Leaders are readers (and event go-ers)
A little musing and a message to those who say: ‘I’m just too busy to go to an event’ …
In the past month, in hosting two London Roadshows for the London Growth Hub, and a Fashion Exchange event in Manchester, I’ve picked up two important learnings and spotted one gap in our business:
- Creative entrepreneur, Spencer Gallagher, at the London Business Show in Havering told the audience ‘EBIT is your friend.’ This is so true. For any other business owner like me who obsesses over top line revenue, Spencer reminded me of an important lesson that bottom line profit is way more critical! (EBIT stands for Earnings Before Interest and Tax)
- Retail expert, Miya Knights, delivered a powerful presentation to a fashion audience in Manchester and as she spoke of shifting customer trends, it made me realise of a talent and resource gap in our business that I’m now working to fill. If I had not been there working ‘on’ the business, rather than 'in' it, I may not have spotted the gap.
- Today, Guy Tolhurst, made his attentive crowd think the unthinkable by suggesting everyone should ‘plan for a life changing event’ – the question Guy was raising was: if anything happens to you such as an accident, a death in the family, a separation, could the business continue without you? Think about that for a moment – it certainly gave me pause for thought – and now action!
I know events involve time and effort to attend but just consider the rewards. Thank you to this trio of amazing speakers - and many others - who deliver reward to communities of small businesses every day.
I hope you make it to an event soon!
"AI Native" approach to M&A, Non Exec and Consulting for Agency Founders. Working with our colleague Tabatha.ai we support founders with Mentoring and Masterclasses to build future value for their businesses.
5 年Always happy to support your incredible events Emma, the work you and your team do to support entrepreneurial business growth is humbling and should be applauded ????????
Founder of Message House | Message Testing | Corporate Reputation | Narrative Development | Social Impact
5 年So true Emma Jones.? We've just helped curate a major leadership retreat for a client and were fortunate to get to hear some amazing, thought-provoking speakers from around the world.? It's not just the new insights that you gain, I find the space to reflect and remind myself of the wider context so valuable. I'm pretty sure we'd all benefit from a bit less time at the desk and a bit more time listening and learning from others.
Strategic Consultant | Keynote Speaker | Retail Technology Magazine Publisher | Best-Selling Author | KPMG Retail Think Tank member | 2025 Top 100 Rethink Retail Expert | Black British Business Award Winner
5 年There's just no substitute for 'real' interaction and feedback. I found the Fashion Exchange attendees so engaged, they were no less than a complete inspiration. Thanks for having me!?