Time to don superhero capes as life gets busier
WHETHER you have children or not, the rhythm of the business year still flows to the beat of the school year.
Which means during the long school summer holiday, things are just that bit quieter.
There are fewer people in the office, less traffic on the roads, no business awards or networking events, and generally less work being done.
OK, there is always someone who has just completed the biggest deal of their career, despite there being absolutely no one around to help them and every email collecting a clutch of out of office replies, but for many of us in business, the school summer holidays means a slower pace of business life.
But now September has come and there’s a nip in the air. Social media’s week of smiling children in shiny shoes and overlarge blazers is over.
Cardiff Business Club has had its season launch and Strictly is back on the telly, heralding the start of the sequinned road that leads right to the office Christmas party season.
Now is the time that businesses and business people knuckle down to some serious work output.
Maybe there’ll be a day off mitching for Beaujolais day in November but otherwise, from now until the “got to get this done by Christmas” deadlines are met, this is a very busy and productive stretch in business calendars.
With some long working hours ahead of us, Superwoman 2019 on Thursday, October 10 may help put some inspirational wind beneath your (figurative) superhero capes.
This year our venue is Coleg y Cymoedd in Nantgarw and the charity we are supporting is Tenovus Cancer Care.
All superheroes welcome.
Our speakers are:
■ Kellie Beirne, director, Cardiff Capital Region City Deal
Kellie is programme director for the £1.2bn Cardiff Capital Region City Deal, improving Cardiff ’s infrastructure. She was previously deputy chief executive at Monmouthshire County Council.
She said: “The City Deal is about good economic growth; growth that does good and doesn’t just try to hit targets. It’s about developing an agile, flexible economy.
“If we can create the conditions whereby people are more self-sufficient and have better prospects, that’s our best safeguard against injustice and inequality.
“We want to create a city that is not just good for today, but great for tomorrow.”
Kellie will talk about her first 18 months in post and why verbs are more important than nouns.
■ Kerrie Aldridge, London Marathon’s last finisher
Kerrie ran the London Marathon earlier this year to raise money for the Miscarriage Association and to show her five-yearold son Osian that anything is possible.
She took over nine hours to complete the course and raised an amazing £9,000 for the charity but was left feeling lost and lonely after water stations, barriers and signs were removed by stewards while she was still running.
Kerrie will talk about why she runs and the lessons to be learned from her Marathon experience. ■ Matt Callanan, We Make Film Happen and We Make Good Happen
Matt is a former worldwide DJ and music producer, turned filmmaker and doer of good.
He runs video production agency We Make Film Happen and it is the video business that enables him to do all the kind things with We Make Good Happen.
Matt is talking about why meeting actor Bill Murray while shooting a documentary at George Clooney’s house led to him setting himself the task of performing 403 simple acts of kindness.
■ Kate Bache, founder Health and Her
A qualified chemist, Kate previously founded femcare brand, Kind Organic, which is sold in major stores including Boots and Ocado.
Kate and her co-founder Gervase Fay have since launched Health and Her which provides on line holistic advice in one place from the UK’s leading menopause experts including gynaecologists, psychologists, yoga teachers and career coaches.
The site also offers handpicked products from around the world that help alleviate the effects of menopause and features symptom tools and trackers, offering women free reports that help them manage their menopause one symptom at a time.
Kate will talk about why the menopause matters and will pass on her top tips about founding a business, securing finance to grow it and the part social media plays in online businesses.
Registration is at 5pm over coffee and cake, with speakers on from 6pm to 7.30pm.
From 7.30pm to 8.30pm there will be wine, canapés and networking. £38 with all net proceeds to Tenovus Cancer Care.
We still have spaces available and if you would like to book please email me: bethandarwin@ thompsondarwin.com.
■ Bethan Darwin is a partner with law firm Thompson Darwin.