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The Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship (BCfE) hosted its second Entrepreneurs Monthly Meet-up (EMM) of the academic year on Wednesday 19th November, marking Global Entrepreneurship Week with a brand-new, interactive format designed to give student/graduate founders, local entrepreneurs and members of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem direct access to entrepreneurial expertise.
This month’s Meet-up introduced ‘Ask the Entrepreneurs’ - a practical Q&A-style session where attendees could ask a panel of successful local entrepreneurs questions about the challenges and opportunities of starting or running a business. Held at the Sir Peter Rigby Centre for Enterprise, the aim of the new format is to provide actionable advice, guidance and problem-solving support tailored to the needs of emerging founders.
The panel featured three entrepreneurs from across the Liverpool and Manchester entrepreneurship ecosystem: Leon McCowan, founder of telecommunications company Your Business Mobile; Katie Bowater, founder of Young Entrepreneurs Club, a community supporting youth-led start-ups; and Sam Byrne, co-founder of Block P, a Liverpool-based fashion retail store and cultural community centred around Nike 110s.
Questions reflected the needs of young entrepreneurs ranging from idea validation, confidence building and early-stage execution, to niche sector challenges and growth considerations. Participants noted the openness of the discussion and the accessibility and frankness of the panel.
Reflecting on the new format, Richard Leighton, Entrepreneur in Residence for the Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship, said:
‘We have gone for a different format for this monthly meet-up. It’s worked fantastic as a vehicle to allow students and graduates to draw upon the expertise and experience of local entrepreneurs. We’ll definitely be running more in the future. It’s nice to see so many people come again - hopefully they got a lot of value out of this new type of session.’
Panellist Katie Bowater added:
‘I had such an incredible time. We covered a huge range from aspiring entrepreneurs to those already established. I really enjoyed it.’
Students also shared how transformative the session felt.
Shashwati Bhosale, a Master’s student in Advanced Marketing in the University of Liverpool Management School, said:
‘I had a lot of questions and I got my perfect answers. Mostly: have confidence, get started, don’t overthink. It was such a crucial event for me.’
Stephen Williams, studying Business Management and Marketing at Liverpool Hope University, reflected:
‘The biggest thing I got from today was that perfection gets in the way of progress… I really enjoyed hearing from people who have already walked the path I want to walk on.’
As always, the event concluded with informal networking over snacks and refreshments, giving participants the chance to connect with peers, student/graduate founders, local entrepreneurs and members of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.
About the Entrepreneurs Monthly Meet-up
The Entrepreneurs Monthly Meet-up (EMM) is a University HEIF-funded initiative run by the Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship (BCfE) in collaboration with six colleges and universities across the Liverpool City Region. The EMM provides a forum where entrepreneurs, students and graduates from across the North West can connect for networking opportunities and hear first-hand insights from business leaders on their entrepreneurial journeys.