Hundreds set to seize their Chance to Change

Feb 23 2010 by Iain Laing, The Journal

SOME of the North East's brightest business owners shared their stories of success - and failure - with an audience of 300 potential entrepreneurs of the future at a pioneering event.

Chance to Change brought together a diverse mix of people of all ages and backgrounds with one thing in common – an aspiration to set up their own business. And for several hours yesterday afternoon they listened to entrepreneurs’ stories, heard from experts in networking, motivation and finance – and met like-minded people who could prove to be their business partners of tomorrow.

Carole Beverley, chief executive of the Entrepreneurs Forum, which organised the event at Newcastle Civic Centre, said she was thrilled by the response to the event.

“I am so proud of all of these entrepreneurs who are here to put something back into the community when they are so busy with their own lives but they are here to tell their own stories to other people,” she said.

She said the aim was to “demystify” the process of setting up a business and point delegates in the direction of the wealth of support on offer throughout the region. She added: “If out of these 300 people, we manage to find ten entrepreneurs and help them on their journey then I will be very happy.”

Speakers at the event included North East entrepreneurs Fiona Cruickshank, Chris Quickfall and James Robson. Tim Hutchinson, director of Teesside packaging company Outpace, set up his own business in 2000 after being made redundant by ICI, where he worked for 23 years.

He recalled how he had never thought of himself as an entrepreneur until redundancy forced him to consider his options. “We used to have good ideas at work all the time, but we would just let ICI benefit from them,” said Mr Hutchinson, who went on to establish three successful businesses.

He was passing on advice to Bryan Munro. The 54-year-old from Newcastle was made redundant last October having worked in the catering and industrial support sector all of his life. Now he wants to set up his own firm to bring to market some ideas for new products – which he wants to keep confidential – he thought of whilst watching television.

“I was just looking for vacancies and one day the idea just hit me,” he said.

Bhavesh Patel, meanwhile, is hoping to start his own design business.

The 25-year-old from Goa, India, recently graduated from Northumbria University and was attending the conference for guidance on how to start up a firm in the North East.

Speaker Ian Scott, of Enterprise Island, told delegates how new businesses start “not with a plan but with a conversation”.