The InCredAbles
Question: What do you get when influential and entrepreneurial north easterners read a damning research report into the entrepreneurial health of the region?
Answer: An InCredAble story!
So what makes it InCredABle?
The InCredAbles (In for ‘in the moment’ Cred –for credible and Able because we’re able and willing to make a difference) isn’t about super-heroes (although we do all believe that entrepreneurs have the ability to be the worth and wealth creating heroes of the 21st century) it’s a ‘movement’, a group of business leaders, who are finding early stage growth potential businesses with determined and driven leaders at their helm and in return giving their time, experience and expertise (opening up their contacts’ networks) to help them reach their potential.
The InCredAbles isn’t a funded programme. Our ambition is that this becomes a self-generating hearts and minds movement, that the roots take hold and we grow from small measurable beginnings (Brewin Dolphin is sponsoring a research assistant at Teesside University to measure the impact of our interventions on the business owners we help).
It’s not an exclusive club. We’re looking for anyone who has a ‘can do’ business attitude, vision and passion about the region to join the movement.
Why are we doing it?
Well you have to blame or praise the Santander Enterprise Index published in 2014. Their benchmarking research conducted by the Global Entrepreneurship Institute put the north east of england bottom of the UK’s league in terms of entrepreneurial aspiration, attitude and ability. A group of us from around the region (north east and Tees Valley) were asked to interrogate the research, identify bottlenecks to growth and – if we had the appetite – respond. We did. We do.
What does it involve?
For entrepreneurs in the throws of growing their businesses, it involves co-creating a learning journey that entails coaching, mentoring, action learning and knowledge input sessions.
For those seeking to support the entrepreneurs, it involves commitment, time and the sharing of your experience and expertise.
From both parties, it requires a commitment to engage and to be present, thus ensuring the impact and momentum that will enable the movement to grow.
At the end of our pilot programme we will have made an InCredAble (and quantifiable) difference to the business we’ve helped. Then it’ll be time to share the story and get others involved. We hope you’ll join the movement to help create the entrepreneurial ecosystem for our region.