Author Stuart Anderson

Entries 2 Total Bio

Stu Anderson is the Project Director of the Shell LiveWIRE programme in the UK- one of the UK’s biggest communities for young entrepreneurs (www.shell-livewire.org). He has an in-depth knowledge of the enterprise landscape – particularly in relation to youth enterprise. Stu works with stakeholders all over the UK and is asked for input on enterprise and entrepreneurship projects at a national and international level and regularly has input into government policy on enterprise. He is a member of the Advisory Board to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Entrepreneurship chaired by Lord Ahmed. He has worked with a whole range of organisations such as the UN and the EU and regularly lectures and speaks on a range of entrepreneurial topics. He is a co-founder of the National Youth Enterprise Working Group, which recently lobbied to get a Youth Investment Loan scheme into the budget. Stu holds an MBA, and is currently studying for a PhD in Entrepreneurship, is a board member of ISBE and SFEDI and a member of the Courvoisier Future 500. Respected for a no-nonsense approach and getting things done- An ex-Nightclub Bouncer, Stu is a good man to connect with (not literally!) @stujbanderson. 

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November – A Chance to get out there!

Nov 9, ’11 9:22 AM
Author Stuart Anderson Categories Business Funding, Business Marketing, Start-Up, start-up in business, start-up in business

How did it get to November? Already I am being inundated with pictures of friends of mine growing their ‘Movember‘ moustache for charity, a sure sign that the year is marching on!

November is a key time in the calendar of those involved in supporting small businesses and start ups in the UK, and there are some great events worth looking out for if you are an aspiring entrepreneur. I am biased of course, but kicking things of for Global Entrepreneurship Week (14-20 Nov) is the fabulous Shell LiveWIRE LIVE! event and awards ceremony for the Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2011- have a look at the finalists if you have a moment, some great young people with some great ideas. We bring together around 200 entrepreneurs and speakers to mix things up and get people thinking about starting and running businesses. For my money, at this stage in a businesses life, one of the most single most important things is to get out networking and forge friendships and alliances that will help you in the future. It is vital that entrepreneurs starting out get their name out there, and test ideas by talking to other people- gaining important feedback along the way and refining ideas. The only people who can give you feedback about your ideas are other people! It sounds obvious (and it is!), but people forget this all the time.

This leads nicely onto awards… Awards are a great mechanism to gain exactly the same- recognition and feedback. If I look at some of the followup sound bites and feedback from people who have won one of the monthly awards at Shell LiveWIRE, two things always appear in the feedback- Profile and Confidence. Often when people apply for an award, they are just thinking of the prize at the end, but there is so much more to applying than first meets the eye;

1) Awards are a chance to test ideas. Fundamentally, awards can be used to test your thinking to an independent panel of judges. Most awards will give you feedback on the application- and if they don’t they should do, as it is a key part of the process. There are now hundreds of awards for businesses in the UK, and yes, winning funding is great- but the experience (through the process of applying) and profile that is gained from getting involved is vital.

2) Awards are a tool to give you profile. Even if you don’t win, way before that, you should be going straight to the press getting an article in the paper to say you are in the running. Probably one of the single most important things when in the early stages of business is profile- how do people buy your goods if they don’t know you are there?

My advice at this time of year is to get out there and see what events are near you- more importantly offer to help or speak at some of the events- Profile is everything, and there are some great opportunities- have a look at www.gew.org.uk to see what events there are during GEW week.

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Entrepreneurs- The New Rockstars?

Oct 27, ’11 5:23 PM
Author Stuart Anderson Categories Business Startup, Marketing/PR, Micro Business, Social Media, Start-Up

I spend a huge amount of my working life supporting micro firms, many of them start ups. Specifically through my work with Shell LiveWIRE, I look at a huge number of funding applications for our monthly awards- this is a great privilege and gives me an insight to the ‘state of the entrepreneurial nation’! I read every single one, primarily to score them ready for external judging, but also as we ask specific questions on the application form about what could be done to help young people starting up in business. The usual suspects are always there- the holy trinity of funding, mentoring and networking. No one is going to be surprised at those three being there. The thing is, as I point out to many people, we are not particularly lacking in these in terms of support (if you look)- if you have a good idea. OK, there is going to be less funding around due to the state of the economy, but it is there. Mentors are out there and there are schemes being rolled out as I write. Networking?- well this happens everywhere, and you have to make the effort to get involved. But I want to look at the notion of a ‘good idea’…

When you start in the journey of wanting to start a business, it is important to get into a mindset. That is this; The only people that matter as to whether you have a good idea or not- are the potential customers. I tell people when I give talks on starting up, that a business is a lever to the pocket of a stranger; that is the business is your tool to take money from someone else’s pocket and put it in yours- plain and simple. Try it- go and ask a stranger to give you money for nothing- likely response= a fat ‘NO!’. Approach the same person with something to sell them or provide them in exchange for the same money- and you stand a sporting chance that you might get it…with one BIG condition. That condition is that they actually want what you have. How would you know that? By doing some research.

Something I see going on at the moment has got me concerned. We live in a time were many are transfixed by celebrity culture- you could argue that many entrepreneurs are the new Rockstars. This is no bad thing, we need a positive image of the entrepreneur to enthuse others to take up the challenge of wealth creation. However, one thing I have seen a rise of, is young people starting off in business with the specific aim to become a celebrity- rather than a great business person. This is often at the detriment to actually seeing if the business idea is actually any good, by testing it with potential customers. Very often people are so obsessed with the label of entrepreneur/ founder/ serial entrepreneur and self marketing as such, that the actual business proposition is weak- or at least weaker than it should be. Social media has enabled people to create huge self identity and is a fabulous marketing tool both personally and for business. However, no matter what you can do with social media to market- you still need a ‘good idea’ behind you. I don’t mind celeb entrepreneurs at all, in fact I work with many of them- but I like them to be viable-Like a good business idea!

Here’s the crux of the issue. If you have a great idea- and you have proved it as such, you will likely get help- be that the holy trinity as above, or further. A good idea also brings with it the trappings of PR and profile all of which go to making the business sustainable. Often the end result is you get the gig! Who does not like a good ‘rags to riches’ story?  If you spend all of your time self marketing, and have seldom looked into whether your idea is a good one, the gigs might come- but they will not last. You’ll have a problem attracting the help you need in the long run, and celeb status does not make a weak idea good- people buy the product not the person.

What’s my point? Simple really- for start ups, the basics work and still very much apply. You can use technology to help, but at some point, someone with help to offer is going to ask you if you have potential customers lined up- and you have got to be ready to say- YES! If you are having trouble getting finance for your business for example, go back to the plan and really examine whether your research tells you that this is a good idea. Be harsh- after all, how many times have you seen people get tripped up on Dragons Den by their own (or lack of) market research?

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