Connect with Mentoring for Growth of Self Employed for small business support on Enterprise Nation

Connect with Mentoring for Growth to grow your entrepreneurial network of start-ups and small business owners on Enterprise Nation.

Mentoring for Growth, Self Employed | Enterprise Nation

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Carol Smith > Planning > Standard service > Mentoring for Growth 

Planning

Carol Smith

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I provide mentoring to help companies develop growth plans for the future.

I specialise in working with people who provide services eg counselling, beauty treatments etc

I'm Carol, my career has seen me gain experience from a wide range of backgrounds including pharmaceuticals, chemicals and the charity sector. I've had a huge selection of roles too - from analytical chemist, formulation scientist, sales, marketing, operations and strategy development.  

I've got a degree in Chemisty, a diploma in Business Management and a Masters in Marketing.  I've also trained as a relationship counsellor.  I'm a great listener and help you analyse what needs to happen next.

Mentor and Business Consultant

I provide mentoring to help companies develop growth plans for the future.

I specialise in working with people who provide services eg counselling, beauty...

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Sam Onigbanjo,  Business Growth Expert, with skills in  Ai, Cybersecurity and Digital Marketing  "Keynote Speaker" 2024 BWS , Natwest   I have led my team and delivered AI and Digital solutions to hundreds of SME&apos;s and Entreprenuers in the UK and Globally leading to Increased Productivity, Visibility, Sales and Business Growth.  By the end of November 2024 I would have completed a professional certification in Finance and Entreprenurism from Said Business school, Oxford University.

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With over 23 years of extensive experience in Finance & Operations, I&apos;m a seasoned professional dedicated to supporting small businesses, start-ups, and scale-ups. Having previously served as the Director of Operations for KPMG Middle East, I bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table.

My passion lies in empowering small businesses to thrive and succeed. I specialise in providing tailored financial solutions and strategic guidance

FINANCE  OPERATIONS

Business Planning Growth Strategy

I offer tailored business planning and growth strategy services that will help you take your business to the next level. Whether you&apos;re looking to refine your business model, explore new revenue streams, or prepare for investment, my approach ensures you have a clear roadmap to success. With extensive experience helping businesses secure funding, grow profits, and enhance operational efficiency, I guide you step-by-step to craft a robust, investor-ready business plan. This service includes 

Serial entrepreneur and innovation director across multiple verticals, with a technology and sector agnostic approach to consulting. Currently consulting to various ventures ie Medtech, CPG, FMCG, Fintech, Adtech, HeathTech etc

Having been deeply immersed in the Startup / SME EcoSystem for approximately 25 years, in 2 distinct sectors and countries with various business models. Providing both product / services for b2b and b2b segments has allowed me to gain a solid amount of diverse knowledge and understanding.
This entrepreneurial experience also allowed to gain insights of the innovation value chain and operational requirements of building / scaling ventures, for product market fit. The critical component of fundraising through various mechanisms, is an area that I understand well, having bootstrapped businesses and then raised circa 3m Euros across angel, Venture Capital and the European Development Fund (EDF).
The full spectrum of the fund-raising process was arguably the most challenging aspect of venture building for a multitude of reasons and it was a definite grind to get it done. Learning to dealing with brutal reality was a crucial part of success and helped test / fortify my resilience and growth mindset.
The last venture Zveetz had a regenerative aspect with a mission to make a dent against sugar pollution and its consequences to people and planet. Working cross functionally with a stellar team of individuals including food and behavioural scientists to deliver an impactful value proposition was highly rewarding. The business model was multifaceted with transactional, subscription and asymmetrical revenue streams. We were able to move the needle on sugar reduction and enabled people to be more sugar smart, thereby hitting multiple impact and revenue KPI’s.
Previously to that, I had the privilege of deep diving into the world of AI, machine learning &amp; ontologies to build a recommendation engine SaaS for the e-commerce sector, although there were multiple future use cases for the technology. This immersion and venture was very challenging for multiple reasons but ultimately the outcomes were net positive, so the juice was worth the squeeze.
hankfully, I have been able to transition into the role of an Innovation Director and apply skills / experience to provide consultation across the Oxford Innovation ecosystem to various stakeholders.&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Performed 96 one to one business support sessions and workshops for students, faculty, startup and SMEs teams.</li>
<li>Consulting with the KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnerships) department to revamping program offering and positioning to meet desired Research Excellence Framework (REF 29) standards.</li>
<li>Supporting faculty members across the UnIversity’s different schools, on commercialisation of their research and various potential fund-raising strategies.</li>
<li>Working with the AI Research group within the University to develop their strategic roadmap.</li>
<li>Supporting the establishment of “Managementfest”, a student led innovation &amp; entrepreneurship conference and accelerator programme at BNU.</li>
<li>Regularly meeting with the university leadership committee to report all innovation initiatives and results.</li>
<li>Leading Oxford Innovation AI working group with a remit to i) develop a wholistic adoption strategy for competitive advantage. ii) Steering AI integration and operationalisation across the org, towards ISO42001 (trustworthy) compliance.</li>
</ul>

Innovation Director

Vishal Kawatra

Serial entrepreneur and innovation director across multiple verticals, with a technology and sector agnostic approach to consulting. Currently consulting to various ventures ie Medtech, CPG, FMCG, Fintech, Adtech, HeathTech etc

Having been deeply immersed in the Startup / SME EcoSystem for approximately 25 years, in 2 distinct sectors and countries with various business models. Providing both product / services for b2b and b2b segments has allowed me to gain a solid amount of d

Mentoring for Growth

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