Bens blog Feb 2023

January... well that happened! Well done to everyone who has done dry January and kept up with their new fitness plans. January always seems like a long month (the above challenges can make it seem even longer!) but this year at the BIPC we have been so busy January has quite literally flown in. With several online and in person events and over 30 1:1 appointments carried out by our advisors assisting all kinds of businesses in pre start up and post start up modes. it is great to see the service getting used by so many.

We saw a good amount of service users wanting to start the year right and we co hosted a brilliant network event with EMS which saw over 20 people from all over Cumbria come along and set their intentions for the year. It is always great to see the interactions, questions and opportunities for ideas sharing between new and existing businesses, one thing you learn as a sole trader or small start up is that, there is always something to learn and you inevitably always end up making something up!

We also had a great presentation from Vincent Walden from Walden Studios as part of our free webinar series. This month we focused on steps small businesses can take to being more sustainable in 2023. I for one am always baffled with what is the 'right thing' to do as there are so many mixed and cleverly shielded messages out there on this subject, first we are praising electric cars and then they are worried about their battery lives, a company's 'green credentials' can look commendable but next we learn about green washing, it is a lot to take on!

The main take away  for me was that we all need to do our bit, don't try reach perfection or godliness, if we all take a few steps then the world would be a much healthier and happier place, but if we all burry our heads in the sand there is only one outcome, food for thought for sure.

Check it out here along with our other previous webinars from a host of speakers on many subjects.

We held our first in person networking event, a small but strong start which saw businesses from several different sectors share where they were at and more importantly where they were going in 2023. We had support from Barclays who were on hand to advise on any business banking issues and the Creative Hutch for everything branding and marketing. We have another event coming up end of February which you can book here, a chance to get your name out there, share a coffee with other businesses and the focus will be on short and long term intention setting, we would love to see you there. Finally looking ahead to February, we have our webinar from Tony Ferguson from Dodd & Co which you can book on here. When i set up my first business i knew very little about accountancy, my role in collecting data and what i could or could not do (back to the making it up bit of new business!). This many answer some of your questions if you are in a similar position to where I was and save you a lot of time, effort and avoid mistakes.

I hope you all have a great February and while I can't promise or suggest you should roll over dry January... maybe try and keep those fitness intentions going for February, it is after all a shorter month!

Ben Heslop

Program Manager BIPC Cumbria