Current Work
People sometimes ask me, ‘What Do You Actually DO?’.
I would say that I’m a slightly odd combination of freelancer, consultant and entrepreneur. Ultimately, I work for myself. I have started things (both companies and schemes), I have worked on numerous teams, I connect people everyday. I enjoy helping people by making valuable introductions. To coin a phrase, I have a portfolio career!
How do I make money? People and organisations either retain me monthly, pay me to do a special project (this could last several months), or ask me to a lead a one-off event (hosting a half-day workshop, running a connecting master-class or speaking at or hosting an event).
Hopefully a more interesting question is ‘What are you DOING at the moment?’
Here are some of the people and projects which I’m currently working with;
Make Your Mark with a Tenner lends tends of thousands of school pupils a tenner, and challenges them to see what they can achieve in one month. Enterprise UK partner with me to deliver this national scheme, which is now in its third year. This year, 30,000 people took part!
I recently hosted the Clean and Cool Mission; Taking 20 entrepreneurs out to San Francisco in February 2010. This was the third trade mission I have helped to organise, and we have at least another two in the pipeline.
I’m working with TomTom Nation, helping young people reinvent their future through NESTA’s iDiscover project.
I’m working with the Eden Project to develop their Real Cool Futures project, inspiring people to consider careers which have a positive impact on the environment.
Plings, led by Substance is signposting thousands of places to go and things to do for young people across Britain.
The Flow Foundation is an international, grassroots movement that aims to change education profoundly.
Sport England have launched an innovation fund and I have been helping them to support, develop and promote the fund.
Gemin-i is a charity which, through it’s site Rafi.ki connects over 1500 schools around the world, to work on projects together.
Speednetworking; Increasingly I am being hired to do this for organisations, and recent clients have included Unltd, the foundation for social entrepreneurs. I’ve also been facilitating some new Fellows nights for the RSA and continue to host events with Adam Street Private Members Club. I’m going to be hosting more ‘internal’ speednetworking sessions for large organisations in the year to come.
I write regular columns for Growing Business magazine.
If you would like to talk about working together, I’d love to hear from you.
