Q&A: Ryan Llewellyn-Pace on his new book ‘Be The Wolf Not The Sheep’
Ryan Llewellyn-Pace has spent more than 15 years working in the fashion and retail sectors, including ten at Barbour where he rose to the position of managing director.
Now global CEO of Pace Partnership London, group CEO of The House of Pace, and founder and chairman of Hay Life Clothing, he has just published his first book, Be The Wolf Not The Sheep, a practical guide for entrepreneurs on leadership, resilience and building businesses in a complex world.
Subscribe to TRBWhat is the name of the book and what is the concept behind it?
The book is called Be The Wolf Not The Sheep and it is a practical and motivational guide for new entrepreneurs, who I believe are the lifeblood of industry.
At a time when we have seen around 10% fewer businesses opened in the UK year on year (Companies House, Companies Register Activities 2024–25), it is more important than ever to encourage people to back themselves and take the leap into entrepreneurship.
The book draws on real-world experience of building and leading businesses, and works across key principles of leadership, teamwork, business transformation, and the importance of balance with home life. At its core, it is about mindset – building resilience, thinking independently, and learning how to move with confidence in a highly competitive world.
What is the meaning behind the title?
The wolf represents the traits needed to succeed – boldness, intelligence, and the willingness to take a different path rather than simply follow the crowd. It is about thinking independently and having the courage to act on it.
Just as important is the strength of the pack – loyalty, structure, and protecting those around you, whether that is family, colleagues, or your wider business community.
In contrast, the “sheep mentality” reflects blind followership – something many people are conditioned into from an early age. The book challenges that conditioning directly, and encourages people to trust their judgement, take ownership of their direction, and step into leadership rather than defaulting to followership.
Why write this now?
Because we are at a real inflection point. It has never been harder to start and scale a business — but equally, it has never been more necessary.
Over the last few years, I’ve been living and breathing entrepreneurship in real time – not as theory, but in the reality of pressure, uncertainty, and constant adaptation.
This book is about giving something back to those who have the spark, but may not yet have the structure, confidence, or clarity to act on it. It is about helping people turn intent into execution in an environment that is increasingly complex and unforgiving.
Your tagline is “Don’t fear failure, make it your co-founder”. What does that mean?
It reframes the entire relationship with failure. Most people are taught to avoid it – but in reality, you cannot build anything meaningful without passing through it.
The strongest businesses understand this. Amazon’s “fail fast, learn fast” philosophy is a clear example – experimentation is encouraged, outcomes are assessed quickly, and failure is treated as information rather than defeat.
Entrepreneurship requires calculated risk, fast learning, and resilience in motion.
Failure isn’t the opposite of success – it is part of its construction.
What are the biggest challenges for fashion businesses today?
We are operating in one of the most volatile environments in decades – geopolitical instability, supply chain disruption, and a cost-of-living crisis that is reshaping consumer behaviour.
At the same time, fashion is heavily over-retailled, with too many brands competing for too little attention.
But disruption always creates opportunity. The challenge is not scale – it is clarity. The brands that win will be those that understand the consumer deeply enough to identify real gaps rather than adding to the noise.
Increasingly, success will also come from brand purpose – a true reason for being beyond product. In a crowded market, people don’t just buy what you sell, they buy what you stand for, and the emotional connection you create with them.
How does the wolf pack relate to business?
Nature is one of the most powerful frameworks for understanding business. The wolf pack demonstrates structure, trust, and role clarity under pressure.
A central idea in the book is what I call “the order of wolves” – health and family must come first. Without that foundation, everything else becomes unsustainable.
In business, the same principle applies. The pack succeeds because every member plays to their strengths within a trusted system. There is no reliance on hierarchy alone – success comes from alignment, communication, and shared purpose.
What advice would you give leaders in the industry today?
Leaders today are operating in extreme uncertainty – from global instability to rapidly shifting consumer demand.
The key is balance: continuous improvement on one side, and constant adaptability on the other.
But structurally, leadership must evolve. If everything flows through one person, the organisation becomes slow, fragile, and reactive.
You have to step away from being the bottleneck and instead focus on building leaders around you — people who can think independently, take ownership, and act decisively. That is how organisations become resilient and scalable.
What are the core principles the book is built on?
The book is built around five core principles: leadership, teamwork, transformation, resilience, and balance.
Leadership is about clarity, not control. Teamwork is about trust, not hierarchy. Transformation is about adapting before you are forced to. Resilience is about understanding that pressure is part of progress. And balance is about recognising that success without health and family is incomplete.
These principles are designed as a practical framework – not theory – for building and sustaining businesses in the real world.
What separates successful entrepreneurs from everyone else?
It is not capital, and it is rarely the original idea – it is behaviour under pressure.
Successful entrepreneurs stay adaptable when things change, disciplined when things are uncertain, and decisive when others hesitate.
Most importantly, they are comfortable operating in discomfort. They don’t wait for certainty — they build through it.
What do you hope readers take away from the book?
That entrepreneurship is not reserved for a select few – it is a mindset that can be developed.
I want readers to finish the book with greater confidence in their judgement, sharper clarity around risk, and a stronger understanding of how to build something meaningful without losing themselves in the process.
But equally important is this: nothing is built alone. You have to build your “pack” – whether that is key people around you, mentors, or a team within your business. Success is never purely individual; it is collective.
If the book achieves anything, it is to remind people that you think independently, but you build together – and that is where real strength lies.
Be The Wolf Not The Sheep will be available worldwide in print, eBook, and audiobook formats via Amazon, Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, Hatchards, and other leading international book retailers.
