On Wednesday night I was very inspired by a group of social entrepreneurs - they had fantastic business ideas which would not only earn them a living but also solve some big social issues; from waste and inability to find carers through to gun crime and abuse of males.
The event was arranged by the Media Trust who ’speed-matched’ comms professionals like me with entrepreneurs who needed help and advice. It was hosted by UnLtd who give funding to social entrepreneurs.
Some of the businesses I came across:
Serious About Youth - raising aspirations through workshops
This week the topic of discussion at Make Your Mark has been the family. On wednesday Make Your Mark Ambassador Fleur Emery who set up successful organic porridge business Team Grasshopperwith her sister Abi came down to Make Your Mark HQ to give us the low down on working with the family in our lunch time webchat!!
It was great and more importantly identified parents as the most influential people when starting up a business. Over the last month Ambassadors have put us in touch with their parents so we can get behind the scenes gossip of what it takes to be an entrepreneur!! Parents have given us the insiders version of what it’s really been like setting up a business, the highs and the lows.
A few weeks ago, I set out westwards with our very own Alex Ritchie. We left a sweltering London for a slightly cooler Cardiff - it was time for us to attend the GWIIN Awards 2009! GWIIN stands for Global Women Inventors’ and Innovators’ Network, but that’s a bit of a mouthful you see. It was a packed 48 hours that saw women from across the globe gathering to celebrate their creative innovations and inventions. We met some fabulous new ladies from Liz Forrester whose Go Green Bags help to promote businesses while making a green statement to the lovely Dr. Hanna who invented the microscope that went to Mars on the recent Phoenix Mission! Amongst these varied women from a varied places were a few familiar faces. Our lovely MYM ambassador, Celia Gates of Doctor Cookware was there, along with designer duo Natasha and Semhal from LaDiosa who were recognised for their stunning pieces (Yay!).
Here at Make Your Mark we will be sharing much more inspiring stories of the beginning of the enterprise journey.
We will be exploring what it’s like to be a parent of an entrepreneur getting the background knowledge of what it’s really like to support our great entrepreneurs the highs and the lows. This is a chance influence others parents who might be about to take a step into the unknowns of supporting an entrepreneur.
GWIIN (Global Women Inventor and Innovators Network) recognises the good work that organisations are doing for the benefit of many women inventors and innovators. As a result, this year they are selecting a few organisations and presenting them with the GWIIN Organisation ‘Special Recognition’ Award. Make Your Mark will receive one of these along with 10 other companies from all over the globe! MYM receives this award for the invaluable support and assistance that we provide many exceptionally creative and innovative women.
A pat on the back for the Make Your Mark Campaign team & Spark: The National Women’s Enterprise Ambassador Network!!!
Well, as for all the negative press and comments about recessions and credit crunches, at the Women in Business event attended by fourteen entrepreneurs and MP, Yvette Cooper in Castleford today there wasn’t a single moan or groan in sight, just positive comments and the most tremendous inspirational stories.
Each person around the table had a different tale to tell and what made it more interesting was that they were so varied and in some cases sparked off a round of giggles – from recession busting ‘oldies’ to decisions between marrying a rich man or getting a job – the job won!
The winners of the Global Entrepreneurship Week competition, Unleash It, went along to their prize pow-wow with Raj Anand and the social networking geniuses at Kwiqq this week. The ACS (African Caribbean Society) sat down for a one on one with the team and they grabbed the guys to share their thoughts. Take a look…
It’s 9:30 in the morning in Kansas city and I am sitting between Virginia from Argentina and Jolia from Singapore. This is the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, generously hosted by our Global Entrepreneurship Week co-founders, The Kauffman Foundation.
Hosts of last November’s Global Entrepreneurship Week joined together from far and further away, battling the elements to make it to this truly global gathering. The storms have followed us from Chicago to Kansas City but the wind and the rain have been no match for the thunder and lightening unleashed by the 60 nations united in this room - 25,000 events and over 3 million participants during one Week - a stunning achievement by any standard, but when it comes to inspiration (for me)- it’s all in the detail.
Calling all female entrepreneurs. Do you want to be motivated to action? Are you looking for an event where there is laughter, great entrepreneurial spirit, fantastic networking , sense of community and real life stories of women who are making a difference and contribution to the world of business.
Well look no further. You will not want to miss The ‘Black Girls In Business’ event to be held at The Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Town Hall Approach Road, Tottenham, London N15 4RX on Monday 9th March 2009. After the phenomenal success of The ‘Black Boys In Business’ event, this ‘Sista’ version is bought to you by public demand.
Student-based company Elevation Networks, in conjunction with Brunel University’s Entrepreneur Society, recently hosted the event ‘Let’s Talk Business’, with six guest speakers advising ambitious students on gaining financial wisdom for personal business ventures.
National celebrity of Dragon’s Den fame Levi Roots made a guest appearance, sharing the story behind the success of his infamous ‘Reggae Reggae Sauce’, currently the second highest selling sauce in the UK. The self-proclaimed ‘dragon-slayer’ offered a heart-felt take on his humble journey from a stall at Brixton market to owning Sainsbury’s fastest ever selling product. Mr Roots is also due to release an album which he proclaims was the inspiration behind his sauce.
With the tenners being released into the hands of 200,000 young people across the UK very shortly, I ask myself how I would Make My Mark with a Tenner.
With a whole month to generate some hard CASH and young people with lots of spare time, I’m thinking multi sports+tournaments = Fun, competition and cash
By holding lunch time matches, afterschool activities and evening fun you could find someone to donate a few trophy’s and supply squash and orange quarters for refreshment breaks.
ooohh it’s sooo exciting can’t wait to see what our budding entrepreneurs can generate.
Maybe hear at HQ we could try a tournament in the office ?????
In this blog I will briefly explain how if you give me £10, I can make the world a better place. With tea.
After watching a few MakeYourMark folk pondering just what they would do with a tenner, I started to ask myself the same question. How can you make a profit and a social impact with a tenner? Or, if you will, Make Your Mark with a Tenner?
I reckon what I would do is, I would have a tea party. I could probably get a cheap tea pot, some biscuits and some tea bags for a tenner. Everyone might have to bring their own mug – is that allowed?
In 2009 WinWeb will celebrate it’s 15th anniversary by hosting a Business’09 Competition to win £10,000 or an equivalent currency value for small business owners or budding start up business entrepreneurs.
Make Your Mark are supporting this excellent initiative and recommend that you take a look at the details below.
All that is required is that you let WinWeb know what you would do with the money for your business. Would you start your dream business? Start a business from home? Invest it in your current business and finish a long planned project?
My last day of Enterprise Week (booo) was spent at Wolverhampon Molineux Stadium where I facilitated a group of students for the Wolverhampton EBP Business Challenge. The aim was to come up with a business idea that could potentially be franchised in the future. Out of the 9 schools that attended the group that won was, of course… the one facilitated by a Make Your Marker!
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