As the Twelve Days of Christmas approach, another twelve days showcasing inspiration and tools for startup businesses are underway, running from the 16th to the 27th of November. The ‘Festival of Startups’ brings daily online presentations and networking opportunities for people who want to start a business or to run an existing one better.
On day one, yesterday, I was wondering why so many small drinks company founders (such as Bernadette Sanders of Inside Out Drinks) were visible in the Chat boxes for the sessions. The third and final live session of the day, by Lord Bilimoria (above), founder of Cobra Beer, explained that, as people were clearly drawn to listen to someone who had succeeded to his level. He also explained his ten P’s for business success, which appear here.
More on that later. The day kicked off with my getting used to yet another online platform, Airmeet, which was simple enough, and hanging about briefly while the virtual stage was set. Its first occupant was Rowena Bird, one of the founders of LUSH, to talk about ‘How I Built my Multi-Million Pound Business’. Her most memorable moment was when she said, “It’s never too late to start anything… rather than to say, ‘if only….'”. She and her five partners did this organically and without rushing, which she recommends, as she does teamwork, bringing in skills you don’t have, and listening to the customer. Buying out partners before they get too expensive as the business takes off, and regain control, was another useful tip. More here. Her bio as published by the festival: “Rowena was one of six people who founded LUSH, the cruelty-free cosmetics brand. They started with just one shop on Poole High Street, and have grown to over 900 worldwide with a turnover of $1 Billion.”
Anthony Fletcher, ex-CEO, Graze, addressed ‘Why NOW is the best time to start a business’ and referred to something I believe, namely look for ideas outside your own industry. As he put it, “Get away from your own backyard.” Here the drink theme came up again, as he cited Dirty Lemon as an example. More here. His bio as published by the festival: “Graze is the UK’s number one healthy snack brand, achieving sales across both its direct-to-consumer and retail business’ in excess of $100m. During his time as CEO, Anthony was responsible for securing distribution in over 100,000 stores across multiple countries.”
Back to the concluding session with Lord Bilimoria. As a man who has built a massive business, and nearly lost it more than once, he was genuinely inspiring. His remark that “It’s not just being the best in the world, it’s being the best for the world” stood out. More here. His bio published by the festival: “Lord Bilimoria is the Founder & Chairman of Cobra Beer. In 2004 he was appointed Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to business and entrepreneurship, and in 2006 he was appointed an Independent Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords. In Parliament, Lord Bilimoria is active in a wide range of matters including commerce, entrepreneurship, education, diplomacy, minorities’ contributions, and academia.”
The between-session networking is always a useful bonus to this kind of event and offers a chance to get to speak with other people face to face, albeit remotely, just as it was with Worktech 2020 UK EMEA, which I blogged about a few days ago. Then the highlight was a talk by a senior NASA official, this time it was Lord Bilimoria, for his infectious enthusiasm and a lovely moment when a bell rang, and he said, “That’s a reminder I am speaking in the House of Lords soon.”
In the networking slots – offering tables of four or one to one – among others I met photographer Edwinn Ladd from Birmingham, who is a member of Business Networking International (BNI) and who has pivoted his business due to the pandemic, including to take commercial photographs of construction plant and vehicles. He told me about The Business Influencer magazine, which I will be looking into.
The timetable for the days to come is here. You can register and attend free at any time, and I have taken the schedule for the rest of the week and put it below. Remember, this event is on until 27th November.
Darren Weale, Founder, In Tune PR
18 November WED FUNDING MASTERCLASS
12:00 John Auckland John Auckland, Founder of Tribefirst, Virgin StartUp mentor Start up grants and support masterclass – from grants, to apprenticeships, this session will highlight all the up to date free support options for your start up – not to be missed
14:00 Jill Stewart-Nicholson, Transmit Startups. Startup funding masterclass – a deep dive into the current startup funding options and top tips on how to increase your chances of getting funding. From start up loans, to angel investors, to equity funding – make sure you know how to secure all funding options.
18:00 Piers Linney, What I look for when investing
19 November THUR STRUCTURE & REGULATIONS
10:00 Stepan Galaev, Investment Director at Dragon’s Den. Tips on how to increase your chances of getting investment
12:00 Demystifying Venture Capital funding – Stuart Chapman – Draper Esprit, Venture Capital Fund who invest £10M per week, invested in companies such as Revolut, Trustpilot & Graze.
14:00 Startup & Scaleup with Piers Linney – everything you need to know to build your business as if you have done it before
20 November FRI BRANDING MASTERCLASS
10:00 BRANDING Sabrina Stocker, Business Coach, BBC TV Apprentice Star Brand and product development – are you sure you have identified the right market and are you presenting your product in the right way. Why should people buy from you?
12:00 BRANDING Claire Warner, Louis Barnett, Tara Lalvani Claire Warner, Founder of Aecorn Drinks; Louis Barnett branding consultant; Tara Lalvani Beautifect founder SPONSORED QUIZ / COCKTAIL SESSION about Branding / Social Media
14:00 Enterprise Nation – Building a Brand Online
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