Doug Richard's School for Startups » uk small business

An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Disruptive Technologies

Nancy Fulton Mazur — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:41:37 +0000

Every era has its oddly apt phrases. “Solution Selling” was common in the 80’s. How apparent. Sell solutions because that’s what people buy. “Just in Time Production” was the talk of the town in the 90’s. Obviously. Why make something you have to warehouse and ship when you can just produce what people want and drop ship it to them without warehousing.

One of this decade’s fancy phrases is “Disruptive Technologies” and it was coined by Clayton M. Christensen. Christensen divides technologies into two types; sustaining technologies evolve incrementally and support existing market leaders, and disruptive technologies represent complete paradigm shifts that displace market leaders.

For example… the accounting ledger was replaced by the Burroughs adding machine, which was subsequently displaced by the calculator, which yielded to the computer spreadsheet, which now appears ready to succumb to the shared online spreadsheet. Each of these technologies replaced the one that came before it, causing business empires to rise and fall in the process.

As an entrepreneur you should actively look for disruptive technologies in the economy.

Why? Because they give the young companies that adopt them a competitive advantage over established competitors. There was no one who could unseat IBM at it’s zenith except Microsoft, its MS-DOS application, and the millions of little under-powered PC-clones that ran it.

There are several disruptive technologies wreaking havoc on big markets these days.

Bit Torrent is making it impossible to prevent the widespread distribution of entertainment content almost upon initial release. This is is dismantling entertainment distributors worldwide.
Services like Hulu, BlinkBox and Amazon’s Video on Demand look poised to make cable and satellite television superfluous.
It seems likely that iPad will replace the workstation and the laptop in the years to come, and it may play a significant role in eliminating books and magazines from most households.

It’s business unusual everywhere you look.

If your inclination is to say “My industry is as old as the hills, and there’s nothing disruptive about it,” you must realise you are dead wrong. There is, for every enterprise, a disruptive technology you can use to compete more efficiently. If you’ve found the one case where that’s not true, you picked a bad industry to start a business in because your established competitors will have every advantage.

So, if you are starting or running a business now, take a good look at your industry and the universe of solutions your customers face. What disruptive technologies can you put to work in better meeting their needs and reducing your costs? How can you take advantage of these new solutions to compete with your market leaders? You’ll be startled by just how much this kind of analysis can improve the outlook for your enterprise.

Adopting disruptive technologies is key to being an effective entrepreneur.

Naked Business: Building a Wall of Sound

Nancy Fulton Mazur — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:07:30 +0000

by Nancy Fulton, Editor School for Startups

I launched my first commercially profitable website in 1996 when the Internet first started to “go big”, so I find many of the things currently touted as “new” are really “new again”. In the 1990′s there was huge pressure to get your sites listed in the search engines, to have people link to your site from forums, and to create content that was “sticky”. Flash forward to today, the chatter is all about social media, search engine optimization, and viral marketing . . .

Don’t get me wrong. It is obvious that the Internet is evolving. But I am struck by what seems to be a universal constant when it comes to marketing a great business well.

Every single soul who works for an enterprise has to understand exactly what the business does. They have to be able to tell customers, industry partners, their community, and the media this information quickly, accurately and effectively in whatever media they are asked every single time. This creates a marketing message that can be heard over the roar of noise that defines the Internet. It becomes a wall of sound . . .

Marketing is never the job of a few in a business these days. It has to be everyone’s job. Why? Because every person that works for an enterprise talks to hundreds of people, if not thousands every year, in a variety of media. Without unity of vision and clarity of message, your company dissolves into a shapeless puddle of messages. By trying to be everything to everybody it becomes nothing special for anybody.

As we are getting our ducks in a row for the upcoming Start Here classes as well as several future courses and some really big plans for an exceptional summer, School for Startups has become a hive of communication activity.

Every single soul, and there are a lot of us now, is on the front lines interfacing directly with customers, sponsors, the media, event guests, featured entrepreneurs. There’s this complex “square dance” where three or four of us are working on an email blast, five or six of us are posting content on the site, some of us are sending big press releases out, some team members are working with Doug on television and radio events. We are all in constant communication with one another and the outside world . . . across media, day in and day out.

And recently it has hit me that we really must speak with One Voice.

Because efficient as we are, and as well known as we are getting in entrepreneurial communities across the UK, we are still a very small business. We don’t have the bandwidth or resources to send a flurry of imprecise marketing messages out. We have to be needle sharp in what we say about who we are so our message finds our customers.

We must make it clear that “We teach entrepreneurs how to start and grow stronger, more profitable businesses“. Every operation we undertake is to forward that goal. Every strategic relationship we start is toward that end.

Every communication we have with an outsider must communicate that vision. Every message we put out on Twitter, Facebook and Linked In say must say the same thing. That core value must be at the heart of every blog article, every course, every interview.

To steal a phrase from Doug . . . we must become a “wall of sound” when it comes to delivering that message.

We face real challenges as we work for unity of marketing communication:

Every new person who comes into the business has to go through the process of finding out that our company helps our entrepreneurs create better, more profitable businesses. They have to learn that we aren’t just another training business teaching whatever course pays best.
Specific language for our unified marketing message, and the “flavors” that support specific courses and initiatives have to be developed and communicated internally almost constantly to everyone.
Sometimes the apparent distance between a specific undertaking and our core business objective seems very wide. For example, why does Doug Richard, founder of School for Startups, assume an active “voice” in UK politics. Because one of the most important ways School for Startups can help our entrepreneurs found stronger, more profitable businesses is to help foster an economic environment that supports business rather than inhibits it.

Building a unified wall of sound that emanates from every person in a company is something I never hear people talk about, and yet that “unity of message” is something I’ve seen in every successful startup I’ve ever worked for or with.

It was certainly a key feature in Doug’s ITAL Business Computer Systems and Visual Software, and is true of School for Startups as well. Maybe the first people you really, truly have to sell on your business . . . is the people who work with you.

Drawing on the Support of Big Business by Simon Devonshire, SME Marketing at O2

Guest Blogger — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:21:59 +0000

“O2 recently came on board as our big business supporter. I for one think that their superb business strap line, “we’re better, connected” reflects our beliefs about early stage businesses. Their financial backing will allow us to connect with a new generation of businesses through a major expansion of accelerated business training for entrepreneurs online.” — Doug Richard

Simon Devonshire, Head of Small Business Marketing at O2, is a guest on today’s blog.

Schools for Startups is an impressive initiative which will no doubt motivate and inspire entrepreneurs. Doug is an especially talented and thought provoking presenter and business coach. The content of his lectures is about helping businesses to grow which I believe is relevant to all businesses. Doug makes a phenomenal difference to the thinking and performance of small businesses and we’re proud to be on board to support the creation of additional online training programmes targeting entrepreneurs.

We know that access to good quality training can be difficult and expensive for new businesses who are just getting off the ground. That’s why it’s so great to see School for Startups filling the gap. Enterprise creation is so important for the recovery of the UK economy, and small business sits at the heart of entrepreneurialism. Being able to access expert training and advice for free online at a time that suits them can only help young enterprises continue to flourish.

But it’s not all about O2 & School for Startups sharing our support and experiences. It’s a two-way relationship. We want to learn from entrepreneurs and help our business customers to grow their business. More small businesses do business with O2 than any other network. If we are to continue to be there to support them every step of the way, we need to make sure we understand the ongoing challenges they face in the ever changing modern business environment.

One thing O2 well understands is that entrepreneurs and small businesses absolutely rely on flexible communications technologies.

Many businesses these days launch and run for years in a ‘virtual office’. Owners, key employees and strategic partners spread across the UK. When customers call, they need to feel the coherence and cohesion of a traditional brick and mortar business even when one doesn’t exist. Web hosting, e-commerce, cellular internet connectivity, broadband wireless, various forms of VOIP, small businesses now require the kinds of service and support that was available only to multinational corporations less than a decade ago.

Doug Richard’s pragmatic advice on launching ‘ultralight’ businesses with little or no outside funding is, we believe, founded on bedrock of a telecommunications company that provides a truly tremendous number of ‘just in time’ services for entrepreneurs. O2 and School for Startups share a single vision for entrepreneurs in the UK. Speed, agility, flexibility, insight, value . . . Like O2, School for Startups is determined to give them the tools they need.

We look forward to the opportunities that this partnership will bring for us to work more closely with startups and are committed to supporting Doug in championing entrepreneurs and new business in the UK.

– Simon Devonshire

We mention in passing . . . O2 has launched a ‘Joined Up’ communications service, which extends beyond its core mobile offering. The new services provide businesses with one single converged solution for their telecoms requirements spanning mobile, fixed line, data, broadband communications, equipment and professional consultancy. It gives businesses of all sizes an opportunity to outsource their telecoms, ICT and consultancy needs to just one provider, reducing the amount of time spent handling and managing systems and communications services, which are not core to their business. Find out more.

The Secret Good News About The UK & Business

Doug Richard — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:32:36 +0000

By Doug Richard

Yesterday I attended and participated in an event hosted by UKTI, The Prime Minister, and Lord Mandelson. The purpose of the event was to communicate directly with the CEO’s of some of the world’s most important large companies who already have a presence in the UK or who are considering inward investment into the UK.

The message from the Government was unambiguous: The UK is still open for business and intends to remain so. The Government brought out all its heavy hitters and used them liberally; Gordon Brown held a private breakfast for 25 or so key figures (and a couple of not-so-key people like me) at Number 10; the PM opened the conference, Michael Porter the celebrity Harvard business Professor was the keynote, Lord Mandelson spoke more than once, took questions and networked; unusually enough for a Chancellor close to a budget, Allistair Darling also spoke. Mervyn Davies, the trade minister, compered the event. There were panels with a variety of heavyweights including Lionel Barber who chaired a feisty group with Richard Lambert the Director General of the CBI. My panel in the early afternoon was about the Future Consumer and I admit, given my rather vocal critique of the government’s policies regarding small business support, I thought it was interesting that I was asked.

What made the event impressive, far more than the obvious display of willingness by the government to put its most senior people forward, was the attendance record itself. The attendees individually are all major players and in sum made up a display of corporate gravitas that said something itself about the day. These people run crowded schedules. For some reason, it was important for them to come.

Why is that and what does it say about the UK?

Well, I think it is good news actually. This government put on a display of competence and re-assurance for key stakeholders in its well being. It did so in a way peculiar to the UK. The UK has a manner about it that is very different than other countries and cultures. It uses its great buildings and imperial facilities in a casual sort of way that takes the formality out but keeps the seriousness of purpose in place. Republics, like the US and France, tend in the opposite direction. We big things up and in the doing so make things seem a bit imperial. Thus breakfast at No.10, a day long event at the Saatchi Galleries finished by drinks at St.James’s Palace hosted by the Duke of York who cheerfully manned the floor was a seamless piece of marketing for the UK.

And it worked. I spoke with two CEO’s of key corporations who have decisions to make and each, when asked, was characteristically, straight forward. The first, a Canadian, said “I get what they were trying to communicate, and I’m sold.” The second, an Asian, said that he had come over specifically because they had invited him. He had come because it was the courteous thing to do but he would leave reminded why he had chosen the UK before and would likely do so again.

The Government was at work yesterday doing its job. It did it well. It provided re-assurance to the large end of the real business sector that the flow of inward capital is still good for the people whose capital it is.

For me though it is a bittersweet thought. That this group of people could accomplish so much, so artfully, on behalf of the nation and its enterprise, and yet has so few comparable successes in its cap for small business, new business and entrepreneurs in general.

I can only hope they apply the same new found skill and competence to their efforts to drive entreprenurialism as they do to tending the large corporate stakeholders, who are merely the few and large, along the continuum of businesses upon which the country’s well being depends.

Featured Entrepreneur: Lizzie Fane

Nancy Fulton Mazur — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:58:47 +0000

Lizzie Fane’s success with Third Year Abroad, just announced as a Smarta100 company, demonstrates that entrepreneurs profit by turning problems into solutions.

What does your business do?

ThirdYearAbroad.com aims to inspire students to study languages at university and make the most of their year abroad. It’s such a fantastic and hugely valuable opportunity to speak a foreign language fluently, and yet it is very easy to be discouraged from going by the sheer amount of planning, organisation and self-sufficiency needed to make the year a success.

The year abroad is a complicated and often scary step which we try to make easier by providing students with ‘been there, done that’ case studies, city profiles, course reviews, language help, a discussion forum and advice for their worried parents. ThirdYearAbroad.com is a social networking platform where our users can share their worries, information, help and advice before, during and after their time away.

How did you decide to start it?

I studied Italian at university and spent a wonderful third year abroad in Florence, but I had endless difficulties in registering on my course, finding accommodation with local students and setting up a foreign bank account – especially as I didn’t know anyone else there to ask.

My home university hoped I would return completely fluent in fourth year, but they didn’t have the resources to help me until I was back, while my destination university grouped me en masse with all the other foreign students and left us to our own devices.

I didn’t know any students who had studied there and had no source of information to help me. I checked with friends and parents and discovered that this has been an ongoing problem over the years, so when I graduated I decided to set up the website that I needed while I was away.

What were your toughest challenges?

I’ve been really lucky and have had loads of help and startup advice from very generous people, but my business is solely based on the website so my most difficult and frustrating experience was being let down by my first developers after they’d completed 75% of the project. This meant I had to start again from scratch. I wasted a huge amount of time and money – crucial factors for a startup – but I learnt from my mistakes, treated the process as an expensive crash-course in web development and am very lucky that 3B Digital stepped in to save the day and have done such a fantastic job!

What sites do you recommend

www.wexo.co.uk – I couldn’t have started up without the help of work experience students.
www.ooh.com – I love learning new skills and this site offers every creative course worldwide I could possibly imagine, plus a few more!
www.dailycandy.com – every day I receive one email with the details of something completely new, exciting and unique to do in London.
www.springwise.com – the world’s most weird and wonderful new business ideas, all in one place.

Which entrepreneur do you admire most?

I worked for the founder of lastminute.com, Brent Hoberman, on his latest project mydeco.com, and was so impressed by the way he truly involves the entire team in decision-making and developing new ideas. If there are thirty creative brains in the room, why not use all of them every now and then, instead of always selecting a small team?! He was very inspiring.

Dragon says Birmingham’s Entrepreneurs can fire up economic fight back

Mark Boyd — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:33:50 +0000

Doug Richard, Dragons’ Den Entrepreneur, calls for Birmingham to seize the startup opportunity

3rd February – BIRMINGHAM: Birmingham could emerge from recession as a world class capital for entrepreneurs, but needs to be freed from regulatory red tape, according to Doug Richard, one of the country’s leading entrepreneurs.

Former Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Doug Richard who is speaking in Birmingham on Monday, asserts that the city could be a new entrepreneur powerhouse for start-ups and is one of the key UK cities to make the difference between national recession and recovery.

Doug Richard is speaking at the Start Here! Starting & Growing A Successful Business, which is being hosted by The University of Birmingham and Birmingham’s student enterprise society, BEES, a thriving community of nascent entrepreneurs.

Doug Richard will claim that the city’s entrepreneurs could be a major catalyst in the economic fight back but has voiced concerns that the policies of successive governments continue to cripple entrepreneurial endeavour.

He is releasing an Entrepreneurs Manifesto calling for a new system of tax breaks to encourage start-ups. He claims the initiative can be paid for by a radical overhaul of the government business support structure and that entrepreneurs must move up the list of national priorities.

Doug Richard, who is founder of the Cambridge Angels and the School for Startups, says: “Birmingham has major potential that can be released in the economic fight back and today’s conference is testament to that talent and potential. However, we must support those who take on the risk of starting a new business. Given our urgent need for economic growth now, we must reduce regulatory burdens on small businesses and support a section of society who could be pivotal in lifting the UK out of recession.”

His comments support an accumulation of recent evidence suggesting that Birmingham is gathering a head of steam as a hub for entrepreneurs. As a recent winner in the European Cities Entrepreneurship Ranking and number one rating in the Cushman and Wakefield Monitor the city is galvanising a reputation as one of the leading centres for business in Europe.

2010 sees the launch of B-SEEN, a business start-up support programme for graduates in Birmingham. A joint venture between the three universities in the city – University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University and Aston University – B-SEEN is a local solution to harness the high density of graduate talent in the area.

However, Doug Richard warns against complacency. To back business he claims that a new deal for entrepreneurs is required to stimulate a “recession buster” solution for the UK. He is calling for a:

System of direct credits for angel and family investment in small
businesses
Broad commitment to apprenticeship support across all forms of business
Demand that UK government set aside part of its procurement budget for small
business
Super high broadband to every citizen in Britain.

“Birmingham has everything it needs to capitalise on the opportunities of the 21st century. However national government must unshackle the only means of increasing wealth and social mobility in the city: the entrepreneurial culture,” says Doug Richard.

Doug Richard is a high profile entrepreneur with 20 years’ experience in the development and leadership of technology and software ventures. Doug featured in the first two BBC TV series of Dragons’ Den. He is the founder of School for Startups, and co-founder of the Cambridge Angels.

To register for the event Start Here! Starting & Growing A Successful Business, taking place in Birmingham on Monday 8th February, please visit: http://www.schoolforstartups.co.uk/2010/01/03/start-here-starting-and-growing-a-business-birmingham-8-feburary/

Manifesto response requires a fact check

Doug Richard — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:54:04 +0000

Today, the small business website www.startupdonut.co.uk published an article entitled “Red Tape Not a Barrier for Startups, say FSB”. This was subsequently reprinted by another small business site www.is4profit.com, here.

The essence of the article turned around two points in the Manifesto.

First, that I am simply incorrect in my assertion that it takes too long to start a business in the UK and second that it is inappropriate for the Government to imitate the US set-aside for small businesses in federal procurement.

It takes too Long….

Every year the World Bank sponsors a report that attempts to create an objective measure of how easy it is to start a new business in every country in the world. The report is available as an interactive database at www.doingbusiness.org.

One of its principal measures, though not its only measure, is the amount of time it takes to start a new business. The UK ranked #9 in the world in the 2009 report and #16 in the recently published 2010 report, down 7 places.

The report‘s calculation highlights that the primary drag on starting a new business is the time involved interacting with the various government departments. Interestingly, the largest amount of time is spent registering twice at HMRC once for VAT and again in a duplicate, though parallel process, for National Insurance and PAYE. This of course is the same department that now houses the national Business Link website.

Thus apparently without irony, the labour Councillor, Stephen Alambritis, who is also the Head of Public Affairs for the FSB, said that the Government has reduced the barriers to setting up a business.

“They have simplified the obstacles people face setting up a business, but if you want to grow the business, for example, by moving from self-employed to employer status – then it can be more difficult.”

Alambritis also agreed with a Government statement that people can set up a business in the UK in less than a day. “We have one of the easiest regimes in the world for setting up a business, but it is the ongoing regulations that are a burden.”

I am not sure which of his two hats he was wearing when he agreed with the Government, but I would have been a bit surprised if he had disagreed with the government, given that he IS the government. But he is also disagreeing with the World Bank, not me. I merely quote them.

A Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) spokesman said that research from the European Commission found that it takes, on average, less than a day and costs only £20 to register a company in the UK, compared to a European average of £382.

As for the BIS spokesman, I appreciate his quoting an un-named study which provides such a convenient quote, but I have always found it more useful for public debate to name one’s sources.

The World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index is the most highly regarded comparative analysis on this question in the world. My links above let anyone see my source.

Finally, for those of you who think this is a somewhat pedantic conversation, I remind you of this. We must count key indicators as a proxy for larger underlying issues. I am quite mindful that how long it takes to start a business is not the sole measure, and perhaps not even the most important measure of our issue; but it is where it begins and was merely one of many points the Manifesto raises.

If people choose to dispute the Manifesto and the Declaration on such a direct basis on one of its more easily substantiated and less important points, I wonder if its no more than a deflection from their desire not to address the more fundamental issues raised later on.

Mandated Set Asides for Small Business in Government Procurement

“However, the BIS spokesman argued that a similar proposal was considered in the Government-backed 2008 Glover Report and rejected. “The review found that small firms want to compete on an equal basis and on the basis of quality rather than have special treatment,” he said. “They decided that efforts should focus on addressing problems and removing barriers, not on meeting targets.”

I have a great deal of respect for Anne Glover who chaired the group whose report and conclusions are being quoted. And I nevertheless strongly disagree with their conclusion that there should be no set aside. I agree wholeheartedly with the entire set of proposals that the Glover Report does recommend, but it falls apart at the point of voluntary compliance. Facts are facts and the impact that the set-aside has had in the United States has been transforming and, elegantly simple.

It thrusts the responsibility for compliance on industry and in essence forces the large government contactors to bear the burden of proving compliance.

I stand by my contention. Left to its own devices the government will not change its practices and a clear target draws the bright line that it apparently needs to see the issue.

Featured Entrepreneur: Nadeem Azam

Nancy Fulton Mazur — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:05:38 +0000

Nadeem Azam is CEO of an award winning marketing firm Azam Marketing. Nadeem illustrates the intelligence, hard work, determination, mental agility and sense of humor that lead to entrepreneurial success.

What does your business do?

Azam Marketing www.azam.net is a full-services online marketing and design agency which unleashes the potential of the internet to grow our clients’ businesses.

A pioneer in the digital arena, our specialists have 102 combined years of experience in affiliate, display, email and search marketing. We also carry out website design and development, online business consulting, and corporate training.

Over the last 13 years we have developed over 70 niche websites and our mailing lists have now grown to over 5.7 million opt-in subscribers in the UK. We utilise these and our other means to generate millions of pounds a month in sales for companies large and small.

How did you decide to start it?

I have always been in business in some way, shape or form since I was nine years old. When I was a kid, I would work in my father’s Cash & Carry in Yorkshire after school and on the weekends, and at different stages in my life I have had businesses doing copywriting, selling computer games offline, selling books online, and providing IT support.

Due to some unscrupulous people, I was flat broke in 1997. One day, when I couldn’t even afford chicken and chips for £1.99, I told myself I have to sort my life out.

I have been glued to computers since my teenage years, being a programmer in the 1980s, and, when I investigated what the internet had to offer and realised it’s potential, I started spending 100 hours a week on the PC to build my digital marketing and design business.

What were your toughest challenges?

One of the first challenges was developing an internet business when I couldn’t afford to get online! So I enrolled on a course at my local college and that gave me access to their computer centre. I would be the first one there at 9:30am each morning and the last one out at 9pm every night. It was a challenge trying to code websites when the teenagers around me would be swearing and fighting all the time and flicking paper at each other past my nose!

The hardest part in the early years was surviving when I was not making any money. I lived off Tesco baked beans for years! It took me six months to generate my first sale online, which I think was an Eastenders book, and I made 68p profit. And then, when I’d grown the business, the dot.com crash happened in which my clients and advertisers collapsed like nine pins. It was like a kick in the stomach and the business had to go back to square one. But, by the grace of God, I survived all those difficult times and, today, 13 years later we’re in a healthy position and growing faster than ever. We tripled in size last year.

What sites do you recommend?

www.bbc.co.uk/news – keeps me updated on what’s happening in the UK and around the world
www.affiliates4u.com – I’ve spent squillions of hours on this online marketing portal in the last decade
www.notmoresocks.com – gives me ideas on what to buy as gifts, otherwise I end up getting everyone chocolates
www.freecashback.co.uk – cashback and voucher code portal from Azam enables people to save money at 2000 UK retailers

Which entrepreneurs do you admire most?

I’ll mention one who is well known and another who is not.

Bill Gates is a personal hero of mine, because he proves the geek can inherit the earth! He had the conviction to take a leave of absence from Harvard to create Microsoft, had the vision to see the money would be on the software rather than the hardware side, and developed a formidable global company. There are a lot of people who have achieved nothing in life who mock Bill Gates, but I have the highest of respect for somebody who works his way to the very top and then gives away billions of dollars to the needy.
On a personal level, I have had the honour of working with Senthil Kumar, the MD of V A C Media, for the last four years. In a very short space of time he has built an internet company with 70 staff which is the leading provider of loyalty shopping portals in the world. His work ethic is inspirational and I can only think of four or five days in all the years I have know him when he has perhaps not worked at least 12 hours. But what means the most to me is that, despite all his success, he remains a thoroughly nice bloke.

S4Stv: Entrepreneurs Talk About School for Startups

Nancy Fulton Mazur — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:32:08 +0000

UK Entrepreneurs Talk About School for Startups

Nancy Fulton Mazur — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:35:48 +0000

Doug Richard’s School for Startups offers accelerated instruction to UK entrepreneurs in how to start and run businesses more profitably. The truth is that not all businesses are created equal. Some are better than others. They are better because those who start them have a more useful understanding of what it takes to get a business off the ground quickly, who to hire, how to design a product, how to identify a target market, how to sell products and services, and how to grow their enterprise so that it is of interest to potential funders. They learn how to find investors, how to get grants, and how to retain profits.

We would like to help your business get off to a great start and grow quickly. We hope you will attend our face to face classes and online events. We look forward to supporting you and your business for years to come.