What's new

[Andy Goundry]

So, i thought i'd post what's new.

As it happens, Sheffield's been a good place to enjoy a "make it happen" buzz lately. 

The MADE Festival that was held in Sheffield was extremely engaging and enthusing, and i learned just how much the government want to support new business. The theme was mostly inspirational and encouraging, with only a small focus on money and getting investment, which didn't really interest me.

Last week i attended a session run by Doug Richard (www.schoolforstartups.co.uk). The session was all about funding. I attended because as much as i'm not looking for funding, i am quite interested in meeting small businesses and maybe investing in some, plus am mostly just getting a bigger picture view on the world of building businesses. At the event, i did learn about the SEIS scheme (www.seiswindow.org.uk/), and if nothing else, it illustrates how much the government recognises the need for small businesses to succeed. They really seem to know that without us, the UK economy will not recover.

Last week, I also entered the world of business mentoring. Mostly, i want a mentor so that i can develop a business with continued support. I meet with an advisor this week and will see what i pick up from that. Also, there's a rather great scheme in Sheffield at the moment, which has actioned upon the recognition that small business owners are often best supported by peers. So, I got trained last week as a business mentor and will see which businesses i can help in that capacity. I personally wish for that to be a platform to meet people, share ideas and stories, plus develop my understanding of what mentoring really is in this context. For sure, all of us who attended Bootstrapd felt that build a business with peer support is a whole lot more fun and less isolated.

Finally, I continue to work with a couple of startups and am excited as to where those could be going.