Start-Up Black Country are starting up themselves

Start-Up Black Country are starting up themselves

Following on from our attendance at the Start-Up Black Country event the other week we had a follow-up meeting with Gary Lennon who is one of the local champions for Start-Up Britain. Being unable to talk to each other at the original event we felt it would be remiss not to speak with each other as elements of what each of us are trying to do with our respective businesses are the same, for the same reason and to reach the same goal.

So our second re-visit to the Wolverhampton Science park in as many weeks happened in glorious unseasonal warm October weather – with the sun shining and the birds singing, what more could you ask?

Arriving slightly late meant that we only had a reduced amount of time as Gary was due to see Pushpa Alexander from Wolverhampton based Headz up business about 30 minutes after our arrival so we had to get our skates on and talk quick - and without a cup of tea Gary!!

Gary explained the why’s and wherefores of Start-Up Black Country and how along with other local champions who represent Start-Up Birmingham and Startup Shropshire - they are looking to collaboratively work together to cover the West Midlands region.

To be perfectly honest often these introduction company type meetings especially for those companies from within the same line of an industry can very easily lose their way as one up man ship can often creep in due to the case of getting everything out into the open so you both know from the start what each of you is doing and what your targets are, trying to avoid taking ideas from one another, etc.

  1. to the nature of the beast, it’s impossible of course to be totally unique and elements of what Gary was saying are elements we’re already working with or towards but if the belief of what we’re both working towards is to be of use and not necessarily to be the biggest and best that way there’s no problem.

Gary explained further about Start-Up in the Black Country and how like any business he has to look at how to monetise it in order to sustain its operation on a local Black Country basis. From experience, we like other local businesses know that it’s far easier to say such a thing than to do such a thing and as such things may prove to be a little turbulent, just as they are for any new start-up business.

Being fully aware of time and the fact that Pushpa was sitting in the reception waiting for Gary, we quickly at Gary request explained what we’re looking to do to market the Connect WM business. We advised him that we are looking into the possibilities of starting to organise and hold our own events with the first potentially being around March of next year.

We explained how we’d plan to organise such an event as this would help facilitate an even mix of exhibitors from within the industry – it would also provide a recognised direct route for visitors to access both on an immediate basis via the exhibition as well as on a long term basis via the site.

We also explained that what we’re trying to do is to be there for all and that we’re not really into collaborative workings which makes it appear that such collaborations make such businesses seem as though they’re joined at the hip as this can isolate and/or alienate local people and local businesses - But we’re quite happy to work with businesses to either reach or facilitate them reaching the same goal.

As the meeting drew to a close it was decided that rather than try to force anything to work it would be best to keep in regular contact to see how things progressed under its own steam – which of course is not a problem to us, as such a method only contributes to local businesses being able to connect further.