In business, we are often asked our “why”. What is the mission or problem that drives us?
Throughout my life, I have been passionate about helping enterprising individuals and organisations of all sizes to do more. What matters to me is their desire to learn and succeed and grow and solve problems. If they want to reach a destination, I want to help them get there.
We recently took on our first apprentice at the Street Lane Bakery a social enterprise I am a Director of. He hasn’t had the easiest time finding work as he has a disability and struggles with numbers, but we looked beyond that. He has caring colleagues who can help him count buns and manage orders. What he brings to the organisation is passion, kindness, a strong work ethic, and a willingness to learn. In the short time since he has been with the bakery, he has made such an impact – we can’t imagine doing without him now.
At BigChange, we are all about helping the doers. We help our customers to achieve their growth goals – the more ambitious, the better. We love hearing from leaders who want to do things more efficiently, faster, with less waste. That’s the “why” that underpins our whole business model. Our customers are putting everything on the line, backing themselves, working all hours. We just want to support them and make the journey a little easier.
This week, I attended a dinner in support of The Prince’s Trust. This is an organisation that does incredible work with young people all over the UK. Over 1m young people have been supported by the charity to date, accessing training, mentoring and start-up support.
The event was hosted by Nick Wheeler, founder of the shirtmaker Charles Tyrwhitt and I found myself in awe-inspiring company, meeting The White Company founder Chrissie Rucker, Richard Harpin, who built home repairs giant HomeServe, Rene Macdonald, the woman behind the fashion brand Lisou, Haatch founder Scott Weavers-Wright OBE and finance pioneer and investor Jonathan Quin.
We heard from several young people who have accessed support from the Prince’s Trust and turned their lives around. It was really inspiring to see how a little bit of funding and encouragement can have such an enormous impact.
I want to do my bit to give young people the opportunity to thrive, have fulfilling careers, and launch the start-up successes of tomorrow, so I have become a member of the Trust’s Enterprise Fellowship. I will be offering mentoring and advice to young people in Leeds and beyond. Through BigChange and some of my previous ventures, I have a lot of experience helping people – especially tradespeople – start and grow businesses, and I look forward to sharing all I have learned.
Whenever I’m offered a new opportunity or investment, I always think “Is it helping the doers do more?” This fits perfectly into that sweet spot. I will always find the time to support and empower those with drive and ambition. I look forward to meeting some enterprising and inspiring young people and helping them on their way.
