This post is slightly different from usual, in that it’s about a forthcoming event rather than a reflection on something I’ve already done. The event is ‘Kickstart Your Business’ and my contribution will be to use my coaching skills to help people clarify what they want from their business, focus on achieving their goals and get the support they need to make it all work for them. I’d be very grateful if you could pass on the link to this post, or to our Kickstart page on Eventbrite  to anyone who is just starting out in their business or who is thinking of setting up on their own.

I’d also like to share briefly the backstory to the event, because it reveals how opportunities can present themselves unexpectedly. I am running the Kickstart event with Shahbaz Husain of Accountancy Advantage (http://www.accountancy-advantage.com/) who I met at one of the excellent events run by the British Library’s Business & IP Centre for business owners (http://www.bl.uk/bipc/ and see also my post on the Bootcamp I attended http://goosterontheloose.wordpress.com/2011/06/17/want-to-start-up-a-business-go-to-the-library/). Chatting during one of the course’s interactive exercises, we realised that while we were in very different business sectors in one sense, we had very similar approaches in terms of how we like to work with people. We arranged to meet for a coffee. This turned into a long discussion over lunch, by the end of which we’d agreed to put together a workshop for business owners in London. Our USP is that we combine a broad range of skills and experience – finance, accounting, tax management, business coaching, business publishing – with our united interest in helping people improve their business performance. Our hope is that this will present a big source of value-add for the people we work with, and that the whole will be greater than the sum of our individual parts.

Shahbaz wasn’t the only ‘bonus’ I got from the British Library event. The wonderful Rasheed Ogunlaru (http://www.rasaru.com/) was one of the trainers. I really warmed to his energy, unquenchable bounce and genuine warmth. My ears also pricked up at his mentions of writing projects and I’m delighted to say that I will be publishing Rasheed’s next book in my capacity as Editor-at-Large for Kogan Page (www.koganpage.com). Other brilliant contacts I made are Alex from Business Crayon, who is taking the online world by storm by doing for small businesses what Groupon does for consumers (www.businesscrayon.com); Elaine Swift, copywriter extraordinaire (http://www.elaineswift.co.uk/); and Natalie Chalk, a press expert who specialises in helping the charity sector get the column inches they want (http://www.powerofthepress.co.uk/). The event itself was informative and helpful; the longer lasting impact for me lies in the new connections I’ve made.

So that’s the backstory: here are the details of the event, which will be held on from 9.30 to 13.00 on 3 November, at The Space Centre in central London:

KICKSTART YOUR BUSINESS

Are you ready to start your new business?

Do you want to make it happen without wasting time?

Is fear holding you back when you really want to just get on with it?

The ‘Kick-start Your Business’ workshop will give you the practical tools you need to get it right first time and accelerate your start-up success We will cover the three key ingredients you need to get your business powered-up and ready to go.

Discover how to:

1. Make it work for you

2. Find more customers and win more business

3. Get the numbers right quickly and easily

Attend this seminar and you will go away equipped with concrete action points tailored to help you progress your own business, fast. You will leave with a toolkit to build a business plan that works for you. We will also give you a secret ingredient to kick-start your route to success!

SPECIAL GUEST: David Englefield, Business Manager at Metro Bank will speak about how to get funding from banks and how to make the most of your bank manager

Liz Gooster

I like to describe myself as happily ‘At Large’ in an independent portfolio career, balancing coaching, leadership development, coach training and being a mum to my young daughter. Positive psychology is a big influence on my work and I’ve recently gained an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology & Coaching Psychology from the University of East London. My interests include reading, writing, travel, yoga, Zumba, coffee and wine! Connect with me on LinkedIn and sign up for my newsletter, Positive Intentions.