BIPC Worcestershire's In conversation with Craig Carr - the thrills and spills of running your own business

Join Angela Podmore from Kinetic Communications as she talks to Craig Carr, founder and owner of Fairburn Heating Solutions, who will share what led him to start-up his business 15 years ago and valuable insights into how both he and the business have developed. Craig will be discussing the strategies he’s adopted along the way and the key ingredients to success in business, to inspire those considering or just starting out on a business venture. We’re going to find out how Craig turns fear of failure into fuel whereby he learns from mistakes and takes his business forward. Craig will share his favourite business books – be prepared for some surprising titles!

Speakers

BIPC Worcestershire

Craig Carr

Founder of Fairburn Heating Solutions

Angela Podmore

Founder of Kinetic Communications

More Events

How to run a successful crowdfunding campaign (and raise £32,000)

London libraries are transforming the way ideas grow into successful businesses. By partnering with ten London boroughs, we are developing a community of new and existing business owners, which is free to join and open to everyone. Whether you are just setting out, need advice on protecting your intellectual property, or simply have a brilliant idea you want to discuss, we're here to guide you. Since April 2020, we have offered all of our Start-ups in London Libraries' services online, including our core workshops and virtual one-to-ones with our borough Business Champions, many of whom will be hosting sessions during Start-up Day. To find out more about Start-ups in London Libraries and how to join our thriving business community, visit bl.uk/SiLL.

As people look for less traditional routes to finance, crowdfunding campaigns are becoming more and more popular. During this masterclass, we will hear from a start-up business, Bottle Farm, who, earlier this year, used a crowdfunding platform to successfully raise £32,000 for their innovative indoor farm and garden kits.

They will be interviewed by our Start-ups in London Libraries SME Champion for Southwark, Dean Williams, who will discuss with them what they did to achieve this success, their top tips for any other start-up business thinking of obtaining funds this way, and what they would have done differently.

Dean will also share this 5 top tips to ensure you have the best chance of raising funds, especially in this current climate.

Inspiring Entrepreneurs: High street heroes

High streets are the beating heart of our local communities. Having a presence on the high street gives businesses a unique opportunity to connect with their customers, and the responsibility to meet their needs as these change and evolve. What additional service could you offer to those who interact with your brand in person? What extra impact could you generate by sharing your spaces with neighbours and fellow makers?

We have brought together a panel of three loved and respected local businesses, our high street heroes. Their founders will share practical tips through their inspiring stories and tell us more about their individual journeys.

Mary Otumahana, award-winning musician and founder of The RecordShop; a grassroots independent organisation based in Wood Green, that focuses on making an impact with a multipurpose music space located on the high street. By providing access to a recording studio and music career training, Mary is leading a mission to educate, inform and inspire inner-city youths to connect to their community through music.Hellen Stirling-Baker, founder of children’s store, Small Stuff, has led her business from an experimental pop-up shop to a successful, eco-friendly bricks and clicks model at the heart of her high street in Crookes, Sheffield. A perfect example that being a small shop doesn’t mean you can’t have big values; Hellen is a local leader who champions ethical suppliers and supports other retailers, often sharing her shop for community-building events. Hellen is the deserved winner of this year’s High Street Hero for the Small Awards 2022.Carolynn Bain, founder of Afori Books, the first Black-owned bookshop in Brighton. Carolynn almost did the opposite of most during the pandemic; inspired to stock only Black authors in response to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, she started her business as an online shop. Demand was so high however, that Afrori Books was approached to open a physical bookshop in Lighthouse, a local Arts-based charity, with fit-out costs successfully crowdfunded.

We are running this event with the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) who are also champions of high street businesses and are here to help, all year round.

Inspiring Entrepreneurs: She's In CTRL by Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE

This event is taking place at the British Library and will be live streamed.

For those joining us in person, the event will be following by a networking reception with drinks, canapés, where you can meet other attendees, as well as the speakers. There will also be the opportunity to enter a prize draw.

For those joining us online, the panel and talk will run from 18.00 – 20.00.

The tech industry has a leading figure in Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, who is a dynamic advocate for women in STEM and a champion of STEM in education.

This special event shows how her latest book, She’s In CTRL, is a guidebook for women to take back tech and to shine a light on the women in STEM daring to dream. It will empower readers make changes to the way tech can be improved, but how to get into the room where the decisions are made and create our own tech rooms.

Join us for an inspirational evening with innovators within technology speaking on a panel about the important role of women and diversity in STEM sectors. This panel talk is followed by an enlightening fireside chat with Anne-Marie to discuss her new book and share the stories of other pioneers and innovators who have, against the odds, transformed technology.

Also up for discussion will be a range of topics that will help you to:
Understand the reality of starting as a female in the STEM industry and the challenges of getting started
Learn how women in the tech industry are creating their own seat at the table or ‘tech rooms’ and what steps they took to do this
Learn which aspects of STEM are mostly inspiring and recruiting women today
Learn about which innovations our panel have seen arise since the pandemic that were specifically that were created by women and why they think these have arisen
Hear about new trends within the industry that are evolving and the areas that still need more women involved
Understand the growth in interest in tech amongst women globally, including across Africa and Asia
Learn about the future of tech/STEM with the rise of AI, VR and 3D printing

Photo credit Sam and Sam Photography 2022

How to write your value proposition

London libraries are transforming the way ideas grow into successful businesses. By partnering with ten London boroughs, we are developing a community of new and existing business owners, which is free to join and open to everyone. Whether you are just setting out, need advice on protecting your intellectual property, or simply have a brilliant idea you want to discuss, we're here to guide you. Since April 2020, we have offered all of our Start-ups in London Libraries' services online, including our core workshops and virtual one-to-ones with our borough Business Champions, many of whom will be hosting sessions during Start-up Day. To find out more about Start-ups in London Libraries and how to join our thriving business community, visit bl.uk/SiLL.

Value propositions are incredibly valuable pieces of content, which allow you to communicate what your business is offering succinctly, and which can be used across marketing materials and pitches in the start-up stage of your business. Sarah Eschner, our SME Champion for Waltham Forest from the Start-ups in London Libraries programme will host this session where we will review how to incorporate all the important elements of your value proposition using a simple step-by-step process.

This masterclass will cover:
The purpose of a value propositionTools associated with a value proposition (value proposition canvas, business model canvas, profit model)The principles of a value propositionConcept of the ‘Core motivating value’An example scenario for how to write the statement.

Sources: Founders Institute, and L. Newey University of Queensland

BIPC Liverpool City Region: The power of sustainable business

Join independent business and compliance advisor Jacqueline Daley as she talks to three entrepreneurs from the Liverpool City Region who have put sustainability at the heart of their businesses. Kate Stewart (We Make Places CIC), Alison Hulse (McCormacks) and M Vahid Nagori (Green Bell Packaging Ltd.) will reflect on their individual journeys, and discuss why sustainability is so important to each of them, the challenges they have faced in starting up and offer advice for other founders.