On Wednesday 24th February 2021, The Great British Expos invited business owners and entrepreneurs to the North West Expo Manchester to take the virtual stage and tell their inspiring stories to hundreds of SMEs.
As well as listening to journeys of struggle and adversity, the audience of small and medium enterprises were able to pose questions and ask advice to the keynote speakers.
Guests included Nyasha Gwatidzo, who explained how she built a £180 million business empire from nothing, and is now developing a billion-dollar fund for women in Africa. “If you are passionate, money will follow.”
Also speaking was Fiona Scott, who explained the do’s and don’ts of communicating with journalists in order to ‘get your story in the media’.
Steve Smith, the founder of Poundland – a chain which 85% of British households have shopped in – told the story of how he started at a market stall with his dad, and ended with a chain of stores in an industry worth £5 billion, making £1.7 million a year. “No bad products, only bad prices.”
Lynsey Jones gave an inspirational account of how she went from fighting for her life to sharing her 25+ years of experience in the energy sector to help educate businesses. She summed up the importance of transparency and building client relationships with the phrase: “People buy from people.”
Lynsey is also a huge advocate of charities for better mental health, assisting people who are going through the same experiences that she had.
Darren Clark, also known as ‘The Dyslexic Entrepreneur’, described his journey from humble beginnings, with educational struggles due to undiagnosed dyslexia. He went from a supermarket “trolley boy”, to regional manager for the supermarket chain, started his own cleaning company with over 500 members of staff, and is now an ambassador for the British Dyslexia Association.
The Great British Expos organises conferences throughout the year, the next one taking place on Friday 26th February 2021. For more information and to book your free tickets, visit their website at www.greatbritishexpos.co.uk
( By Abigail King)