FIVE entrepreneurs boasting over 100 years’ experience leading successful businesses are set to descend on Washington next month.
Taking place on Friday 25th September at George Washington Hotel, the ‘Should I Scale or Should I Grow?’ Growth Lab event is being held by the North East BIC and is free to attend.
The event aims to help the region’s businesses break down the common misconceptions associated with growing and scaling a business, while providing personal accounts from those who have been there and done it.
Andrew Marsh, chair of Vistage, is the keynote speaker for the event. The entrepreneur has spent over 20 years leading businesses from start-up through to scale-up and now helps other founders and leadership teams navigate exactly that journey.
In his keynote, Andrew will unpack the real differences between growing and scaling, the stages businesses typically move through and how the founder’s role needs to evolve as a business becomes bigger and more complex.
The event will also feature an expert panel discussion with four entrepreneurs who have grown or scaled businesses in industries ranging from tech to education and professional services.
This includes Dean Benson, founder of Visual Soft; Deborah Wylie, founder and Director of Little Angels Fun Club and Nursery; Jill Robson, founder of A Star Attendance Solutions and Kevin Beales, founder and CEO of a number of businesses including The Test Factory and MySalesCoach.
North East BIC business advisers John Forth and Debbie Simpson will be hosting the event. John said: “The Growth Lab Sunderland events have helped bring together hundreds of entrepreneurs since the first event was held in April 2024 and we are hopeful this event will prove to be one of the best yet.
“The North East is home to so many innovative, fast-growing businesses, from manufacturers to law firms, tech businesses and leisure and hospitality organisations, and this event is designed to provide real lessons, insights and take-aways to help them innovate and grow.
“Keeping these events free for every business that needs them is something we care deeply about, so we are incredibly grateful to the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority and Sunderland City Council for helping make Growth Lab Sunderland happen.
“It should be a fantastic day however places are limited, so we’d encourage any business interested in attending to sign up and secure their free place before it’s too late.”
