Carla's Plans for 2025

Well we are past Repentance Friday, so its time to set my agenda for 2025. Plenty to do as always, of course!

Silent Sensors

Silent Sensors (https://silentsensors.com) is a women led tech engineering company, focused on creating cost effective and sustainable sensors for commercial tyres. I’m one of the women, Sharon Boyes-Schiller is MD. As Head of Marketing and Business Affairs, Silent Sensors is my main business activity.? Here I ensure our public material is on message, I keep our business model aligned with our strategy as the world around us changes, I prepare our pitches when seeking funding, I contribute to our grant applications and projects, and of course network generally within the business community.? This will continue throughout the year as our engineers deliver working prototypes of tyre related sensors.

Feriarum

This is my much talked of new start-up, delayed to this year as much of my time in the later months of 2024 was spent working with the female founder community to address issues rising from what happened with Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation 2024 programme.

Feriarum (https://feriarum.com) is (will be) a curated list of exceptionally lovely places to stay, where the owners/operators are committed to both the principles and practice of sustainability and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion).? Yes, I know many similar offerings exist, but Feriarum will have an extra edge, addressing intersectionality better and always having a personal touch. Any machine learning processes will be strictly limited to internal workflow; everything else is 100% human. ?

I plan to launch Feriarum by the end of Q1 2025. There are a number of things I need to put together still. I will use social media (especially LinkedIn) to build up interest and the beginnings of brand awareness. I fully intend to reach out to many of you as I soft market test the alpha and then beta versions, because all feedback is really useful, pointers will be invaluable and, of course I would love for you to signal exceptionally lovely places to stay that I could approach.

Support female founders

I’m really good at working with business founders and leaders to help them put together really powerful, effective and winning:

• business plans
• business models
• budgeting
• cashflow planning
• investor proposals
• grant applications

Ie the hard stuff. And I mean seriously good hard stuff. I’ve been doing this for decades, for the companies I worked for and with, across industries. I have been able to raise upwards of ￡10 million on the back of being able to show a good and realistic return on investment based on credible business models, and help win over ￡2 million in grants with tightly focused content.

Last year I advised four female founders; this year I would like to make that twelve.

I offer the first three days of my listening to you free of charge (I’m learning what you need, after all) and then will charge a fee, if there is reason for it, that’s within your budget.

Be active in networks

I just love meeting people who are doing interesting, valuable, beneficial and great things!? I’m part of at least seven female founder and general business networks:

• Female Founders First?
• Female Founders Rise
• InvestHER
• Let’s Fund More Women
• Six Degrees
• Tech4Good SouthWest
• The 51% Club

All of these are really good. What I get from them are connections, insights, understanding, opportunities, the possibility to help others - and new friends! Couldn’t be better. Definitely part of my 2025 activities.

Three public speaking engagements?

I’ve spoken to a couple of people about public speaking engagements, which I would love to do in 2025.? What I’m working on right now are the ‘whats’ and ‘whys’. This is different from giving tutorials on the mechanics of business I’m good at, such as solution selling to businesses, how to put a business plan together etc. This has to be about inspiring an audience with a message, an insight, an understanding, based on business and personal experience.?

The core take away I’m working on is what I have learned from both these last two years: you can do anything, and everything, at any age. I? have, and here’s my story.? Now then, I have so many stories to tell; I need to pull out two that really resonate. My other lodestar is tolerance, respect and acceptance of people for who they are, not what you want them to be because of some societal norms. ? Working on it …

Keep on making my house beautiful?

My house in Italy is a 500 year old pile of thick stone walls and many terraces. There’s always something to do, make, repair, invent.? I’d love to sell it and move elsewhere, but it has anchored itself in my heart. Spring and summer I will finish the rebuilt of the top terrace structures wiped out by a devil’s wind last year. I also need to better insulate and repaint some inner walls.? Up a ladder again!

Three surprises (maybe)

I have three ideas in mind, all of them community focused, all with the objective of helping to get the word out to the wider public. As I work my way through the year I will tell you about them, so watch this space!

What have you got planned for 2025?