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Entrepreneur’s Workshop With LOCA

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Creative Connections

Date:          Wednesday 21 July

Time:          6.30 – 8.30 pm

Venue: 51b Holme Bank Mills, Station Road, Mirfield, WF14 8NA

(From Mirfield go under the bridge for Mirfield railway station and turn left following the road with the large sign for James Walker Properties.

From Hopton turn right just before the Mirfield railway station bridge and following the road with the large sign for James Walker Properties).

Creative Connections are quarterly events for artists and creative businesses in and around North Kirklees, run by Loca as part of its Creative Business Support Programme.

As well as encouraging the development of a supportive and well connected community of creative people within North Kirklees we are also encouraging people to look at their businesses more professionally and with more of a critical eye. With this in mind we have a very motivational and thought provoking presentation to offer to you.

Mike Chitty is a writer, trainer, coach and adviser on enterprise and entrepreneurship.  Despite having a background in physics his work strikes a chord with creative people and artists of all kinds.  In this 30 minute session Mike will provide a fast paced, honest and highly practical introduction to The Entrepreneur’s Workshop and introduce us to 10 powerful tools that can help us make sure that our creative enterprises serve us rather than the other way round.

Twitter: @mikechitty
Facebook: mikechitty

As an extra bonus, we are holding the evening’s event at the new studio of Andrew Warburton, Area Rugs and Carpets where you be able to view inspirational work by Andrew, Dylan Edwards and Amazed Rugs.  Andrew will once again demonstrate the production methods he uses to create his bespoke, high quality rugs and there will be the opportunity to have a go for the more adventurous among you.

Creative Connections is a chance to meet informally with other creative people to pick up ideas, information and contacts which may be useful in your work.  It’s also a great opportunity to promote your own work and what’s going on creatively in the local area, so please do use it as a platform to let people know about events or projects that you are involved in, or to sound out interest in an idea you’re developing, or to request information.  Why not bring along your portfolio, brochures or other visual material to show your work to others and help develop your contacts?

The Loca team looks forward to seeing you at Creative Connections.  Please contact us if you have any particular access needs.

Please park in the free car park. Andrews studio is under the barriers to the right. There are three small steps up to the workshop with handrails.

The evening is free and light refreshments will be provided.

RSVP to Loca on 01924 488844 or email: loca.admin@loca.co.uk

Dad, I Want to be an Entrepreneur! Will You Help?

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These are not words I am expecting to hear anytime soon – but who knows?

If David Cameron gets his way and he finds an army of entrepreneurs to go into local schools to promote the ‘joy’ of entrepreneurship and the job market continues to go west – it could well happen.

How would I respond?

Well, if they say they want to be an entrepreneur and ask for my help, then I will refuse it, and do all I can to persuade them away from the idea.

If they say they have to be an entrepreneur – because it is the only way they can do the work that they feel they have to do then I will roll up my sleeves and help with enthusiasm.

Why the distinction?

Because however you wrap it up, in spite of what people like Cameron say, entrepreneurship is hard.  Especially if you do not have a large bank account to bale you out when things go wrong.  I don’t think I have met a single entrepreneur in my work who would describe the experience as joyful.  Dramatic, yes.  Full of highs and lows, yes.  Scary, yes.  But joyful…not so much.

So why promote the lie?  Why continue the enterprise fairytale?

It doesn’t even help to build an enterprise culture as with increased start-ups come increased failures and more bad experiences of entrepreneurship.

It couldn’t be to do with an obsession with outputs over social impact could it?

I will leave the last word to Noel Coward:

Some years ago when I was returning from the Far East on a very large ship, I was pursued around the decks every day by a very large lady. She showed me some photographs of her daughter – a repellant-looking girl and seemed convinced that she was destined for a great stage career. Finally, in sheer self-preservation, I locked myself in my cabin and wrote this song – “Don’t Put Your Daughter On The Stage, Mrs. Worthington”.)

Don’t put your daughter on the stage, Mrs. Worthington

Don’t put your daughter on the stage

The profession is overcrowded

The struggle’s pretty tough

And admitting the fact she’s burning to act

That isn’t quite enough

She’s a nice girl and though her teeth are fairly good

She’s not the type I ever would be eager to engage

I repeat, Mrs. Worthington, sweet Mrs. Worthington

Don’t put your daughter on the stage

So Em amd Meg – unless it is something that you have to do, ignore Messrs Cameron, Brown (remember him – architect of much enterprise policy) and their army of enterprise evangelists and give entrepreneurship a miss – at least until you have some real knowhow under your belt.

On the other hand if this is the only way that yo can do good work, and you are prepared for the journey that lies ahead, then, and only then, let’s go for it…

Crib Sheet for The Entrepreneur’s Workshop

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A Crib Sheet

Workshops are fascinating and dangerous places. In the right hands they can produce things of great beauty and real lasting value.  In the wrong hands they can do great damage and wreck lives.

The entrepreneur’s workshop is no different.

True enough; the tools in the entrepreneur’s workshop have no sharp edges, burning fires or high speed drills.

The entrepreneur’s tools are a set of ideas, principles, practices and habits that, applied with care and passion, can produce a wonderful lifestyle.  Learn to use these tools properly and they will serve you well.

Misuse them and the consequences are likely to include debt, damaged relationships and misery.

10 of the most powerful tools in The Entrepreneur’s Workshop:

  1. The Truth Detector – How to decide what might work for you
  2. Want to or Have to…?
  3. The Double Edged Sword
  4. Getting Organised – doing what has to be done, and doing it well
  5. Entrepreneur Artisan or Artist?
  6. Have, Do, Become…
  7. Build a Team OR Do it All – the choice is yours
  8. The ‘investment ready’ Business Plan
  9. Situational Enterprise – the importance of technique and motivation
  10. Towards the Total Quality Enterprise – a tool to decide ‘What’s next?’

For more information contact Mike on 07788 747954

Twitter: @mikechitty

Facebook: mikechitty

LinkedIn: mikechitty

Never Teach a Pig to Sing

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Teaching a Pig to Sing...

Never teach a pig to sing.  It frustrates you and annoys the pig.

Mark Twain

Yet this is often what we try to do.

It is not enough that we find a wonderful artisan with a great product.

No, we also expect them to be great marketers and financial managers too.  We may as well ask them to walk on water while we are at it.

We try to teach the pig to sing.

Instead we should be helping the pig to be the very best pig it can be.

To become the very essence of pigginess.

And we should show the importance of finding someone who is able to market and sell their products and services and to make sure that their financial management and planning is robust.

The most common objections to a team based approach to enterprise?

‘I can’t afford to hire anyone’,

and

‘I must learn to do all of this if I am to be a real business person’.

One of the best things that the coach can do is to effectively confront the pig with its limitations.

Tell it to give up the vocal coaching and find someone else to sing for their supper.  And it need not cost much at all – certainly to get started.  It is nearly always possible to find someone who will work with you for nothing, or for commission, or for equity if they really see what a beautiful pig you are….

Intervention Styles for Enterprise Coaches and Business Advisers

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  • Ever wondered what to say or do next to help a client make progress?
  • Or got frustrated when a client does not do what they said they would do?
  • Or had a client that said all the right things but never seemed to make any progress?

In this one day workshop I will introduce you to 4 styles of intervention that can really help your enterprise clients to make progress. Whatever the situation that faces you one of these styles will provide you with the way forward.

Early Bird Tickets Available until the end of this week – Friday 4th June.

Based on the values of person centred facilitation, the 4 styles will provide you with a set of informed choices about how to work with your clients to make progress.

  1. Acceptant – how to help your clients to open up about their ideas and see things in a fresh light
  2. Catalytic – how to help your clients to ‘see the wood for the trees’ by using simple modles, theories and ideas to clarify their thinking
  3. Confrontational – how to work with clients when their words and actions just don’t add up. Perfect for challenging cleints without you or them ‘losing the plot’
  4. Prescriptive – how to work with clients when it is imperative that they do what you say – you really do know what is best for them.

These styles are specified in both the SFEDI standards for business advisers and in their endorsed award for enterprise coaches. I have been using them in my own practice now for well over 15 years – and they work.

At the workshop you will learn about each of the 4 styles, how and when to use them, and you will have the chance to practice some or all of them to see and feel how they work in practice.

Book Now for an Early Bird Ticket

What Others Say…

“Mike Chitty has not only helped me become a better coach, he’s also helped me unlock my personal potential. Wonderful, inspirational trainer!” Jason Martin – Senior Enterprise Gateway Director – Business Link South East

“Working with Mike Chitty has been the most important investment in my career to date. The quality of each client interaction has really gone up; we learned and practiced a coaching model to add some structure and science behind client meetings in real scenarios and I also left the sessions with a host of new analysis tools to help clients make sense of how they can make progress. Furthermore it was an opportunity to experience some high quality coaching for myself from, which I got tremendous value. This experience has also greatly enhanced my strategic contribution to enterprise development in my area.

Mike Chitty is at the forefront of enterprise coaching in this country as a practitioner, trainer and strategic influencer. If you are an enterprise coach, you simply should experience Mike’s training as soon as possible if you want to have the greatest possible impact.” – Simon Paine – Enterprise Gateway Director SEEDA

“The enterprise coaching training was excellent. The subject matter covered theory and included practical application, it was thought provoking. It challenged my perception of my coaching style which I had become comfortable with, and tested my limits in terms of acceptance. It provided a number of tools which I was then able to use in a positive way with my clients. I would recommend the course for continuing professional development.” – Barbara Morton – Enterprise Gateway Director – Business Link South East

“Having experienced Mike Chitty first hand running enterprise coach training, I found him to have a wealth of knowledge. Knowledge that wasn’t just theory, but strong, practical and powerful ways of engaging people from priority groups and delivering enterprise coaching.

These ways of engagement and delivery have been put to very good use in the work that I do, helping people to achieve their objectives. Mike balances his training with getting you to think very carefully about what you are doing, challenging how you are doing things and challenging why you are doing things. Mike’s prolific writings (check out his blogs and tweets) on the subjects such community development, personal development and enterprise development make engaging and thought provoking reads. Mike has been a very positive eye opener in many ways and will turn your thinking on its head. I relish the next opportunity to experience Mike’s training, consultation and knowledge.” Gareth Sear – West Sussex Enterprise Gateway Director