. Kelly rescued it by swapping unpaid invoices for a third-party loan, according to “Entrepreneurship and Small Business,” a 2010 book by Paul Burns.