We were honoured to have Boris Johnson The Mayor of London visit the Business & IP Centre on Friday to launch Business Bootcamps.
The Bootcamps will cover a wide range of sectors, including digital and mobile technology, fashion, hospitality, entertainment, creative and bio-tech industries. Co-ordinated by Capital Enterprise, Business Bootcamps will see a total of 27 sessions being run over the next 12 months to provide intensive training.
The programme, with £275,000 of funding from the Royal Bank of Scotland and £135,000 from the EU’s Interreg scheme, will give around 1,000 new entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop the key skills they will need to build successful businesses.
We will be running our own bootcamp, focusing on the professional services, giving intensive training on finance, marketing, branding, business planning as well as strategic decisions and planning.
In his speech, Boris wished there had been bootcamps when he left university in 1980.
“There was a craze for rustic tile kitchen splashbacks back then, So I rented an old RAF hanger, and set up with a couple of friends and my mother designing the tiles, and was all set to storm the market. Then I realised we hadn’t a clue what to do next—it ended 24 hours later, just one night ‘on the tiles’.”
He revealed that he might not have gone into politics, if he had become a successful entrepreneur as “Britain’s rustic tile backsplash king.”
The professionals: business bootcamp
Put together by experts and business owners, this two day bootcamp is designed specifically for sole traders in the professional services, from IT consultants, marketing freelancers to accountants. In times of recession, many people are setting up their own businesses, based on their professional skills.
The bootcamp will give you all the tools needed to grow your business beyond your existing client base. The content will be tailored to your key information needs based on the few questions that will be asked when booking.
This is an intense and effective way to spend your time which in the long-term will save you significant time and money. The content across both days covers all of the essential issues you are facing as a new business.
Along with practical exercises and inspirational presentations, you will receive a fact-file of research reports and guides to use afterwards. This information alone would cost in excess of £500.
The benefits of the bootcamp
• Meet with like-minded people
• Understand how effective networking can boost your business
• How to present a perfect pitch
• Best practice look at financial viable models
• Get information on professional service delivery from the experts
• Discover more about how to refresh your business plan
• Introductory guide to intellectual property
• Develop a strategy to carry your business forward.
Experts
• Johnny Martin – get to grips with your finances with the no.1 small business numbers coach.
• Nick Winton – understand how to grow your client base and potential profits with clever strategy and lead generation.
• Rasheed Ogunlaru – how you can learn to ‘be your brand’ and grow your profile with effective networking.