Member Article

Successful entrepreneurs share valuable business advice

Successful businessmen Rob Neill and Mike Owen will be giving aspiring business owners valuable insight into the creation and development of thriving enterprises at a series of popular Growing Your Own Business seminars taking place at The British Franchise Exhibition on 21 and 22 June at Manchester Central.

Rob Neill, managing director of luxury menswear brand Lucky West, and Mike Owen who is the managing director of three successful companies will be the keynote speakers, sharing the secrets of their success and advice on how to build a sound business in today’s challenging economic climate.

Rob’s inspiration for starting his fashion business was the result of a road trip in the US where he visited a myriad of iconic landmarks and fell in love with the local people and their way of life.

Rob explains:

“During my US road trip I admired the clothes sported by the locals along with the lifestyles they lead, which is where my original concept to bring something similar to this side of the pond was first established.”

“After years of struggling to find a high quality brand which hasn’t been mass produced to be worn by every other male in the same age bracket, I saw a real niche in the market.

The Cheshire-based business has since developed a full range of T-shirts and Rob is looking to expand the collection by introducing a selection of sweatshirts, hoodies and polo T-shirts in the signature Lucky West style.

Mike Owen previously worked at the University of Sunderland focusing on economic development and graduate retention in the area before deciding to start his own business.

Just over a decade later Mike now runs three successful businesses. Violet Bick, the North East’s only dedicated brand consultancy, advises companies such as Coca Cola, Nike, Starbucks, Virgin, Sony, Intel, Porsche and Nokia. Onebestway is an international award winning design and marketing agency whose clients include The Sage Gateshead, The State University of Moscow, Balfour Beatty and The Royal Mail. He also runs SEO company, angelfish.

Drawing on a wealth of business experience, Newcastle-based Mike will share his journey from employee to running his own businesses in his keynote speech: ‘The business numbers that really matter - the things you can prepare for, the things you can’t, and how to cope with both’.

The Growing Your Own Business seminars are located within The British Franchise Exhibition at Manchester Central on 21 & 22 June.

The British Franchise Exhibition is open from 10am each day, closing at 5pm on Friday 21 June and 4pm on Saturday 22 June 2013.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Ward .