Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Derry Green was the star attraction at the launch of the latest edition of Lancashire Business View magazine.
The founder of Secret Garden Glamping was the cover star in issue 121 of the county’s premier business publication.
Delegates at the Whitaker Museum in Rossendale heard about Derry’s success story and how he was looking forward to opening a new glamping site in Cornwall.
Richard Slater, chairman of Lancashire Business View, said: “One of the purposes of these events is to inspire everyone in the room and Derry has a great story of growth and scaling up.”
The latest edition also put the spotlight on 28 of the most influential women in business in Lancashire across different sectors and industries.
Seema Dalvi, owner of Dalvee restaurant, Claire Buckle from Ability Consultancy, Aimee Bell of Fardella and Bell and Wendy Bowers from Role UK sat on the ‘influential women’ panel at the launch talking about their achievements and life in business.
As part of the regional hotspot feature, delegates heard from Charlotte Scheffmann from Accrington and Rossendale College, Jac Jordan from Viva PR, Rob Huntington from Rossendale Council and David Connor from WHN Solicitors talking about the hot topic of transport links affecting businesses in Rossendale.
Dr Steve Wright told businesses about the Lancashire and Cumbria Institute of Technology and how they could interact with the IoT.
He said: “We would love to see employers coming into the curriculum design and we are in the process of designing short course qualifications.
“We would like to work with businesses to ensure what we deliver is exactly what they need.”
Mark Edwards from Seriun, spoke to delegates about Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) which is cybersecurity technology designed to continuously monitor and respond to threats on desktops, laptops, servers, and mobile devices.
Ann Bibby and Martin Collins from Beever and Struthers, offered advice on pensions and retirement planning.
Guests at the packed-out venue also saw an impressive Big Interview with Derry Green created by Rawtenstall video production company Big Tank.
Managing director of Big Tank Rob Hallam talked about his 20-year journey in video production and creating content that matters for businesses.
He also offered some advice to the delegates and said, ‘don’t underestimate the power of your own story and journey’.
He said: “We are using AI in our business more and more and it is amazing what it is doing.
“But there is a little button on LinkedIn that says whatever you write, it can be ‘Re-written with AI’. I think when you click and use that it then everything you had such as your individuality, is just gone.”
Ashley King from Financial Affairs gave an insightful presentation on lifestyle choices, financial planning, and preparing for the future.
The event was sponsored by Financial Affairs, Lancashire and Cumbria IoT and was powered by Seriun.
If you want to find out more information about getting involved with the forward features or future roundtable opportunities at Lancashire Business View, then email Joanne at [email protected] or telephone 07442949697.
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