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Getting started with your sales strategy

    Your idea becomes a business once you have those first customers and cash flow. It sounds simple, but in reality there are many complexities to defining how you will draw in customers, retain their loyalty and continue producing profit. In this session you can get to grips with the essential early decisions needed to set out how much it will cost to deliver your products and services, how to determine what price to charge and how to keep people coming back for more. And importantly, we will discuss how you can do all of this with heart and the social impact front and centre.

    You will hear from the 2020 winner of The Small Awards’ Bricks and Clicks category, MODO Creative who have experimented and evolved an impressive multi-channel sales strategy.

    MODO Creative also focus on the idea that a money-making business can also be community-forging and impactful. They will discuss how you might consider independent makers, designers and services to pass on sales further down the supply chain and keep them retained within the small business community.

    Karen Campbell from The Small Awards will be on hand to outline some tips and best practice as well as moderating the interview.

    Though you may be starting small at the beginning, join us to learn about some clever ways to cultivate a winning customer experience for your walk-in and online audience.

Speakers

Karen Campbell

Small Business Saturday

Emma and Andrew Tucker

Founders of MODO Creative

More Events

Inspiring Entrepreneurs: High street heroes


High streets are the beating heart of our local communities. Having a presence on the high street gives businesses a unique opportunity to connect with their customers, and the responsibility to meet their needs as these change and evolve. What additional service could you offer to those who interact with your brand in person? What extra impact could you generate by sharing your spaces with neighbours and fellow makers?

We have brought together a panel of three loved and respected local businesses, our high street heroes. Their founders will share practical tips through their inspiring stories and tell us more about their individual journeys.

Mary Otumahana, award-winning musician and founder of The RecordShop; a grassroots independent organisation based in Wood Green, that focuses on making an impact with a multipurpose music space located on the high street. By providing access to a recording studio and music career training, Mary is leading a mission to educate, inform and inspire inner-city youths to connect to their community through music.Hellen Stirling-Baker, founder of children’s store, Small Stuff, has led her business from an experimental pop-up shop to a successful, eco-friendly bricks and clicks model at the heart of her high street in Crookes, Sheffield. A perfect example that being a small shop doesn’t mean you can’t have big values; Hellen is a local leader who champions ethical suppliers and supports other retailers, often sharing her shop for community-building events. Hellen is the deserved winner of this year’s High Street Hero for the Small Awards 2022.Carolynn Bain, founder of Afori Books, the first Black-owned bookshop in Brighton. Carolynn almost did the opposite of most during the pandemic; inspired to stock only Black authors in response to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, she started her business as an online shop. Demand was so high however, that Afrori Books was approached to open a physical bookshop in Lighthouse, a local Arts-based charity, with fit-out costs successfully crowdfunded.

We are running this event with the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) who are also champions of high street businesses and are here to help, all year round.

Santander - The Business of Sustainability


Sustainability is no longer just a requirement for businesses; building a business that is more sustainable for its people, its investors, and our planet presents a huge opportunity.

Rather than treat sustainability as an afterthought or as a boost to brand image, our panellists will discuss how they have infused sustainability into their core businesses model from day one and share the inexpensive methods they used to help you do the same.

The session will be moderated by Lynne Robertson – Enterprise Education Lead and Sustainability Business Partner for Santander Business Banking.

Followed by Santander key note - Susan Davis

Inspiring Entrepreneurs: Fashion Retail Reimagined


Online retail sales for textiles, clothing and footwear reached an unprecedented peak of 31% in 2020, as reported by UKFT, and in the UK alone the fashion and textile sector boasts a staggering 34,045 businesses. Now in 2023, the industry of fashion retail is witnessing the emergence of several exciting trends that are revolutionizing the shopping experience.

TikTok's live shopping experience, the growth of omni-channel retail, the increasing importance of second-hand fashion, supply chain innovations, and the rise of diversity and inclusivity are reshaping the fashion retail landscape. With these emerging trends, traditional brick-and-mortar shops have been reimagined, giving way to a new era of shopping experiences that seamlessly blend the physical and digital realms.

Our panel of five inspiring fashion experts and entrepreneurs will explore how these changes are influencing the industry and share valuable insights on leveraging these shifts to your advantage – leaving you inspired, informed, and ready to conquer the future of fashion retail.

Quotes: https://www.ukft.org/business-advice/industry-reports-and-stats. and Top Fashion Retail Trends of 2023: Innovations Shaping the Industry — Femestella.

On the day, expect to:

Discover the intersection of high-end fashion and sustainability that is reshaping the market through consumer-to-consumer shared economy modelsExplore the latest business models in fashion retail, from traditional high street to cutting-edge online platformsLearn about the world of pop-up shops, offering not only unique shopping experiences but also sales opportunities for start-upsDive into the thriving market of live shopping, from social media live videos to online shop ecommerce platformsUnderstand how small businesses are establishing successful retail and ecommerce identities to grow their brandLearn how the power of innovative concepts, combined with community support, can revolutionise shopping in key locations.

For those joining us in person, the event will be followed by a networking reception with drinks, canapés, meeting with other attendees, as well as the speakers. For those joining us online, the panel and talk will run from 18.30 – 20.30

This event is tailored to those who are just thinking about starting a business, are already a business owner who wants to learn more, or perhaps simply wish to establish a stronger network. Attendees will leave this event feeling inspired and engaged.

BIPC's Manchester's How to start a business that makes a difference

Join BIPC Manchester and Expert Impact to discover how you can make a positive social impact with your business.

Did you know that there are more than 100,000 social enterprises in the UK? Social enterprises are businesses selling products or services that have a positive social or environmental impact.

Join this session if you’re interested in making a profit with purpose and starting a business that is good for people and planet. Hear from three social entrepreneurs to learn how they did it.

Inspiring Entrepreneurs: Gaming for Business


In a world driven by innovation and customer engagement, businesses are constantly seeking fresh approaches to captivate their audience and elevate their performance. As an industry that has always harnessed the power of technology, the recent growth of tools such as artificial intelligence and increased online connectivity have contributed to the growing influence the gaming industry is having on the business world.

From the creative minds behind engineering, designing and developing games, to the gamification of business tools for customer acquisition and marketing, the integration of gaming with the business world has reached new heights of significance and legitimacy.

As online technologies continue to evolve, their ever-growing influence on society – particularly on the next generation of entrepreneurs – has become undeniable.

Join a panel of gaming and design industry experts, as they explore how the fusion of game mechanics, psychology, cutting-edge design and technology can breathe new life into traditional industries, invigorating employee engagement, customer loyalty and overall business success.

On the day, guests and attendees can expect to join an engaging and thought-provoking panel discussion where they will:

Get into the spirit of gaming by joining us for a free gaming and chill session in the afternoon before the event. Gaming equipment including PlayStation 5’s, Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets and a variety of games to choose from will be available in the Knowledge Centre’s Eliot room from 14:00. Come along and get involved! All equipment will be provided by Bryght.Learn about the role that gaming is playing in today’s business landscapeGain a deeper understanding of the power of gaming influencers in marketing strategiesExplore the various business models within the gaming industryLearn about the platforms and resources connecting the gaming industry with the broader business realmUncover the strategies used by our panellists to navigate challenges in their workJoin discussions about the importance of diversity and inclusivity in the gaming world, and how these entrepreneurs actively engage with this.

Following this there will be a Q&A. For those joining us in person, the event will be followed by a networking reception with drinks meeting with other attendees, as well as the speakers.

For those joining us online, the event will run from 18.30 – 20.30

Michael Cashman

Speaker Position

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