“Renouf, the only reason anyone would follow you is out of curiosity! They'd like to see what decision you are going to make next.”

That was the conclusion of the “Corporal of Horse” on my crucial “What Makes a Leader” course during basic military training at Sandhurst in the late 1970s.

And it's kind of true. It's now 20 years since I initiated a private guide business as a stop-gap between jobs, with a view to generating some ready cash. I had been in a corporate career as the sales director and ultimately the MD of a medical supplies company: among a range of products, we manufactured all types of thermometers, including the clinical thermometer for the NHS. My company had been supplying these under tender since the NHS was formed in 1948.

We had these medical thermometers manufactured in Kodaikanal, a hill station above Bangalore in the south of India, about 2,100 metres above sea level, which gives the place that famously pleasant, temperate climate: neither coastal nor sweltering, but rather cool. misty and pine scented. It was a good place to calibrate the human range of the thermometer. It is now known as the “Silicon Valley of India”: 20 years ago, that was only just starting.

Because we made 4 000 different thermometers, the job took me all over the world, negotiating with purchasing executives from different cultures and industry sectors, learning on the job, navigating how they think and feel, from boardrooms in Sydney to San Francisco, Penang and Marseille.

I loved it – the excitement of travel and the stimulation of the work – but what I remember most about these years was finding myself in a five-star hotel from Friday evening to Monday morning; despite the luxury and glamour, eight meals on your own can be a lonely experience. You could get merry on expenses on the first night, but that was only with a barman who, after all, is paid to be pleasant.

I began to think about all the people who might find themselves in a similar position when visiting me in my home city of London, whether travelling for business or pleasure: all those lonely people sitting idly in Park Lane hotels over the weekend.

With a love for history and culture, and as an artist myself, I began to ruminate on how I could potentially assist people from all over the world and guide them through an unforgettable time in the UK.

At the time I had a 1978 Bentley T2, and it was with this, some encouragement from friends,  and a vague idea of what I would be offering, that I set off to Luton Airport’s private terminal and collected my first client, who had flown from Washington in a small private jet with his 13yr old goth daughter in the spring of her rebellious phase. I'd never driven to meet a private flight before, so I was unaware of protocol as my car was escorted by outriders to the end of the runway to await my new client.

It was very formal and formulaic, and entirely new to me. Also, I had a chronic problem with the exhaust, and I found myself having to drive in a manner that stopped it from rattling and banging as we headed off.

I realised there and then that I had no prepared contingency program. As I left the airfield, directly onto the M1 via a private slip road and heading for London, I wondered what would happen if the exhaust fell off. When you've flown on a private jet from across the pond, you don't expect to find yourself on the back of an AA truck.

In the event, we had such an enjoyable first day that they asked me to clear my diary for the rest of the week. He turned out to be an industrialist who, many years before, had worked for Ken Livingstone and since then had become immensely successful. I did manage to find the old southeast London boozer he went to with Ken for a pint of Guinness.

I now deal with people from many cultures, and some of my clients are the most distinguished and influential people on the planet. Remember that this is a very special time for them: they have a few days with their families and, after all the sacrifices they might have made to get to that point in their lives, those days are precious. Being trusted with the responsibility of creating experiences for them is a great privilege

My company is called Serendipity both because I love the word, and because it accurately describes the experience that my clients enjoy and now expect. It means “when you find something you want when you didn’t know you were looking for it” and it comes from Horace Walpole, the youngest son of our first Prime Minister.

He wrote about three wise travellers who, by keeping open minds, were receptive to the wonderful opportunities that their open-mindedness provoked. The story is set in Sri Lanka, and the old Persian name for the island was Serendip! And this sentiment is central to the experience my clients enjoy in our company.

This openness and shared experience lead to very good connections and having started with orientation tours getting to know and understand London, through good conversation clients sometimes expand the brief to other areas in their life, both personally and professionally.

We have advised on schools (even sending children to my old school: one of them grew up to become an intern for us); houses to buy or rent; procurement of specialist cars, including Rolls Royces and Bentleys; the very best sporting guns and shooting parties; painting and language tuition; holidays in manor houses and on country estates (all off-grid luxury, of course).

When tastes are shared, the connection made is profound and can lead to some exhilarating opportunities. I have been out for dinner in Soho and ended up in Kenya. I once met for a Manhattan in the American Bar at the Savoy and ended up in New York. Another time, I went for breakfast at the Rosewood in Holborn and ended up in Acapulco.

I originally met some of these clients 20 years ago: three-quarters of my clients are repeat business. I have been to their weddings in Ireland, Paris and Florence, after introducing them to dressmakers and tailors.

So you become a friend, a confidante, an advisor, turning instinct into enterprise; and it is proof, in a world full of algorithms, that intuition still opens the best doors, and that the most beautiful moments in life are never to be found on an itinerary.

In a way, this wide range of services is a result of the cultural connection we make, and it is based on a word that is at the very core of our ethos: “xenophilia”. It means the love of strangers: not just to welcome them, but to celebrate them, to turn a cultural exchange into an art form. We do not take visitors out of their comfort zone, just expand it for them. As a result, they enjoy a new adventure, and maybe a new perspective on life.

Many of my clients are entrepreneurs who embody curiosity, discipline and courage, qualities that turn ideas into empires. They spot opportunities others miss, and surround themselves with capable, trustworthy people. To them, setbacks are lessons, not failures. Remarkable people enjoying a new environment.

To create and curate an exceptional private tour for them you need equal measures of curiosity, cultural fluency and charm. A deep knowledge of history, of art and of nuance, paired with intuition; knowing what will delight each guest before they know it themselves.

Discretion, impeccable manners and reliability earn trust, while storytelling, humour and a touch of theatre make an experience unforgettable. I want a client to feel that they’ve travelled not with a guide, but with a worldly friend who opens doors. For my part, it has taken me all over the world

It's a fantastic and deeply rewarding thing to be doing. That aggressive Corporal of Horse was completely right 40 years ago: people follow me to see exactly what is going to happen next!