There goes the first third of the year!  January, February, March and April flew past and I find myself writing this at the beginning of May…

2011 began with the Future Health Mission from 8th-14th January, taking a group of health-related companies to San Francisco, to pitch to VCs, meet partners and explore opportunities.

By February, we were preparing for the newly named Tenner Tycoon (formerly Make Your Mark with a Tenner) to launch, this year with 28,000 young people taking part.  I can’t wait for the awards over the summer where we will discover what the partipants did to turn their ten pounds into something, in just one month.

At the end of February I, and a group of colleagues, had a meeting which would lead, less than one month later, to the launch of StartUp Britain.  It gave me the chance to work with an amazing array of people, from Number 10 through to small business owners I had long admired and large companies I had always wanted to work with.

During the run-up to launching StartUp Britain, I hopped on a plane for my fifth mission, the third WebMission, to San Francisco.  A blend of great companies, interesting visits and phenomenal support from sponsors made this one of my favourite trips to the US so far and has inspired me and the team at Polecat to do much more with the 90+ companies we have travelled with on previous missions.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, I have been working for the past seven months on a new venture, with two fantastic new business partners (Tim Reading and Ed Sellwood).  We’re almost ready to unveil our progress, and are really looking forward to getting feedback on the projects we have been developing.  Essentially, we are bringing together companies, causes and others to come up with new social action projects.  Where an ad agency creates ads, we create and deliver new projects, on the ground.  To give you a sneak preview of our work, VIY (Volunteer It Yourself) is a scheme which helps young people to fix their own youth clubs.  We have weaved together Wickes (the national DIY chain), Pimlico Plumbers (donating their time and expertise), A4e (getting people into employment), vinspired (the foundation supporting youth volunteering) and London Youth (the network of youth clubs).  We have piloted the concept in two locations and are planning its London and national roll-out.   The name of our new business is the Co-Sponsorship Agency (CoSpA for short!) and I look forward to sharing more about our work very soon!

For loads of reasons, the Co-Sponsorship Agency represents everything I love about business. Bringing together people who might not otherwise have met, let alone have worked together.  Helping to come up with fresh new ideas which capture people’s imagination, making them want to get involved.  Trying to solve problems worth solving in interesting ways.  Finally, working with a great team to deliver projects on the ground.

I  look forward to sharing news about all of the work I’ve been involved with this year, including Missions, Tenner Tycoon, StartUp Britain and of course CoSpA.  They have allowed me to meet some fantastic people.  If you think we should be talking, please do get in touch.  I’d love to hear from you!

A busy day today, helping to launch something which aims to be useful and practical in equal meaure!

StartUp Britain is a new campaign which hopes to inspire people across Britain to start and grow a business.
 
A group of 8 of us, some of whom you may know (me, Rajeeb Dey from Enternships, Richard O’Connor from Chocolate and Love, Emma Jones from Enterprise Nation, Michael Hayman from Seven Hills, Jamie Murray Wells from Glasses Direct, Lara Morgan from Pacific Direct and Company Shortcut and Duncan Cheatle from The Supper Club – see profiles on the site) sat down to think about what would be practical, useful and helpful to inspire people to start a business, and help those who already have. 

Today we’re sharing our starter for ten! 

It is only a start, and we have plans to build from here.   The Telegraph have covered it on their front page here and the Press Association has written it up here.  Sir Richard Branson has written a fantastic piece for the Telegraph in which he gives us a good mention.

We started with the idea that there is a massive amount already going on, and that we should point the way to it.  So you’ll see hundreds of links to good stuff.
 
We took the view that a major way for business to help business is by offering practical deals and discounts to save time, money or hassle.  So you’ll see over 50 offers at launch, from business cards to broadband, and from office space to suits!
 
Just as importantly, thousands of people aspire to start a business and yet don’t.  We hope that StartUp Britain might inspire them by celebrating some of the fantastic work going on all over the UK.
 
StartUp Britain has the full support of the Prime Minister David Cameron and HM Government.  We have worked with the team at Number 10 and at BIS to plan what we hope is something useful. 
 
Contrary to a couple of early reports, (including this one by the BBC!)  this is an independent, private sector initiative, and is not funded by Government.  We have been inspired by the Startup America Partnership and are in touch with their team. 
 
Over time, we want to be a two way bridge between Government and business – a useful channel.  We hope to inspire others to join our team.
 
I’d love your feedback.  You can follow StartUp Britain on Twitter  and check out the site here.
 
Thank you in advance for your feedback and support!

 

I am sitting in seat 47E on British Airways flight 285 to San Francisco. The seatbelt sign has been switched off, and people are beginning to move about the cabin.  Behind me, two entrepreneurs pass an iPad between them, already engaged in an ancient Chinese board game called Go.  Across the aisle, a CEO settles down to watch The Social Network, now required reviewing for business visitors.   After months of planning, we are on our way at last. Welcome to WebMission, the week where 18 entrepreneurs from around the UK get to spend a week on the West Coast of the US, exploring as many opportunities as possible, meeting investors, partners and the media.  Some of them may wish to keep those seatbelts fastened! 

A range of partners have come together to make this week happen.  From UKTI and the Technology Strategy Board through to international law firm Orrick, it would not be possible without some great sponsors.  The companies pay their own way, so this is not a free ride!  We will visit Twitter and Microsoft, and meet up with Techcrunch and new incubator KickLabs.  The companies, who were selected from more than 100 who applied, will be pitching to VCs on Tuesday morning and we are co-hosting a San Francisco Drink Tank (the event which began in London) on Wednesday.

I think it’s fair to say that the week will be pretty busy, and I’m hoping that some of the mission companies will be able to share their experiences with you as the days go by.  The one thing I have learned on WebMission is that there is only so much you can plan in advance.  Sometimes the best opportunities come from where you least expect.  In a way, I hope some of the participants relate to the line in The Social Network:  “We don’t even know what it is yet…We don’t know what it can be. We don’t know what it will be”. 

Strangely, one of things I’m looking forward to most it catching up with some of the Brits.  Michael and Xochi Birch sold Bebo almost exactly three years ago.  We’ll be hearing about their latest ventures and plans.  Andy McLoughlin, founder of Huddle, attended the very first WebMission and has recently moved to San Francisco.  It will be good to hear the lessons he has learned and the things he wishes he’d known sooner.  Most of all, I’m looking forward to spending a week in the company of some really interesting entrepreneurs.   Looking around the plane and seeing the conversations already taking shape, I predict they will work hard and play hard.  I think that we’re in for a good week.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a film to watch and a couple of hours of precious sleep to catch before the real adventure begins…

(This post was originally written for Smarta, and the original post can be read here)

 

Muhammad Yunus is the founder of the Grameen Bank.  The microfinance organisation has over 8 million borrowers, 97% of whom are women.

He won the Nobel Peace prize in 2006, and in his acceptance speech, he said something which caught my imagination;

“To me poor people are like bonsai trees. When you plant the best seed of the tallest tree in a flower-pot, you get a replica of the tallest tree, only inches tall. There is nothing wrong with the seed you planted, only the soil-base that is too inadequate. Poor people are bonsai people. There is nothing wrong in their seeds. Simply, society never gave them the base to grow on. All it needs to get the poor people out of poverty for us to create an enabling environment for them. Once the poor can unleash their energy and creativity, poverty will disappear very quickly.”

I was reminded of his words this week, thinking not about people but about companies.

Put bluntly, how do we avoid becoming Bonsai Britain? 

Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the idea that small is beautiful.  But what about the companies which have massive ambitions for growth, yet struggle.  Have they potted themselves in the wrong place?  Can the richness of the soil be increased?  How do you go from dead wood to Redwood?

There is a literal, geographical answer to this, which I’m sure will be discussed during next month’s WebMission to San Francisco. 

Maybe the antidote to Bonsai Britain is a bit more sophisticated.

How would you increase the richness of the soil base?  Three ideas:

• Global links:   Making international trade clearer and easier than ever.
• Peer-to-peer Networks: Unlocking connections to business partners, suppliers, investors and customers.
• Access to Mentors:  Uncovering those who have been there before and are prepared to pass on their lessons. 

Whatever the other factors, Grameen is an inspiration, because it reminds us that amazing things can be started from small beginnings.  On that theme, I have some exciting Tenner news which I can share next week…

Until then, what do you think about Bonsai Britain? Silly, or a cause for concern?  And what would you do to change things? 

 
My old secondary school wrote to me the other day.  They don’t often get in touch, and it was nice to hear from them.  They were announcing a new headmaster, and this is how they described him;

“We were extremely impressed with his clarity of mind and considerable energy as well as his passionate commitment to education and young people.” 

The description stuck in my mind.  It made me want to meet him.

I’m interested in the way people describe each other.  A colleague emailed me recently, and in his note he described the former Chief  Inspector of prisons, Lord Ramsbotham;

“He is a wonderful man – driven, dynamic and decent. Great combination”

A few weeks ago, I picked up Conn and Hal Iggulden’s Dangerous Book For Boys.  Although it had been on my bookshelf for years, I hadn’t really read it before.  The words on the first page are by Sir Frederick Treves, Sergeant in Ordinary to HM the King, Surgeon in Ordinary to HRH Prince of Wales.  He wrote them in 1903, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Boy’s Own Paper.

‘Don’t worry about genius and don’t worry about not being clever. Trust rather to hard work, perseverance, and determination. The best motto for a long march is “Don’t grumble. Plug on.”

“You hold your future in your own hands. Never waver in this belief. Don’t swagger. The boy who swaggers – like the man who swaggers – has little else that he can do. He is a cheap-Jack crying his own paltry wares. It is the empty tin that rattles most. Be honest. Be loyal. Be kind. Remember that the hardest thing to acquire is the faculty of being unselfish. As a quality it is one of the finest attributes of manliness.”

“Love the sea, the ringing beach and the open downs. Keep clean, body and mind.”

As Richard Reeves  reminded me in this article about ‘character’, the first headmaster of Buckinghamshire’s Stowe school, JF Roxburgh , once described his aim as producing men who would be “useful at a dance and invaluable in a ship wreck”.

From the same piece, Richard remembers;

” Lord Baden-Powell described the Scout Movement he founded as “character factory”, with the explicit aim of turning out young men of the right sort. The goal, in his words, was to instil “some of the spirit of self-negation, self-discipline, sense of humour, responsibility, helpfulness to others, loyalty and patriotism which go to make ‘character’.”

Perhaps all of this seems terribly old-fashioned – a bit serious or worthy.  I certainly get the rather depressing impression that you aren’t supposed to talk about these things anymore. 

It is twenty years since I started at secondary school.  As a new headmaster begins his work, he will pass on various pearls of wisdom to the pupils.  GCSEs and A-Levels must be studied for. University and careers must be considered. 

Amongst all of the everyday priorities, I hope that he will also share Mark Twain’s advice;

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”