This November our first Help to Grow: Management National Alumni Event, gathered participants from across the country with thought leaders from numerous sectors and guest speakers such as Sir Kenneth Olisa and founder of HomeServe Richard Harpin.
There was a buzz of anticipation in the air as alumni networked and shared their experiences. Richard Harpin then took to the stage to outline his eight secrets of building a billion-pound business.
Safe to say, there were plenty of essential takeaways but perhaps the most universal was ‘resilience and persistence is essential in business. You will learn that persistence eventually pays if you keep going.’
Alongside Richard’s own business story of challenges and success, many will undoubtedly take on board his message: ‘My advice to small businesses is to have a focused business model and a great team that allows you to have the time to keep learning.’
The secrets to a successful business keynote was followed by a conversation between Small Business Charter Chair, Michael Hayman, and Sir Kenneth Olisa. The conversation navigated Sir Kenneth’s journey while signposting lessons he learned along the way.
For those looking for specific learnings, the breakout sessions offered in-depth discussions from experts on areas like digital transformation, finance fundamentals, sustainability, social media, and much more. These sessions were spaced out across the afternoon so that alumni could get a variety of insights and have the opportunity to network.
If all that wasn’t enough, the day was capped off with a speech from Lord Bilimoria, who not only gave his analysis of the current landscape that SMEs face but also shared his experience of making Cobra Larger a household name.
At the end of this eventful day, our Help to Grow: Management alumni were buzzing. Ibelema Emeh, Director of Setax Training and Consultancy, summed up the thoughts of many, ‘Being a business owner can be very isolating, so it’s nice to come to a place where there is a business community where you can interact with peers and hear from amazing speakers. Days like these make you rethink the purpose of your business.’
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