The curious case of going from one to many…

A curious question that rocked my world came during the pandemic from my good friend and now my business partner, Olly Reid. He asked me, ‘Are you a business owner or an entrepreneur?’??

Now, at the time, HUM4NS wasn’t even on our radar. We were in one of our regular Natwest Entrepreneurial Sessions (a programme that has connected me with like hearted people all over the country).??

Obviously, my initial response (in my head) was that because I was running Cre8ion I didn’t have the capacity to do anything else. In my heart, however, something else was stirring. It was in fact a deeper call to purpose.?

Life was changing and so was the environment around us, and while we continued to build our brand marketing agency, I knew that I could do more to help the business community. I believed there were more tools in the toolkit that I could bring to the table.??

When I sat and assessed my vision and plan, I realised that I was limiting myself based on my own framework of reference. I had a choice to ‘change everything’ and run with it.?

Now, I had had a similar experienced before and it had flipped my entire approach to life. Back in 2001, I had turned down the chance to run an award winning agency in order to embrace a quest for purpose and use my skills for good. Awards masked the fact that I was working with cigarette and alcohol clients who had more to do with ending people’s lives then celebrating them. In short, my values were shot, and that inner voice had become so loud that I had to do something about it.?

A few decades on, living purposefully and creating a whole load of impact over income, I realised I had again begun to limit myself by simply focussing on building an agency. The agency was still a vital component for sure, but part of a much larger picture that would unfold if I could embrace the challenge that lay within my heart.?

The weird thing was, life was already shaping things and channelling us towards this new plan. We knew our time was up at a church we had worked in for over 18 years and we had moved our children out of the church school to be home schooled. We had also moved 30 minutes from Bristol for a healthier life in the country. Then we were hit by a pandemic.??

Now, as people pivoted their businesses, I pivoted my approach to life. Long story short, I started to build twelve entities that would help build an ecosystem of businesses whose aim was to help people scale, no matter what the circumstances. I wanted to assist people who had conviction and give them the means to double down on purpose above all else!?

Around 6 months in, my lead developer, Andrius Bartulis was head hunted. After a few deep conversations, rather than let Andrius leave, we decided to start our own software company, Di9ital. We moved Cre8ion’s tech work across to Andrius’ team and I began the journey from one to many. Nine months after that I was approached by Olly Reid to build the culture changing HUM4NS, helping people to be happier, healthier, smarter and kinder. Then, as we emerged from the pandemic, Introbiz Bristol came up as an opportunity. It had been on our radar before the pandemic and now people were meeting once again, we decided to take the plunge with James Daniell. Our launch will be at Lexus Bristol on Thursday 27th October. We have also scheduled an Expo for the following year on Thursday 14th September 2023.?

So, why the story? Well, plans are already coming together to launch The Twelve Group and while everything isn’t in place, I know what the next 10 years are going to look like. Raising up leaders, empowering them to build businesses as co-founders and telling the world that leading with purpose is possible.??

Who do you have speaking into your life? Who is going to mess with the world you constructed to challenge you to take that next step? Can you afford to keep doing life the same way? Thankfully I haven’t and it has transformed my world. I often quote ‘The Road Less Travelled’ by Robert Frost. It’s a poem that has been profoundly significant in my life and I discovered during a late night conversation that it means a lot to Olly of HUM4NS too.??

If you are looking to pivot and follow purpose you will need a certain amount of insight and expertise. My hope is that these four businesses can help you get closer to realising your dream.?

www.cre8ion.co.uk?

A B-Corp driven to create purposeful brands for purpose led organisations. Learn how to build your message around our four key pillars, Belief, Belong, Best and Beyond. Shape your business to carry a message that transcends the norm, scaling your impact while growing your income. When you put purpose at the heart of your business, you’ll have a business that is aligned with like-hearted clients and a team to deliver. When you get this right your message gathers the momentum it deserves. Please contact?[email protected]?to get branding.?

www.di9ital.co.uk?

Your witty idea or invention doesn’t have to be left on the shelf for one moment longer with our software team. We can help you establish your minimum viable product (MVP) and build at pace using low code and no code tools, identifying users and bringing to market. We can also help you to bring your legacy system into the modern age. We make software simple. Please contact?[email protected]?to get building.?

www.hum4ns.co.uk??

Can it be possible to be happier, healthier, smarter and kinder in leadership or on the entrepreneurial journey? Our aim at HUM4NS, through regular meet ups (HUM4NS Talks) and monthly masterclasses (HUM4N Catalysts) is to make it possible. Olly is even opening the book on coaching classes on a 121 basis from this month where he can challenge you, like he did me on where you are in life, business and beyond. Please contact us?[email protected]?to start believing.?

www.introbiz.co.uk/bristol?

Networking is changing. At Introbiz we take responsibility to connect you to your target audience and if you are unclear we help and support you to identify it. Being part of a networking community across Wales, England and even Sweden helps you extend your influence far beyond the city you’re in and on to the global stage. Please contact?[email protected]?to get connected.?

We are working in the background on the remainder of the twelve businesses and they will be making their entrance soon. Needless to say, this is where my focus is, helping existing clients flourish with new tools while exploring NEW opportunities.?

I’m not gone from Cre8ion, but you’ll start to see more activities that are in keeping with the wider vision. I have even taken the uncomfortable step of putting a personal website in place (www.darrellirwin.co.uk) and written a book,?The Crisis Catalyst?

Ultimately, my two key motivators are impact and influence and I believe that this journey will allow me to impact the world for good.?

The possibilities are infinite.??