Nine Tools for Entrepreneurs

On Tuesday I was asked to join speak on "Inspiring Entrepreneurs: From Battlefield to Business" at the British Library.

Following a keynote speech from Clare Perry, the MP for Devizes Matthew Rock from Real Business, who chaired the event, introduced me, Peter Fitchett of Absolute Rubbish, Sarah-Jane Hill of Bish Bosh Becca and Mark Palmer of Green & Black's.

You can see the full webcast of the event here. My presentation starts at 17:17.

I shared nine tools that I believe can help service leavers in their journey from the Forces to Entrepreneurship. The nine tools are:

1. Determination
2. Adaptability
3. Financial Analysis
4. Marketing
5. Timing
6. Capital
7. LinkedIn
8. Coffee
9. Crowds

I'll explore each of these tools in more detail in following posts.

After the presentation we faced questions from the audience and also via twitter from the online viewers. I asked what tools other people would recommend and "Mentor" was a frequent suggestion - what additional tools would you suggest?

3 lessons from an Atlantic rower: self reliance, positive thinking and LPATBTYFT

In 1991 I worked for 8 months for John Ridgway at his adventure school in Ardmore, close to Cape Wrath in the Highlands of Scotland.

In 1966, John had rowed across the Atlantic in an open boat with Chay Blyth, taking 92 days - a story recounted in his book A Fighting Chance. On his return he set out to create an enclave where people could learn some of the lessons he learned on this and many subsequent adventures.

As an 18 year old fresh out of school and wanting to test myself in a challenging environment, John's enclave was the perfect testing ground. For the princely salary of £5 per week each, a team of 10 instructors led diverse and hardy individuals on canoeing, climbing, hillwalking, sailing, swimming and survival expeditions.

John's vision centres on three qualities he believes enable people to achieve their full potential. He always stressed them to us, and to the 12,000 people who passed through his adventure school. I still think they provide a great guide. They are:

1. Self Reliance
2. Positive Thinking
3. Leaving People And Things Better Than You Find Them

If you have any suggestions that you think should be added to the list please add comments below. I think these attributes are not far from the Four Commando Qualities.

And if you want to enjoy beautiful landscape and outdoor adventures suitable for every level of ability, Ridgeway Adventure is well worth a visit!

The four Commando qualities

This is one of a series of articles on lessons from Commando training.  Here is the full list.

Life is mostly froth and bubble,

Two things stand like stone,

Kindness in another's trouble,

Courage in your own.

Adam Lindsay Gordon wrote these words in "Ye Wearie Wayfarer", and they sum up the Commando qualities that every Royal Marine aims to live up to. Each line of the poem covers one of the four qualities:

Cheerfulness

Determination

Unselfishness

Courage

Together these qualities define Commando Spirit. But like Adam Lindsay Gordon I think they apply far beyond the Royal Marines - they form the bedrock of a good attitude to all aspects of life - and the poem captures them very succinctly. If you have any poetic advice for how to lead a good life, please share them below!

This is one of a series of articles on lessons from Commando training.  Here is the full list.