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This is the first of our new blog series with Business Psychologist and Coach, Charlotte Sheridan. So you want to set up your own business? Or you’ve just started. Maybe you’re killing it already (tell us how and share the love). Whatever stage you’re at, remember one thing. When the flight is turbulent do what the crew says…. “Put on your own oxygen mask before you help someone else.” This is the first rule of survival. If you run out of oxygen, you can’t run your business. We are in the eye of the storm. COVID-19 is a body blow to us all and we can’t predict where it’ll take us. We can’t know what our businesses will look like in 12, 18, 24 months time. But you can take control of one thing. Set yourself up with the right resources. Focus on the stuff that will keep you on track. I’m suggesting you create a Virtual Board of Directors. A group of people who will help you and your business stay fit. Then you’re more likely to weather the storm. I’ve been running interviews with 100 people who have left or are leaving their paid jobs behind - Spoon by Spoon: why we must feed ourselves with wisdom. Some have set up new businesses, many are changing career, others are re-training. They range from 28 to 68 years old. It’s never too late to become an entrepreneur! Whilst each person is unique and their circumstances differ, they do share similar strategies. See what some of my interviewees have said below. FriendsCheck who can talk to, who cares about you? It could be friends or even a counsellor/ therapist. Someone you’re comfortable sharing how you’re feeling. “I've got friends who I've had for years and when I told them that I was leaving work behind, and was going to set up my own business they were so happy for me. They said it's about time, we've been waiting to hear this. So I've got fantastic support out there from family, my good friends.” “My friends celebrated the highs and shuffled me through the lows.” “I had a couple of really good friends. I would have broken without them. I poured my soul out to them and they kept me going,” Wise Aunts (or Uncles)They don’t have to be blood relatives, but they do need to support and mentor you. And they need to care about your business. They should be people you can bounce ideas off and who’ll give you objective feedback. “I got myself half a dozen people [in the same area] who were there to help me when things got a bit sticky - when I was having a bad day, something had gone wrong or I was confused and needed a sounding board. A tribe as I call it. It’s been invaluable for me.” “I have a coach and he's brilliant. He’s really supportive, and he's certainly the person who I go to. Just having to cope with the knock backs and being told thanks but no thanks which happens to me quite a lot.” Fitness CoachThis doesn’t need to be an actual coach, just someone who just looks out for your health. It may even be you. They (or you) will need to help you stay fit enough to run your business. You need to be on top of your eating, sleeping and exercise. “I’ve taken up Jujitsu and that's been a really amazing outlet for me. Because it's part physical, but part mental.” “I cut out sugar and processed carbs and notice a difference in my mental health and how I feel. More veg and fruit and my mind feels clear and less sluggish. “ “I suffer from mental chatter, a lot of noise going on all of the time and the voices are not always positive. Yoga gives me a break from stressing out about everything. The physical element of being flexible and stronger and the mental element of finding peace of mind.” ProfessorWhere do you find your information (outside of the Pop Up Business School of course)? If you’ve got a question where do you go? Some people find networking groups useful. Others use digital resources (e.g. TED TALKS and blogs) or reading books. “I run a network of women leaders in communications which has been quite important. I'm also trying to broaden my network to people who run small businesses.” “I'm reading Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed. It's about learning from mistakes. The argument is that the more open you are to your failures, the more opportunity you have to learn and really make that kind of seismic leap into another level of performance.” Your older SelfIf you could go back in time what wisdom would you share with your younger self? What do you wish you had known then? Remind yourself of how much you already know, how much you’ve already learned - If you could turn back time, would you be more brave? This is what some of my interviewees said to their younger selves: “Worry less about what might happen. You won’t get lost. You will find your way.” “Don’t get too upset about what’s bothering you now. With time and distance most things become less important.” “Nothing’s black or white. Not every decision is the end of the world. Don’t be so scared of everything.” “Life takes unexpected turns. Sometimes it’s things that you really love and it's surprising. But it's okay if things don’t go according to plan.” So, have you got a Virtual Board of Directors in place? Take this questionnaire to find how strong it is and actions you can take to improve it. 
Make sure you check every three months to find out whether your Virtual Board of Directors is helping or hindering your business.
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Matt left woodwork college with bleak career prospects. He took his future in his own hands and built his own business teaching woodworking online. New episodes of The Rebel Entrepreneur Podcast are released weekly. Watch a short teaser below and download the full episode on your preferred podcast streaming platform. For exclusive access to the whole of series one, go to the ChooseFI Website. It takes money to make money doesn't it? You need to write a business plan and get a loan to get going don't you? What if there was a way you could use customer's money to build the business of your dream? New episodes of The Rebel Entrepreneur Podcast are released weekly. Watch a short teaser below and download the full episode on your preferred podcast streaming platform. For exclusive access to the whole of series one, go to the ChooseFI Website. Simon is joined by the founder of Femme Fatale Airsoft, Kelly Louise Hardwick as we discover how Kelly turned her passion into a full-time job and how she got over 1 million views to her airsoft blog. Femme Fatale Airsoft - femmefataleairsoft.co.uk You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. Simon is joined by personal development coach Lori Hammond as we discuss how to reduce stress and boredom while in lockdown and tips to move past your self-limiting beliefs. Lori Hammond - trancypants.com You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. Even the biggest companies in the world start somewhere. In this episode we find out how Shawn Jenkins started a NASDAQ listed software company. New episodes of The Rebel Entrepreneur Podcast are released weekly. Watch a short teaser below and download the full episode on your preferred podcast streaming platform. For exclusive access to the whole of series one, go to the ChooseFI Website. Simon is joined by Katie and Andrew from TimeTrap Escape Rooms as we discover how they've had to pivot and share their StartUp story of borrowing space for free to test their business idea. TimeTrap - timetrapescaperooms.com/online-games You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. 
How do you get a building for free to use for your business? In this episode Katie and Andrew from TimeTrap Escape Rooms tell us their story including how they borrowed a room for their first escape room for free! New episodes of The Rebel Entrepreneur Podcast are released weekly. Watch a short teaser below and download the full episode on your preferred podcast streaming platform. For exclusive access to the whole of series one, go to the ChooseFI Website. Simon is joined by Scott Hunter, creative director of the award-winning brand agency Hampton as we discover the power of a brand and why it matters for small businesses. Hampton - hampton.agency You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. Simon and Katie are joined by Jillian Johnsrud a public speaker, podcaster, coach, and mentor to discuss how to get started in coaching and finding everyday courage. Jillian Johnsrud - jillianjohnsrud.com You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. This second episode debunks the myth that it takes money to make money. You can build a business without debt and the PopUp Business School trainers show you five ways to get going quickly. New episodes of The Rebel Entrepreneur Podcast are released weekly. Watch a short teaser below and download the full episode on your preferred podcast streaming platform. For exclusive access to the whole of series one, go to the ChooseFI Website. Simon is joined by Luke Mead, founder and CEO of LMS Group as he tells his story of creating his business and reveals the biggest mistakes businesses make and how to avoid them. LMS Group - lms.group You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. Alan and Simon welcome in the bank holiday weekend with an update of what PopUp has been up to since lockdown and we get the behind the scenes of our new podcast: The Rebel Entrepreneur. The Rebel Entrepreneur - choosefi.com/rebel You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. 
What stops most people from starting up? Why isn't everyone launching their own company and making money doing something they love? In this episode we look at the three biggest barriers to people getting going and unpack and demystify entrepreneurship. New episodes of The Rebel Entrepreneur Podcast are released weekly. Watch a short teaser below and download the full episode on your preferred podcast streaming platform. For exclusive access to the whole of series one, go to the ChooseFI Website. Alan and Simon are joined by Brad Barratt, co-Founder of ChooseFI to talk about creating a podcast, running side hustles, and launching their new podcast with PopUp - The Rebel Entrepreneur. The Rebel Entrepreneur - choosefi.com/rebel You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. Will you allow people's comments to define the rest of your life?
This post was inspired by Nduno who we met in Namibia last year. She has aspirations to be Namibia's First Astronaut but was told by people she loves and trusts that she is 'not enough' to pursue her dreams. Doubting yourself and your idea is a situation that we have all been in, but should we conform to society's blueprint? Will you allow people's comments to define the rest of your life? click here to read the full blog post at simonpaine.coSimon Paine
Simon Paine is the co-founder and CEO of PopUp Business School. You can find out more about Simon though other PopUp Content or find him on twitter at @SimonJPaine Simon is joined by Sunday Times Bestselling author Jamie Smart to talk about changing your mindset and how to pivot your business to an online audience. RECORDED LIVE: 30th April 2020 Jamie Smart - jamiesmart.com You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. Simon and Alan are joined by Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung, founders of Millennial Revolution to talk about taking advantage of the situation, how they deal with rejection and how they got a book deal through blogging. RECORDED LIVE: 28th April 2020 Millennial Revolution - millennial-revolution.com You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. Jo Watson attended our PopUp Business live course in Bolton last November to help her copywriting business: agoodwriteup. Jo has graciously written the following article about her experience over the past few months and how she is applying the PopUp Principles in her daily life. I'm a former student of PopUp Business School, and I'm also a part of the hardworking demographic of freelancers and the self-employed, who are as much in fear for our finances as we are for our health, right now. When I found out that Simon and Alan were putting together a Survival Guide to help the PopUp community now that this Corona thing has us tightly by the tax returns, I had to show my support. I'm a copywriter first and foremost, but for this article, I wanted to focus on figures rather than words. In particular, I want to talk about money. If you’ll indulge me, I'd like to put forward a few things for you to think about right now as you face the future, and it goes without saying that I draw these points from the lessons I learned - or perhaps had confirmed for me - during my time at PopUp Business School. I wonder if you'll remember those lessons, too? Whilst the PopUp principles taught us that we really shouldn't be going into any kind of short or long-term debt to set up a business, we need to remember that it's also good practice to avoid the dreaded D word now that we're actually in business. I know it's tough, and we all need to accept help where we can take it, but please please please, do your research about everything that's supposedly available to support you financially, and look carefully the Ts and Cs attached to each one. Whilst I have my own political views on Government 'support', rather than enter into something that's going to make me really fucking mad, I'll instead focus my attention on so-called mortgage holidays from our mortgage providers and banks. It's not a bloody 'holiday', and no bank in history has ever done anything for its customers that hasn't benefited them substantially in the long run. Whilst the idea of a break in payments may sound tempting, please ask yourself if you really need to take it, or if you're just grabbing it because it's there and it sounds nice. Please, do your research, and get that calculator out, because whilst you're not paying for it right now, you'll definitely pay for it later. Okay so far? Good. Know your worth. Unless there's really, truly, absolutely some return value in it for you, don’t feel pressured to give anything of your business away for free. Anyone who values your talent and time - and who respects you as a person as well as a professional - will never expect you to do anything for free at a time when it's just as tough for you as it is for them. They'll certainly never ask you, at least. I know that as a good person you'll want to help people out in a time of crisis, but please don't do it at the expense of either: a) finding or doing paid work for yourself elsewhere, or b) spending time supporting those closest to you with the issues they have at this awful time. Like I said, if you can gain some kind of non-monetary yet valuable return on your 'investment', brilliant. But pure freebies? No. Look at how the world keeps turning on its business axis despite Corona. Tesco aren't giving you your groceries gratis, British Gas aren't lighting and heating your home out of the goodness of their own hearths (yes, that was an awful pun), and HMRC aren't going to turn around any time soon and say, "Y'know what, Karen, it's been a shit year, don't worry about paying your tax for 20/21, love." As a business, you have a right to earn money, especially if you're providing a product or a service that will help people right now in addressing an area of their own business that will likely help keep them afloat. Just as a side note, and I don't know if you've noticed... but if you've ever done anything for free for someone in business, they've usually ended up being a bit of an ungrateful and demanding dick about it... A blog for another time, maybe? Let's move on. Keep marketing your business. Providing that you're not putting your prices up, or venturing into brand new territory where you now don't ply your usual trade but instead sell marked-up bog rolls by the boot load, you are fully within your rights to market the hell out of your products or services. Everyone is struggling, so you're really going to have to make sure you're heard above the noise, and you'll also have to show that your business is the perfect choice over the competition to help others stay afloat during this shitshow of a health and financial crisis. Social media virtue signallers will cry “profiteering” and spew passive aggressive keyboard warrior rants about “capitalising on the crisis”, but let's just remember, social media virtue signallers are arseholes. Do what you've always done. Why wouldn’t you?
I'd been running my business (agoodwriteup) for a few years already by that point, and honestly thought that the PopUp sessions would mainly be aimed at those people setting stuff up from scratch. That was so far from the case, however, and so as well as learning so many new concepts and ways of applying them to my business, I developed the confidence to come away from any existing plans and projects that were just never going to work. So I guess my point is this... with the three things I've talked about in this article being deeply embedded in PopUp principles, I think it's only right that at this tough time where it's really not 'business as usual', we go back to basics and remember our roots. It is so bloody tough right now, but I'm practicing what I preach, and I'm remembering that PopUp Business School may not have been around when I got my business off the ground, but they've sure as shit been there to help it fly. They know their stuff, and you know yours. Keep that partnership in mind, and you'll get through this. Jo Watson
As well as being a Chartered Manager and a former PopUp student over in Bolton (Greater Manchester), Jo is a freelance copywriter, editor and trainer. Over the past year she’s also become a professional speaker and is currently writing her first book. She’s aware that everyone says that. When it comes to language, she’s a fan of swearing, sarcasm and puns. She likes to attract clients who feel the same! LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jo-watson-agoodwriteup Facebook - @agoodwriteup Twitter - @agoodwriteup Website - www.agoodwriteup.com Simon and Katie are joined by Halima Salim, founder of The Social Hop and Blackboard English to talk about how you can WIN at Instagram and tips for an online course. RECORDED LIVE: 23rd April 2020 The Social Hop - thesocialhop.com You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. We have joined forces with Starling Bank to help bring you help and financial advice as part of our Business Survival Guide. In this second guest blog, Starling will run through some tips and benefits of using a digital bank compared to the traditional high street banks. The world has evolved. The way we shop, download music and order food has changed. The last few years has seen a revolution in the way people and businesses do their banking too, with a move towards app-based bank accounts challenging the high street ‘big four’. Starling Bank is a digital bank which has won Best British Bank three years running, in addition to Best Business Provider and Best Current Account 2019 & 2020. In this blog, we’ll run through some of the reasons why people and business owners are making the change. Click here to learn more and open an account. Set Up in Minutes, from Anywhere Setting up a Business Bank account was historically a lengthy and frustrating process which could take weeks. Business owners were required to collect together a mountain of paperwork, and arrange an in-person meeting at their local bank branch to set up their account. At Starling, we recognised this needed to change. That’s why we created an award-winning business account that’s completely free to use, and takes minutes - not weeks - to apply for. All you need is a valid form of I.D such as a passport or UK driving licence, and details of how your business operates and a document or website that backs this up, and you are good to go. Applying for an account takes just minutes and providing you pass the security checks you will be up and running after a matter of days. Plus, because we’re an app-based bank, business owners can set up their account from their homes or office. So, say goodbye to waiting weeks to see a bank manager. Save TimeStarling was built to be the best bank in the UK - but our intention remains for our customers to spend as little time banking as possible! All of the tasks that you may have spent hours queuing for, or on hold for, you can now do from the palm of your hand. A digital bank account fits around your schedule, and keeps the same hours you do. So you can check your balance, make payments, or do your accounting, from anywhere. And if you do need help, our UK-based customer support team is on hand to make your life easier 24/7 - simply access them in-app or via our help line (0800 0231 617). Seriously Secure and ProtectedAt Starling, we make security our highest priority, especially when it comes to transfers and payments. Our experts have built in multiple levels of security within the app, including biometric security, which means if your phone can store individual fingerprints and facial data, you can access your account this way. According to Apple, there’s a one in a million chance that another person can access your account via facial recognition, so it’s a good option for many of our customers. In addition to this, our instant notifications keep you in the loop about what is coming in and out of your account. So, if there are any transactions which don’t look familiar, you’ll be the first to know. With our Card Controls, you’ll also be able to freeze or cancel your card instantly, if you think it may be lost or stolen. For extra peace of mind, just like ‘the big four’ Starling is a fully-licensed bank, with customers’ eligible deposits up to £85,000 protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Reduce your adminTo reduce your admin it’s a good idea to make technology your friend. And with a digital bank account, this has never been easier. In the Starling Marketplace, you’ll find integrations with a range of third party products and services. This includes the likes of Xero, QuickBooks and FreeAgent, which all allow you to connect your real-time bank transactions with your accounting software. Spending less time on your financial admin will allow you to spend more time on your business. The Starling Marketplace has insurance options too, for example, invoice insurance from Nimbla or cybersecurity or indemnity cover from DigitalRisks or CyberSmart. For project management tools, there’s UnderPinned and to help you keep track of your digital receipts, there’s Flux. Deposit cheques from homeBeing able to deposit cheques on your mobile is handy at the best of times, but especially so right now. After a flurry of customer requests, Starling Bank recently introduced this functionality to its app to make sure their customers really can do all their banking from home. Simply take a photo of your cheque in the app, and Starling’s team will process it within two working days (which is generally faster than sending via post).
A massive thank you to Starling Bank for writing this blog post to help discuss why many businesses are turning to digital banking.
We are obviously a massive believer in doing things the opposite and we love how Starling have been shaking up the traditional approch and what it means to be a bank. Come back next week for tips on budgeting your money and making the pennies stretch further! Simon and Alan are joined by Ken Okoroafor, founder of The Humble Penny to talk about how you can master your money worries and how he built his online business. RECORDED LIVE: 21st April 2020 The Humble Penny - thehumblepenny.com You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. Updated on 12th May 2020 to reflect latest furlough scheme changes. With all of this Coronavirus madness going on in the world, it can become quite difficult to cut through the noise and figure out what to do in business with all of the uncertainty. The UK Government have released a lot of support for businesses to increase survival rate and retain jobs. While this is all very helpful, it's not always easy to decipher! We've written, with the help of our glorious accountant Emma Cooke, explanations of the support available for UK Businesses. This blog is all about furloughing and what it could mean for you. The coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (Furloughing)The UK government know how important it is for people to still have a solid income to be able to survive and provide for their families. The Job Retention Scheme or 'Furloughing' as most people will know it as, allows UK companies to give garden leave to it's employees while the government pay 80% (Up to £2,500pm) of their salary from March 1st until October 31st PLUS the National Insurance amount to match. The scheme was recently extended from June to October with more flexibility to support the transition back to work in August and September. Further detail will follow from the government by the end of May regarding this extension. Employers can choose to top up an employee’s salary with the additional 20% but are not obliged to if this has been agreed with the furloughed employee (as above). If in doubt, seek legal advice. Furlough is from 1 March so you can backdate to when the employee was furloughed. This will be in place currently until the end of October. You may only backdate if employees were NOT working in that time period. As we say during the PopUp course, we are not legal professionals. If you are unsure if you are eligible or have any specific concerns, ask for professional advice or consult the UK Government webpage for those who can and cannot claim. gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme How do you claim?Before you claim, you need to know the following:
Why would you do this?The main reasons you would do this in your company are: To increase the financial runway of the business At a time like this, a lot of businesses may struggle financially. A big cost in a company is employee's. At PopUp, it's our majority cost as we have no other major overheads. By furloughing employees, you are taking away a large cost to the business for that time period, therefore increasing the time that your money will be able to support the business. To give your employee's security and certainty Security and certainty are some of the biggest impacts this pandemic has brought with it. People are uncertain about their jobs, uncertain about their financial situation and do not feel secure. This leads to fear, which leads to panic, which leads to things we don't want. By furloughing employees, it gives them security and certainty for two reasons: That you are being active in finding solutions and that their job is safe. At least for this period of time. Who can claim this allowance? (Must tick all boxes)
Who can they claim it for?This can be claimed for furloughed and redundant employees (on any type of contract) who were on the payroll on 28th February 2020. Employees hired after this date cannot be eligible for this scheme.
The effect on morale and having the conversation
Be transparent. Transparency = trust. If you don't have 100% trust with your employees, this is going to be a difficult time for you and the business. NOTE: trust goes both ways. If you're thinking about this route for your business and your employees, we'd advise a team call or 1-2-1 communications with your team and get them involved in the decision. This will bring them closer, feel valued and also give them a chance to tell you their thoughts. The worst thing you can do is make this choice and tell them how it is. That will be difficult and painful. They will also bring up amazing points that you won't be thinking about, this will help you make a better choice for everyone involved. Things you should talk about with your employees. This will differ with every business, but here's a quick list from us. This mirrors exactly what we spoke about whilst making this decision at PopUp:
Managing delivery. Once you've made your decision, you need to tell everyone this. Dependant on the size of your team, i would set up group calls and inform everyone at the same time UNLESS you are part-furloughing (see more below) then do this 1-2-1. Group calls when announcing things that have a company-wide impact are key. This brings the team together and boosts the morale when hearing news, whether it's good or bad. Follow these group calls up with everyone on a 1-2-1 basis and talk them through what happens next. Even if all of these calls are exactly the same, your team need to see you caring for them on an individual basis. This also gives you the opportunity to answer any questions they have that they wouldn't want to ask in a group scenario. What should employers do?Employers should discuss with their staff as soon as possible and make any changes to the employment contract by agreement (seek legal advice where necessary). Transparency is key. Employers should write to their employee confirming that they have been furloughed and keep a record of this communication (again, seek legal advice on this where necessary).
How is the employee's wage calculated?
Can you part-furlough?You are able to furlough some people and not others. You do not have to furlough the whole company. We've been looking at this as a time to get back in to Start-Up mode. If you're trying to kick it in to a high gear to be agile and fast moving, you'll struggle with a larger team... It's not like it once was when you started! You could, if you wanted to, down-size to essential people (Sales, Product development) and furlough the rest to save cash but not stunt growth. Just some food for thought... Can directors of Limited Companies claim it?Where a company director can no longer work through the business, they should be eligible to claim in the same way as for employees or even if they're the only employee. You can furlough the PAYE element of their income - ie, get 80% of salary up to £2,500pm. This isn't likely to be huge as it's likely more of your income is dividends (and there's no help there), but it's something... Directors must not be able to do any work, including administration work, during this time. This is the most difficult part! How can I get further business advice and support?
It's a question we get asked all the time: "Why did we start PopUp Business School?" Our answer is always.... To help.
But the overriding feeling that I can still remember was a desire to do whatever it was was in our power to help every single person in the room make as much progress as we possibly could help them to make, during the two weeks we spent together. And that is it the basis of it all. Alan, myself and the whole PopUp Team get a massive kick out of helping people and we are fortunate to have experienced so many different aspects of starting, growing, failing, and starting all over again small business ideas and projects. And we’ve also got a chunk of life experience to stir in the mix. But here’s the real kicker; both Alan and I have spent hours and hours and thousands of pounds reading, learning and experiencing unusual learning opportunities that have all added to our capability as coaches, mentors, trainers and most importantly trusted friends to the several thousand people we’ve met. We are in the process of sharing this knowledge, the skills and experience with our amazing team so that they can do the same and the impact of what we’ve created starts to grow.  I started my first business in 2003 and whilst I’ve shared aspects of my story with lots of people over the years my early experiences of business give me so much drive to continue this journey to help people to get their business ideas off the ground. Let me explain why. Most of my business projects in the early days failed and I wasn’t sure why. I’m smart, creative, hard-working with great communication skills but why was it that I wasn’t able to get these businesses working? Looking back I made every single mistake there was to make. I didn’t promote enough, I wasn’t focused on what I was selling and who I was selling it to and I thought that being an entrepreneur meant I had to do everything myself. So one of my most favourite sentences to share with people is that: "You don’t need to make the same mistakes that I made". You can make new ones and then you can come back and teach me. But one of the most fundamental learning experiences of that time was: If you want to change the way you make money, you have to change the way you think. Business creation has been a difficult, humbling and ultimately an incredibly rewarding experience and I wouldn’t swap it for anything. The emergence of COVID-19 has been a hugely challenging, fascinating and ultimately rewarding experience as an entrepreneur. Of course it’s shaken everybody up in different ways but the one thing that it’s done for me is remind me why we started the PopUp Business School. We have built a business by going out of our way to help people and for that I’m hugely proud. So it’s business as unusual. We are 10x-ing our efforts and we encourage you to make the most of this opportunity and do the same in any way you can.
Simon is joined by Jon Card, journalist, and writer for The Guardian, The Times and Daily Telegraph to chat market your business, being an effective storyteller to attract press and how to make your company famous. RECORDED LIVE: 16th April 2020 How to Make Your Company Famous Jon's Tips for Journalist Requests Five Templates for Emailing Journalists You can watch the full stream below and make sure to tune in LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm on our Facebook Page as we answer your questions and get top tips from our special guests. |
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