British Library Logo

Getting started with the right mentor

    Starting your new business can feel lonely; but help is out there.

    Help in finding a mentor is one of the most common queries we get at the Business & IP Centre, but how can you optimise your time with a mentor? How would you make sure you’re asking the right questions? And how do you know who you can trust?

    In this session, advisors from the National Business Support Helpline will outline some of the funded schemes and initiatives which could give you the help you need right now and ensure you’re getting the right mentorship for you.


    This session will help you:

  • determine exactly what knowledge and advice you need from a mentor
  • learn tips and techniques for how to succinctly convey your questions and get the most from your mentor.


We’ll also hear from founder of fashion brand The Cambridge Satchel Company, Julie Deane OBE, about the times she’s sought out help and how as a result, it’s changed the direction of her business.

At the end of this session, following both Julie’s and National Business Support Helpline’s advice, you’ll feel confident in knowing how to use external advisors to move your start-up forward.

Speakers

Paul Kirtley

Business Advisor

Julie Deane CBE

Founder & CEO Cambridge Satchel Company and Entrepreneur in Residence British Library

More Events

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.

Getting started with your side hustle

Going in to business might feel like a leap into the unknown, but with a side hustle you can minimise the risk.

Earning through a side hustle helps you earn extra an income while keeping paid employment and helps to maintain the cash flow as the new business establishes itself. With digital communities and marketplaces helping to fast track the route to market and allowing entrepreneurs to tap into a wider breadth of customers than ever before, more and more people are choosing to start side hustles, and seeing them grow.

Vicki Broadbent has grown her blog, The Honest Mum, from a hobby and passion to her full-time commercial income. She is also the author of Mum Boss, which examines the opportunities you can unearth by unlocking spare time, often, while at home with a family.

This session will explore the skills and support you will need to put your plans into action after Start-up Day, as well as practical tips on keeping up a side hustle while working the 9 to 5. If you have entrepreneurial ambition and a skill that can be monetised, join us and Vicki to hear about whether a side hustle start-up is the right option for you.

How to get your head around the numbers


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.

Understanding your numbers is crucial in building a financially fit business and knowing the fundamentals will allow you to make the most informed start-up financial decisions.

In this session we will try to demystify and simplify the notions of cost, cash flow and profit, and help you understand how they affect your business and why they are important in your decision-making process.

Getting started with sustainable photography


Every business needs to evaluate its environmental impact. Although the arrival of digital photography has reduced the impact on the environment that film photography had, there is still more that can be done.

This session will take you through some of the first steps to a greener business, covering everything from reducing and repurposing waste to buying from environmentally friendly suppliers, all the while helping you to become your best photographer.

BIPC Hull's Building an effective website

Join BIPC Hull with Creator Coach, Mal Williamson, to understand how to build an effective website.

In our age digital technology and the internet has revolutionized the way we live and work, creating a hotbed of online platforms for start-ups to consider. In this session, we explore the world of websites and ‘the internet of entrepreneurs’. A website can be many things. It can tell a story, share values, be a conversation, a marketplace, a testing facility. Every entrepreneur knows they need a website… don’t they? But what exactly is a website these days?

In this webinar we will cover:
Different websites for different reasonsBuilding an effective website that works for youCustomizing the processTesting the market with landing pagesHow to work with creatives and get the most out of web designers, copywriters, graphic designers and codersDo you really need a website and what are the alternatives?

Michael Cashman

Speaker Position

Feedback