Blog

I can't believe it's the fifth of March already!

As usual I've been hugely busy. This week I've been preparing features and carrying out interviews for the next issue of Aesthetica, I've been interviewed myself as spokesperson for the York Literature Festival and I've been holding meetings to plan our new communications strategy.

Last Monday I was on the Dragon's Lair panel, which was a competition being run between ten York schools, both primary and secondary. The schools had to bid for money to fund projects. There were some really interesting ideas, one school wanted a Japanese garden and another an outdoor theatre.

I wasn't as harsh as the Dragons on TV though, I would describe myself as inquisitive. I wanted to get down to the nitty-gritty of where the money would be spent.

As it turned out there was a £60,000 budget and all the projects fitted within that so we funded all the schools.

It was nice to make 100 kids happy!

The time to take part in an event like this I donate for free. As an entrepreneur it's always difficult to decide where to donate your time. Your time has a cost so you really have to pick and choose carefully.

However, this event was good for us to be involved in because we do so many education projects and, although it wasn't the main reason for being there, it was a good opportunity for networking with schools.

We actually ended up getting a call last week from one of the schools who wanted to work with us further.

I guess that's how it works. I donated my time from 11am to 1pm, three hours, and from that we may have another contract.

Since winning the York Press Young Business Entrepreneur of the Year I've been asked to do lots of things all over the region and you have to pick and choose your things wisely. I did some stuff for the University of Bradford and from that we were able to sell an ad in the magazine.

You have to realise that in the short term donating your time for free doesn't seem to make sense but long term making contacts is very useful.

It's all about finding the right balance.

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