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Joe Sinclair (Creative Director of Burson-Marsteller) will lead a workshop on Tuesday 22 May 2012 from 17:30 to 19:00 on the subject of creativity in business. The session will explain:
Address: Central St Giles, 1 St Giles High St, London WC2H 8AG
To book, please visit: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2873882861
This event is intended for existing small business owners who have a new idea for their business but aren’t sure how to take it to the next stage.
Led by entrepreneurs Stephen Frear and Mandy Haberman, the evening will provide support and advice about business strategy and sustainability; branding; intellectual property; product development; and marketing. You will also find out about about a new business support programme “Innovating for Growth”.
The event will take place at The British Library Conference Centre on Wednesday 23 May 2012, 18.15 – 21.00; and costs £5 to attend.
In order to book a place, you can either contact the Box Office by telephoning: 01937 546546, or via the website: http://www.bl.uk/whatson/events/event131216.html
The test for a true entrepreneur is to see whether the person in question has turned an adverse situation into a successful enterprise.
When Gennese Williams lost the sight of both her eyes in 2007, she decided she could no longer work for anyone again. Far from burning her bridges, however, she built upon her existing experience in beauty, music and management to start her own business, MGW London. She merrily believes in the mantras, “What you think you are worthy of, is what you will attract”; and “You change your reality when you change your mentality”. In addition, when times are especially difficult, she recommends taking a break and “switching off from everyone” in order to recharge one’s motivation and creativity.
MGW London is an ambitious management and business consultancy agency. In addition it has its own in-house production, make up, hair stylists and fashion stylists’ team, and a graphic design team (run by her brother); and together they provide a range of services to manage events, projects and brands.
Ms Williams says that the most effective way of attracting clients is by word of mouth and personal recommendations. In addition she favours social media as it gives prospective clients “the freedom to check me out before they approach us”.
Her advice to other business owners is to remain dedicated to clients; to “be professional at all times, master your craft and listen to your clients’ needs”; and to “always be steps ahead to achieve the best and don’t sleep until you know the job is complete for that day”.
If you have any misgivings about whether you can afford to start up and run a business, Jo Tall will happily meet you for a preliminary consultation. Off To See My Lawyer are proud to have successfully helped launch many small businesses – but equally we take pride in our honest and realistic advice. If we consider that you will be taking too many risks (– financial or otherwise) we will let you know.
Here is a non-exhaustive checklist to help you assess whether you can afford to start a new business:
While the intended outcome of employing staff is to increase your profits, employees add to your list of burdens and liabilities. You will need to draft contracts of employment, deal with relevant taxation issues, invest in time (and perhaps money) in training your staff, etc.
This event has been designed to provide advice and support on all aspects of starting, developing and running one’s business – such as branding; “cloud ICT”; financial matters; marketing; business planning; E-commerce; Google; and mentoring. Features include one-to-one advice; “speed networking”; talks; seminars; and workshops.
For more information, please visit: http://www.businessexpo.biz/
It is advisable to maintain a good credit report (– ie. a record of your borrowings and repayments to date), because you may wish to make an application for a loan in the future. Lenders will only agree to lend you money if they are satisfied you are in control of your finances, and are likely to make repayments on time.
Here are tips on how to maintain a good credit report:
If you have any concerns about repaying existing lenders, ask them whether you can negotiate a schedule for repayment, or arrange a temporary payment holiday.
USA and Australia topped the recent Global Entrepreneurial and Development Index, whereas the UK only came only 14th. The Financial Times’ Jonathan Moules commented with surprise that the UK had even come below Austria and Belgium!
On a positive note, the UK was among the best in the world for the number of start-ups it creates (– particularly technology companies); the quality of the founding teams; and the capacity to launch new products without any peers.
However the UK has arguably been more significantly affected by the financial crisis than other nations, and as a result British businesses lack early-stage investment. In the ranking for the number of individuals who have invested informally in other people’s start-ups in the past three years, the UK falls into the bottom quarter of OECD nations.
In addition, research suggests that in cultural terms, the British do not perceive entrepreneurship as a good career choice. Erkko Autio (Professor in Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship at Imperial College) said the UK could significantly improve its position if measures introduced to encourage early-stage investment resulted in more investors committing capital. “The one thing we are pretty sure about is that it is not [a problem of] over-regulation,” he added. “It is more about the [need to change] cultural and social norms.”
For impartial business advice and an opportunity to discuss your business at a confidential, hour-long one-to-one meeting with an experienced advisor, the British Library Business and IP Centre will be running a Business Advice Clinic on Wednesday 2 May 2012, 10:30 to 17:00. It costs £15 to attend. For further information, and to book on-line, follow the link: http://www.bl.uk/bipc/workevents/lbssclinics.html
You probably recognise Karren Brady from the BBC’s popular series The Apprentice.
Starting her career in advertising at the tender age of 18, she first worked at Saatchi & Saatchi and then Sport Newspapers Ltd where she became Director within a year. In 1993, aged 23 she bought and became the Managing Director of Birmingham City Football Club, launching the Club on the Stock market in 1997 – becoming in the process the youngest Managing Director of a PLC in the UK. Despite undergoing an operation for a brain aneurysm in 2006, Brady went from strength to strength in the business world; and when she sold her business in 2009, it was valued at over £82million.
From then on, her list of credentials is so numerous, it almost becomes tedious! In January 2010 she was appointed Vice Chairman of West Ham United FC, generating a trading profit for the first time in several years. In addition she has been on the Boards of various companies and enterprises such as Mothercare PLC, Channel 4 Television and Arcadia.
She has been the subject of a BBC 1 Inside Story documentary; participated in the aforementioned The Apprentice; featured on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs; presented shows on ITV; written four books; worked as a columnist at The Sun newspaper and Women & Home magazine; launched her own magazine Today’s Business Woman; and won numerous awards. She also works as Ambassador for various charities.
Karren Brady is now estimated to be worth £82 million ($131 million). In her latest book, Strong Woman: Ambition, Grit and a Great Pair of Heels, she admits she only took three days off after the birth of her first child, and that it was wrong of her to prioritise her career over her family. She stresses that women should not succumb to pressures of “having it all” as she has done in the past. Off To See My Lawyer quite agree, but at the same time we cannot help but admire what she has achieved!
Where: O2 Workshop, 229 Tottenham Court Road , London W1T 7QG
When: 12 June 2012 from 10:00 to 14:00
How much: £65.00
Johnny Martin has extensive experience turning around businesses such as Baring Venture Partners, JO Hambro and Monument Trust.
Mr Martin will be leading the Getting To Grips Workshop, offering financial advice for setting up a business, working with accountants, raising capital, and cash flow management. Attendees are asked to bring their laptops!
To book your place, visit: www.women-unlimited.co.uk/getting-to-grips-with-finance-worksho/ (Note that for £65, you will not only get to attend the workshop, but you will receive a few added extras and bonuses!)
