At a recent dinner on bootstrapping with Suzanne Noble, the founder of the aptly-named Frugl, the only platform connecting Londoners on a budget with great events and offers, gave her fellow diners some great advice when it comes to PR for your startup. First and foremost, always remember: PR is the quickest way to get brand awareness Bearing this in mind, you don't want to launch until you are 100% ready. If ...
Read MoreIt feels a bit mad that we are on the precipice of March already (where does the time go?!) but here we are on that strange day that pops up every four years. With spring so close we can almost touch it, let's take a look at what's coming up next week (and briefly touch on what's happening in the rest of March too). We have a two fantastic dinners lined ...
Read MoreDiners were out in full force last week, firing questions at the wonderful Matthew Bradley, Investor at Forward Partners, on a variety of topics. Here's a selection of what was asked and answered after dinner: What is the definition of a 'co-founder'? A co-founder isn't just a job title. Investors are interested in businesses that have a 'founding team'. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, a co-founder should bring their own skills ...
Read MoreAt our recent dinner with Forward Partners, their investor Matthew Bradley enlightened his fellow diners on their framework for making an idea into a viable business within 12 months. (Hey - everyone loves a deadline!) So, here is a taster into the glory of their three step-process: Idea Validation > First and foremost, get a landing page up and running. Put your idea out there for people to see. > You need ...
Read MoreThere are plenty of obstacles that get in the way when launching and growing a business. The main ones are usually - cash, and getting your name out there. We've all had those great ideas, but without the money to back them - how can we build upon that little nugget of a notion? And what about getting your company into the spotlight? How do you secure media coverage for ...
Read MoreWe had a brilliant dinner last night at Jamie's Italian in Piccadilly, with the equally superb Matthew Bradley, an investor at Forward Partners, speaking on the topic of turning an idea into a valuable business within 12 months no less! He started off by giving a quick run through on his background, including how he started his career in investment banking, followed by an MBA and setting up a business in ...
Read MoreAnia, Head of Commercial Developments for Products/Digital at Travelex, let us in on a few secrets at her dinner recently about how established companies can adapt and thrive in a sea of startups. Here's her top tips for maintaining your piece of the pie: First and foremost develop a clear strategy When launching digital products there needs to be differentiation from competitors' products Change how you think and serve customers ...
Read MoreCome join us for breakfast next week. Kate will be hosting our regular Breakfast for Founders series on Tuesday at Aubaine in Broadgate. So if you fancy networking over your eggs with other founders, be sure to sign up. Be quick though, there's only two seats left! Breakfast is at 8:45am on Tuesday 23 February at Aubaine, Broadgate Newly Announced Dinners > Dine with Kathleen Saxton, founder of The Lighthouse Company and co-founder ...
Read MoreEveryone had a fantastic time at the intimate dinner with Travelex's Head of Commercial Products/Digital, Ania Walker last night at Piccolino restaurant in Exchange Square. Talking on the topic of how established companies adapt and thrive with the constant influx of new FinTech players joining the industry, Ania had some great advice and insight for her fellow guests. Her talk covered everything from the problems established brands face from well-funded ...
Read MoreWe've all been there, brimming full of ideas that could be the next 'big thing'. Not only does it take a leap of faith to get a business off the ground, but also a lot of hard work and dedication to make a dream into reality. So who better to give a pep talk on turning an idea into a valuable business within 12 months (hey, everyone loves a deadline!) ...
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