Discover the experienced entrepreneurs and professionals sharing their top tips for business start-up success.
Alan Stott (view profile)
What does he do?
Alan Stott works within the Growth Division (Sales, Marketing and Product Development) at Virgin Media. His business title is ‘Director, Channel Operations’ – and he leads the centralized operations and support structure across their 2,000 people sales organization.
Talk to him about
Management. Sales. Marketing. Communications Strategies.
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Alton Walker (view profile)
Success Coach at AltonWalker.com
What does he do?
Alton Walker is a motivational speaker and success coach. He founded the online company AltonWalker.com which is dedicated to reaching out to the wider audience who are seeking to develop key areas of their lives.
Talk to him about:
Sales. Marketing. Motivation. Inspiration. Business Ideas. Consulting.
Ben Dutton (view profile)
Head of Planning and Performance – Virgin Media
What does he do?
Ben Dutton heads the ‘Planning and Performance Management’ team to ensure that the different parts of Virgin Media are pulling in the same direction, from product development, marketing, sales and logistics through to the service the customer receives. This involves developing business cases to support decision making from an operational process and financial viewpoint, then tracking the results to measure if they delivered what they said they would and maximised the opportunity.
Talk to him about:
Planning. Marketing. Sales.
Bill Morrow (view profile)
Co-founder – Angels Den Media commentator
What does he do?
Bill Morrow started his working life as an accountant with Virgin and quickly moved into investment banking in the City. He set up an international financial recruitment company which he sold to a Wall Street Bank in 2001.
He is the co-founder of Angels Den. The company has been described by the Sunday Times as, “An innovative network linking entrepreneurs with private investors”. Bill also pens monthly columns on industry issues in the enterprise press and media.
Talk to him about:
Funding. Business Plans. Investment.
Bonnie Brulee (view profile)
Managing Director – Laptop Lunches
Managing Director – Full House Supper Club
Managing Director – Bonnie Brulee
What does she do?
Bonnie Brulee runs a food consultancy business, a supper club and a catering company. She is a trained chef, who now works with food businesses in the capacity of menu development and product development, as well as offering brand, marketing and sales consultancy.
She is interested in food start-ups and has partnered with many individuals and organisations to set up new food projects and ideas.
Talk to her about:
Entrepreneurship. Consulting. Food. Drink. New ventures.
Dan Martin (view profile)
Editor – BusinessZone.co.uk
Co-founder – The Pitch
PR Manager – DaisychainBaby.co.uk
What does he do?
Dan has eight years experience as a journalist writing about small business owners and the issues that affect them. He is currently the editor of BusinessZone.co.uk, part of online B2B and public sector publisher Sift Media. Dan is also co-founder of The Pitch, the nationwide competition which tours the UK in search of new entrepreneurial talent, and PR manager at DaisychainBaby.co.uk, an ethical and Fairtrade baby clothes start-up.
Talk to him about:
Running a Small Business. Social Media for Business. Online Community Building. The Pitch. Social Enterprise.
Dan McGuire (view profile)
Founder – Two Hour Initiative
What does he do?
Dan founded the Two Hour Initiative, a social enterprise created to help promote business in schools. He also sits on the board of Young Enterprise East London and the Advisory Council of The Aldridge Foundation.
Talk to him about:
Entrepreneurship. Recruitment including online recruitment and recruitment technology. Sales/new business. Managing a fast growing business. Recruitment technology. Brand building.
David Mcqueen (view profile)
Founder – Full Circle Network
Teen Empowerment Speaker – The Dave Mack Project
Founder – Magnificent Minds Ltd
What does he do?
David McQueen is an international speaker, networker, youth advocate, TV presenter and social commentator. His main business interest is Magnificent Minds (formerly Milestone Unltd) a professional development company. The company delivers speeches, workshops and seminars on leadership, career management and communication skills.
Talk to him about:
Leadership. Presentation Skills. Networking. Career Management. Personal Branding. Youth Engagement. Diversity.
Elizabeth Varley (view profile)
Managing Director – TechHub for technology start-ups
Producer – Germination’s SHINE unconference for social entrepreneurs
Team Leader – Twestival London charity twitter festival.
Founder – BikeShed
What does she do?
Elizabeth Varley is an entrepreneur with a background in digital, editorial, content and events. She has worked on projects for a range of high-profile companies and public sector organisations. She also writes as a journalist and columnist, and is editor of Online Content UK’s new industry magazine State of Content launching in 2005.
Talk to her about:
Entrepreneurship. Marketing. Engagement. Social business. Third sector. Social capitalism. Community. Events. Social media. Strategy. Copywriting. Editing. Management. Editorial. Commissioning. Planning. Sponsorship. Opportunities.
Ian Sanders (view profile)
Founder – The Ian Sanders Company
Founder and Consultant – OHM London
Author – ‘Juggle! Rethink Work, Reclaim Your Life’, ‘Leap! Ditch Your Job, Start Your Own Business And Set Yourself Free’, and ‘How To Unplan Your Business’
What does he do?
Ian Sanders is a thought-leader, business coach, marketing expert and author, with twenty years experience in business. He’s helped both big brands and small enterprises with the launch of new ventures, taking ideas to market.
At The Ian Sanders Company, he acts as a ‘business potentialiser’ helping clients stay distinctive and effective. Ian is a stimulus junkie. He revels in soaking up and spreading new ideas, applying new thinking to business and the workplace, disrupting the conventions of what we ’should and shouldn’t do’ in business. He’s been featured in the Financial Times, The Guardian and Esquire magazine and has presented to audiences around the world. A talented blogger, Ian is an evangelist for the power of digital tools to build and promote people and businesses.
Talk to him about:
The creative industries. Start-ups / new ventures. Project delivery. Ideas . Digital media.
JP Hamilton (view profile)
Head of Propositions and Bundle Pricing – Virgin Media
What does he do?
JP’s first ever job was as a post boy in an office aged 15 but his first proper job was selling single boxes of Walkers crisps to corner shops near Newcastle after 4 years at Edinburgh University. After 5 years and many jobs at Walkers he went on to sell 10 million packs a week to Sainsbury’s.
He left Walkers to work for charity and go travelling for 7 months before joining cable company Telewest. There he helped to sell broadband in Dixons, set up a sales team that sold in shopping centres and helped with the rebrand from Telewest to Virgin Media. Since becoming Virgin he’s been involved in a lot of the planning for offers and promotions and working with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Market Research, IT etc. to do offers such as 2 months free and Xmas on Us.
Talk to him about
Sales. Negotiation. Budgets. Customer needs. Personal development. Supply chain. Tennis.
Julian Hall (view profile)
CEO – PureOnlineGenius.com (Digital Marketing Consultancy)
Founder – YouReportTV.com (User Generated News)
Associate – EmiratesandSung.com (Venture Capital and Facilitation)
Partner – ClaimsMasterGroup.com (Lead Generation)
Partner – Gigazoomf.com (Online Technology Show)
What does he do?
Julian Hall is a serial entrepreneur who is passionate about the internet. Developing his technical and commercial prowess for 10 years he has consulted for major financial corporations, investment banks and small businesses in the city.
Specialising in online marketing and raising finance Julian is also an avid writer, speaker and mentor who works with schools, colleges and universities to deliver workshops about the internet.
Talk to him about:
Internet marketing. Social media. Search engine optimisation. Website Usability. Venture Capital. Raising Finance. Entrepreneurism.
Justice Williams (view profile)
Founder/CEO – Candy Floss Music
Consultant – Amariah Associates
Founder and Editor In Chief – Tru Life Magazine
What does she do?
As well as running several businesses Justice Williams mentors young people aged 18 – 30 helping them direct their personal life, education, business, chosen field or talent.
Talk to her about:
Social Enterprise. Business start-up. Publishing. Event management. Live/Music Promotions. Business training. New Media. Web 2.0 technologies. Music industry consultancy. PR and Marketing. Research and consultation.
Lisa Newton (view profile)
Founder – Boogles Ltd
What does she so?
Lisa Newton runs Boogles Ltd – an award winning professional and friendly bookkeeping service, helping small and micro businesses to keep their books tidy and in good order.
Talk to her about:
Accounting. Bookkeeping. Money. Legal cashiering. Budgeting. Training. Quickbooks software. Bookkeeping franchise. Bookkeeping software. Systems
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