It was my privilege to have been asked to run workshops yesterday at the Stoke Stories event which was a beautifully organised day full of inspiration, laughter and terrific ideas.
One of the workshops I facilitated was on Business Start-ups ,and there was a great mix of people in the room, some very experienced in support in the City and others who are just starting out.
What was very clear from the workshop session where people, in small groups, were talking and noting all their ideas for what could be provided for business start-ups, was that there was a shared vision for what support should look like.
Given that our business economy is in a very precarious state nationally, not just locally, it is imperative that we firmly grasp the desire to build upon the ideas and passion we have in our city, nurture it and help it grow.
The people who are starting new businesses are the economic future of our areas, what could be more important than helping them grow and develop? It's not about providing something that will look good in a brochure or have a modern air conditioned building, it's about joining together - each of us approaching someone we know who cares and asking them if they can share their knowledge and skills.
It's about being positive, in thought, word and deed. It's about saying what we really feel and think (in a good and positive way) paying attention to what is going on around us in our towns, cities and streets. It's about listening - I mean really listening, not 'engaging', not 'consulting' - listening.
In the five years I have been lucky enough to have been involved in supporting people starting businesses and working for themselves I have rarely heard anyone say they were doing it because they wanted to become rich or powerful, they were were doing it mostly for two fundamental reasons; to take back control of their working life and be independent of employers and because they were passionate about what they wanted to do.
New start-ups don't want the earth, and providing them with what they need doesn't carry a huge and unaffordable price tag. We already have, within our city, all the resources we need to do this and do it well.
What I believe we first have to do is - Start Thinking Differently!
Keep it simple and start connecting all the people and places which could be resources. These could be given an overarching name - anything - so that people would know that this person or place will assist them. We could gather companies, organisations and people who will offer time and expertise, share knowledge and skills, mentor, support and develop the new business people. Each giving according to what they are able, this might be a little, it might be a lot, it doesn't matter, it's the giving that counts.
We are collectively responsible for what happens next in our society, never has this been clearer, the big question is - will we rise to challenge? Will we add to the positive change? Will we grasp this opportunity to make a difference? I do hope so.
I want to thank everyone I met yesterday, they were an inspiration, and the challenge that the Business Start-up workshop group set - which was; for each of us to contact one other person in the room who we hadn't met before and speak with them and share something during the next two weeks, is one which I relish and will certainly carry out, it will be my pleasure.
