Throughout my life I've been involved in the world of entrepreneurship and startups, from launching a “tartan affinity” credit card with a US bank aimed at the Scottish Diaspora, to creating my own board game, Scottish Quest.
Having experienced the highs and lows of the entrepreneurial journey, and knowing only too well the potential barriers faced along the way, I set up Entrepreneurial Spark alongside my co-founder Jim Duffy in 2011.
We wanted to provide a programme which takes entrepreneurs through every step of the journey and really pushes them to achieve their best.
Entrepreneurial Spark is the world's largest free accelerator for start-up and growing ventures. Unlike many traditional accelerators we focus on the people behind the business, developing the mindsets and behaviours needed to take your start-up to the next level.
And honestly? I love it. I love working with entrepreneurs across the UK and India and seeing them grow from refining their business idea through to trading and securing investment.
It's a fascinating job, and I'm lucky enough to have worked with over 660 entrepreneurs to date. The fact that 88% of companies we've worked with are still trading today also makes me incredibly happy, because it shows the value of what we do and how much of an impact our business accelerator is having across the country.
Having previously worked as an awareness life and business coach, I pride myself in my motivation skills and ability to turn a dreamer into a do-er.
There is so much potential, not only just in the UK but also internationally, to create award-winning businesses. The difference between success and failure? Whether you have the drive and determination to take a risk, create an innovative solution to an existing problem, and really #GoDo to accelerate your business.
A regular columnist for BusinessZone I cover a whole range of topics, from all aspects of entrepreneurship through to how we encourage more females to start their own business, right through to positive mindsets and behaviours and motivational speeches.
Drop me an email to find out how I can use my experience and skillset to help your event become a success.
