WhatNext? Conference 2017

Tim, Will and I attended the annual WhatNext? Conference 2017 on Saturday 25th February, a student conference organised by the Manchester Entrepreneur Society. There were a number of great speakers lined up (including our CEO Tim), the venue was awesome, and the audience was packed.

There is a huge pool of talent in the Northwest Universities, and at CANDDi we’ve got a habit of having interns come in over the Summer, and hiring them once they’ve finished their studies. So although I was there to cheer Tim on, I was also hoping to meet some students who we could snap up once they’d graduated :)

There was a fountain of brilliant advice from the speakers throughout the day, and some excellent questions from the audience. Here are some of the words of wisdom I liked the most -

Maria Stukoff, Head of Digital at BBC Academy shared her experiences of breaking hearts whilst she was working at PlayStation. Her role was to filter game ideas and provide feedback to people hoping they’d come out with the next big game idea. Maria encouraged the students to persevere if an idea doesn’t make it, as they’d be sure to come up with more ideas “Never be defined by one idea. You always have more to prove.” She also highlighted the importance of learning from failed ideas to help improve the next endeavour.

John Kershaw, CEO and Founder of M14 Industries (creators of Bristlr - a dating app connecting those with beards to those who want to stroke beards!), talked about the craziness of things post-Dragons Den and how overwhelming it’s been getting 400 new business enquiries following appearing on the show. He also shared his experiences of starting his business, dealing with investors, and reaching success “If you run away from failure for long enough..you land up succeeding!” John gave some excellent advice, and the students were lapping up every word.

Our very own Tim was his entertaining and candid self, talking about the ‘Good, Bad and Ugly of being an Entrepreneur in Pictures, Processes and Profanity :)’. Tim stressed the importance of learning the skill of selling, regardless of what your role is, it’s fundamental to learn how to sell if you want your business to be successful. He also shared why he thought so many give up “Entrepreneurs are born, not made. They don’t give up because nobody wants the idea, they give up because they get tired.” and how it’s critical to surround yourself with people who are like-minded, passionate, and will go on the journey with you. As long as you graft, are prepared for the ups and downs, and keep the focus - there are huge rewards, the entrepreneurial journey can be incredibly fulfilling.

The event was brilliant, and it was exciting to see so many budding entrepreneurial minds. If you attended and are looking for an internship at CANDDi, or would like to learn more…get in touch!