We are happy to bring our first event roundups of the year 2024 alongside our 2023 events.
January 2024
Helm New Years Social
📍 Location: Manzi's, Soho
👥 Who was there: Helm Members
We celebrated a great start to the year with many of our members, old tenured ones and new members. It was a lovely gathering at Manzi's in Soho and we had around 80 members attend.
🗣 Member Quote: 'Such a vibrant club, and met some really great new people and old friends. What a way to start off the year!'
Workshop: Making Time For Strategy : How to be less busy and more successful
🎙 Hosted by: Richard Medcalf
In this inspiring in-person Workshop member got an understanding of the real reasons why they're trapped in operations, and walked away with a new perspective and practical leadership tools to get out of the weeds and focus on what really matters.
🗣 Member Quote: 'Richard Metcalf's workshop, "Making Time for Strategy," proved to be invaluable in shedding light on often overlooked facets of leadership and the critical necessity of carving out time for strategic thinking. His insights emphasises the need for leaders to prioritize this aspect amidst the demands of daily operations. Metcalf's workshop not only provided practical strategies but also instilled a deeper understanding of the integral connection between strategic vision and organisational success.'
Dinner with Grant Leboff: Navigating the Marketing Maze
👥 Special Guest: Helm member Grant Leboff
🎙 Hosted by: Andreas, Helm CEO
During this event, members discussed why empathy is the most important emotion to elicit (in B2B), the importance of understanding where marketing ends and sales begins, and how signalling is very important in marketing (such as when Red Bull shrank the can).
The dinner delved into the intricacies of sales as risk mitigation, highlighting the significance of empathy, especially in B2B interactions. The discussion covered various eye-opening areas, providing a unique and enriching experience for all attendees.
🗣 Member Quote: 'Thank you Grant Leboff, struggling with start up issues you gave me loads to think about - notably the central consideration of "confidence" - the emotion underlying a B2B purchase..'
SaaS Founders Lunch
Healthcare & Medical Sector Lunch
Online Seminar: The Look Ahead: Key Trends in M&A in 2024 and Their Impact for Founders
🎙 Hosted by: Cavendish
January Many Heads Dinner
Workshop: Pitch Perfect Workshop with Stephen Sacks, Founder at FundingNav
🎙 Hosted by: Stephen Sacks, Helm Member, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor
We held a fantastic Pitching Workshop hosted by Helm member and Forum Chair, Stephen Sacks. Members took turns presenting their pitch and provided constructive feedback on how to elevate their presentation to the next level.
From presenting a compelling story, minimising the ‘noise’ and sharpening the proposition, our members took onboard key takeaways for the next time they pitch to investors.
Additionally, members were forced to change lenses and think from a different perspective when asking questions, uncovering areas to offer constructive feedback (yes, they looked like Smurfs).
🗣 Member Quote: 'It was a great session, not just to get feedback on our pitches and hear the others, but to prepare for the questions we might be asked. We were all able to act as investors for the other pitches while adopting 6 different thinking approaches - I found that bit really helpful to look at things from a different perspective to my normal approach (and quite enjoyed acting the part too!)'
🗣 Member Quote: 'Stephen Sacks' workshop on pitching presentations proved to be a valuable experience. The practical exercises provided a unique opportunity for hands-on learning, offering invaluable insights into delivering compelling pitches. The quality of pitches delivered by Helm Club members was outstanding, showcasing both their talent. While there was limited time for feedback, the session overall was undeniably helpful in honing our pitching skills and refining our presentation techniques.'
The Way Ahead: Post Exit Opportunities Lunch with Dominic Joseph, Co-founder of Captify
👥 Special Guest: Dominic Joseph
🎙 Hosted by: Andreas, our CEO
In this event, members discussed how you brand yourself post-exit, finding your relevancy, and also the different approaches on securing advisory roles, and investment opportunities.
Retail and Consumer Lunch
November 15th - December 15th
Unveiling Global Growth Strategies: The Do's and the Don'ts
📍 Location: The Wolseley City
🎙 Hosted by: Ed Dixon, Helm Member
Ed Dixon is a seasoned Helm member who spearheads the UK arm of Seamless, a company dedicated to supporting organizations in their quest to explore, enter, and thrive in markets like India and Southeast Asia.
Ed hosted one of our Roundtable session, focused on actionable and practical advice on expanding into markets further afield.
Over dinner, we heard from Ed on the following:
- Demystifying the India-UK Free Trade Agreement – What's at stake, and why does it matter?
- Exploring the Digital Free Trade Agreement and the Transpacific Continental Trade Partnership.
- Strategies for accessing global talent and building effective overseas teams.
- Choosing the right international market for your business.
- Navigating the do's and don'ts when venturing into Asian markets.
- Unpacking the tax incentives and challenges associated with international expansion.
Member Quote: "A fun evening at the Wolseley City surrounded by cobras (!) exploring do's and don't in expanding globally. This covered a wide range of topics. Thanks to those that took part and contributed so strongly; who themselves had diverse international experiences from cross border acquisitions, distributing to 40+ countries from China, sales across the world via shopping channels and social commerce, rickshaw marathons .... and even a failed cricket venture targeting India"
Dinner with Hugh Griffiths: Turning £300 into £28M in 15 years Debt-free!
📍 Location: Fortnum & Mason
👥 Who was there: Helm Members
🎙 Hosted by: The Helm Team & Hugh Griffiths
We hosted fellow Helm member Hugh Griffiths, the visionary behind Inzpire, who embarked on his remarkable journey with just £300 and ultimately sold Inzpire Ltd. for £28 million to a multinational FTSE 250 enterprise 15 years later.
Hugh shared the secrets behind his remarkable journey — no debt, sustained profitability, the importance of great people for a great culture, earning two Queen's Awards, and an impressive decade-long presence in the Sunday Times/Best Companies Top 100 list of the best workplaces in the UK.
Hugh had this to say about the dinner: "It was so interesting sharing ideas, values and thoughts with a collection of genuine entrepreneurs, all of who were doing amazing things in their own businesses. Really incredible people to have dinner with - full of energy, enthusiasm and hope. Genuinely refreshing."
👉 See our LinkedIn post.
Member Quote: "It was such a delight to attend the Helm dinner and share a lovely meal in fabulous surroundings with a collection of very talented entrepreneurs. I really enjoyed learning all about their businesses and the successes they are having. It was also a real pleasure discussing all the issues that I experienced in growing my own business"
Roundtable: November Many Heads Dinner
📍 Location: Apex Temple Court Hotel
🎙 Hosted by: Helm Member Jenna Ackerly
Our Many Heads Fellow Helm members brought a challenge or issue and got support on finding a solution. Our Many Heads dinners are based on the very old adage that "two heads are better than one", dating back to the Bible.
Our Many Heads dinners are exactly what Helm is all about and represents the give and get ethos. Founders bring their issues and challenges to the table and we engage in a frank and open discussion about these challenges, looking to achieve a positive outcome for our Members.
Begin your application today and you can access this effective entrepreneurial support and advice from fellow scale-up founders. Without being sold to.
Roundtable: B2C/E-commerce Lunch
📍 Location: Aqua Nueva
🎙 Hosted by: Helm CEO and seasoned E-commerce entrepreneur Andreas Adamides
Our quarterly B2c/E-commerce lunch provoked more illuminating discussions about the industry. And we don't mind the host either(!)
Member Quote: "The E-commerce lunch proved a very engaging roundtable, ranging from discussion on how to most effectively sell on Amazon, to custom paid strategies for each European market, to optimising Shopify checkout pages."
Workshop: Leading and growing a successful management team: Where science meets arts
🎙 Hosted by: Helm Member Ben Stocken
Serial founder Ben Stocken led a workshop for our Helm Members on growing a successful management team.
Forum Chair Dinner
📍 Location: Bread Street Kitchen & Bar - The City
👥 Who was there: Helm Forum Chairs
A wonderful evening bringing together our Forum Chairs to review the year, learn from one another, exchange views and opinions and plan for 2024.
AI Innovators Lunch: Navigating the Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence
📍 Location: Apex Temple Court Hotel
🎙 Hosted by: Helm Member Mizan Rahman
This popular event brought together members from different industries all impacted by the rapid developments of AI.
Members came together to explore the latest trends, breakthroughs, and challenges shaping the AI landscape and how businesses deal with it.
Topics included:
- AI in transforming business processes: Discover the latest AI trends and their potential real-world applications. Explore use cases to accelerate your business operations from marketing, customer service to manufacturing.
- Ethical considerations and legal basis: Navigating the ethical considerations surrounding AI, from data privacy to algorithmic biases.
- AI and the Future: Speculating on the future of AI, how it will affect jobs and which sectors it will be disrupting next, from healthcare, banking and transportation.
Unlocking Opportunities in the Property Sector - Breakfast
📍 Location: The Wolseley City
🎙 Hosted by: Helm Member Jamie Menzies
Jamie Menzies, has been in the property world for over 15 years. He has 2 businesses within the sector. Most recently he co-founded a B2B market place for building materials called BuildBuddy. This business sprung from his first business, Zebra Property Group, which is now 10 years old.
He predominantly oversees business operations at Zebra now but does still provide consultancy and advice for clients around their property and needs. He has also been involved in sourcing, planning and building out many developments in his professional career.
Prior to starting Zebra, Jamie was a strategy consultant (at both Arcadis and PwC) focussing on the built asset environment and in particular residential and commercial property.
Topics discussed:
- Direct Property Ventures: From property development to management, we'll dive into the nuts and bolts of engaging in property projects directly.
- Indirect Investments: Explore the world of property investment, including options like Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), crowdfunding, and more.
- Market Insights: Get the inside scoop on current market trends, emerging hotspots, and regulatory changes affecting the property sector.
- Financing Your Vision: Discover the various financing options and strategies available to support your property ventures.
- Risk Mitigation: Learn how to identify and manage risks associated with property investments, ensuring a smooth journey.
- Private Property: Explore how to keep your property in the best shape it can be, avoid common mistakes, and unlcok any value creation that might be under your own fee
Member Quote: “Such an array of experience around the table led to a wide ranging discussion on property. We discussed the market in various areas, development problems (and solutions) and shared thoughts on what next year might look like.”
November 1st - 14th
Special Guest Dinner with Dr. Marcus Watson: Maximising your exit value
📍 Location: Charlotte Street Hotel
🎙 Hosted by: The Helm Team & Cavendish
Marcus scaled VT Education, a national provider of educational support services to schools, local authorities and central government to one of the UK’s leading providers in its sector.
He was then part of VT Group's sale to Babcock, before joining Ground Control in 2011. For nearly a decade, Marcus led Ground Control as Managing Director and shareholder, more than trebling its revenues and establishing it as the #1 in its sector, before transitioning into the role of a Non-Executive Director (NED) in 2021.
Marcus Watson had this to say about our dinner event: "I was inspired by the founders I met at the Helm event: true entrepreneurs who have the belief and determination to create sustainable businesses from a blank sheet of paper."
Member quote: " Marcus was a really entertaining speaker and we had a very inspiring, through provoking and educational discussion”
Forum Mixer Dinner
📍 Location: Smith & Wollensky
🎙 Hosted by: The Helm Team
Our quarterly Forum Mixer Dinner is one of our most popular events, with members from all Forums gathering together for an evening of good food, networking, making new connections and learning from one another.
Member quote: "I have recently joined Helm and am really impressed by the calibres of founders in the Club - all of them are ambitious, driven and looking to help one another grow. By attending Forum Mixer Dinner I really got a feel for what it is like to have a reliable support group and cannot wait to get started with my Forum group"
Workshop: Sales Secrets: The Sales Skills Everyone in your Business Should Know
🎙 Hosted by: Nicola Cook
Nicola Cook, the owner of Company Shortcuts, a sales acceleration agency that specialises in helping scale-up business leaders, and their teams, create accelerated growth and scalability in their Sales Engine. Nicola hasalso published two business bestsellers that have been translated into 11 languages.
Members engaged in an interactive workshop to understand a simple 5 step process for managing the buyer’s customer journey and clear framework and tool to embed in every culture that ensures one deeply qualifies customer’s need, develop deeper connections with prospects, adding momentum to the sale and most importantly allowing them to prioritise profit first
B2B Sales Lunch
📍 Location: Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill
🎙 Hosted by: Adam King, Member at Helm
Our B2B founders came together to review the challenges seen in 2023, and how to prepare effectively for 2024.
👉 For a detailed recount, visit our LinkedIn post.
Workshop: How to Scale, Grow and Dominate in your Sector
🎙 Hosted by: Pavlo Phitidis, Member at Helm
Pavlo, an entrepreneur, author and growth expert, engaged our founders in an intimate workshop on how to apply a single, simple, smart commercial system to scale, grow and dominate niches within your industry.
🗣 Member Quote: "Pablo was fantastic. the workshop was facilitated well, and got us and our senior leadership team thinking. We discovered a different way for our business to lock in value which long term will affect our valuation for the better."
Workshop: Accelerating Your Growth: Unleash The Potential Of Your Business in 3H
👥 Who was there: Helm Members
🎙 Hosted by: The Brandlaunchers
The Brandlaunchers held a workshop for our members on using the design thinking process to quickly and collaboratively identify the challenges and roadblocks hindering marketing efforts and overall growth. Our members left with a clear Marketing Strategy that they could begin implementing in their business immediately.
October 15th - 31st
Welcome back to our latest events round-up at Helm. Over the past fortnight, we've curated a series of engaging and exclusive events for our members, fostering both professional growth and social interaction among founders. Here's a glimpse into the gatherings we've enjoyed:
Retail and Consumer Lunch
👥 Who was there: Retail & Consumer founders
🎙 Hosted by: Francesca Geens, Member at Helm
Founders within the bustling retail and consumer sector congregated for a luncheon to exchange insights, tackle shared obstacles, and brainstorm innovative solutions.
The collaborative atmosphere was ripe with strategic discussions, proving once again that collective wisdom is a powerful tool for advancement.
👉 Dive into the conversation highlights on our LinkedIn post.
Exclusive Wine Tasting
📍 Location: Orrery, Marylebone
👥 Who was there: Helm Members
Our members were treated to an evening of refined palates and relaxed networking at Orrery in Marylebone.
The event was not just about savouring fine wine but also about the delightful blend of new connections made in an elegant setting.
🗣 Member Quote: "A fantastic evening! Not only did we get to taste exquisite wine, but also got to know some fellow founders in a more relaxed and social environment."
Unlocking the IPO Potential: Breakfast with the London Stock Exchange
📍 Location: The River Restaurant by Gordon Ramsay
🎙 Hosted by: Geoff van Sonsbeeck, Member at Helm and Lauren Crawley-Moore
This breakfast roundtable at the River Restaurant provided our members with a deep dive into the intricacies of the London Stock Exchange.
Discussions spanned the optimal timing for considering an IPO and the comparative benefits of listing on European versus London stock exchanges.
Special Guest Dinner with Nick Read, CEO at Post Office: Conquering Challenges
📍 Location: The Crypt in Fortnum & Mason
🎙 Hosted by: The Helm Team
An intimate dinner at The Crypt in Fortnum & Mason featured Nick Read, a maestro of corporate turnarounds. Nick is well versed in crisis management, he steered Nisa Retail to a successful turnaround and is leading the transformation at Post Office, the largest retail franchise network in Europe with 11,500 outlets.
During the evening, Nick dove into depth on how to tackle complex corporate challenges. He gave us intimate insights into the first 100 days of crisis management, the importance of the right senior teams and how to foster collaboration between them for growth and how he has dealt with government and banks.
Members were engrossed by Nick's frank discussion on navigating complex business landscapes, the art of crisis management, and the orchestration of successful team
👉 For a detailed recount, visit our LinkedIn post.
🗣 Member Quote: "An amazing evening. Nick was so open and candid about his experiences, and it was an honour to hear his insights into managing such a large conglomerate."
Female Founders' Lunch
📍 Location: Kimpton Fitzroy London Hotel
👥 Who was there: Female Founders
A dedicated space for our female founders to come together, this lunch was a vibrant forum for discussing the unique challenges faced by women in business and sharing strategies for personal and professional growth.
Agency Founders' Breakfast
📍 Location: Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill
🎙 Hosted by: Anthony Barone, Member at Helm
At the Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill, agency founders engaged in a lively discussion about fostering a performance culture within creative teams. The breakfast was a testament to the power of shared experiences and the value of peer support in navigating the industry's unique challenges.
👉 See our LinkedIn post for more details
🗣 Member Quote: "Anthony was a great host and gave us all the opportunity to talk through our challenges, and get input. Some of the challenges we focused on were sustainable growth with emphasis on recruitment and ghosting within sales."
New Members Lunch
📍 Location: The Delaunay
🎙 Hosted by: Helm Team & Richard Eagleton, Member at Helm
The Delaunay's welcoming atmosphere was the perfect backdrop for our newest members to mingle and share their entrepreneurial journeys.
Hosted by the Helm Team and Richard Eagleton, one of our Forum Chairs and exited Founders, the lunch was a blend of insightful conversation and the forging of valuable connections.
🗣 Member Quote: "Great to meet fellow founders who are on a similar journey. Through some discussions, I learnt the importance of having solid financial forecasts for plans of growth to implement in the future."
Our Autumn series continues to offer a rich tapestry of events, each designed to enrich the Helm experience for our members and introduce prospective ones to our vibrant community.
📩 Interested in becoming a Helm Club member? Reach out to us to begin your vetting process.
Don’t miss out on the chance to grow and thrive amongst the best in business. Join the Club.
October 1st - October 14th 2023
Welcome to the first of our event round-ups. We spend a lot of time putting on a variety of events for our Club members, and we want to share some highlights and take a moment to reflect and celebrate them. The first couple of weeks of October has seen events ranging from:
- Social networking events
- An intimate roundtable
- Workshops
- Investment Day
As much as Helm is a place to learn, and support each other, it’s also a place to let off some steam and socialise with like-minded people, who are all on similar journeys.
Read on to see what our Members have been up to. See what events are on the way, and apply now to join and come along.
Investment Day
We kicked off with our quarterly Investment Day, curating an investment panel from our distinguished Helm membership. We saw a high volume of applications, and 9 promising businesses made the cut to pitch to our investor panel.
👉 See our LinkedIn post for an in-depth insight into the event.
Workshop: The 12 Golden Rules of Negotiation
David McClements, an international speaker, trainer and author, led an interactive workshop demystifying the art of negotiation. Founders walked away with actionable tools to significantly up their game.
Digital Workshop: The "Gateway Drug" of Personal Branding
Joining forces with Ash Jones, Founder of Great Influence, we explored how a strong personal brand can be your business's gateway drug, impacting everything from hiring to investment.
Autumn Networking Soiree
📍 Location: Kimpton Fitzroy London Hotel
👥 Who was there: Existing members + Prospective Members
Andreas, our CEO, had this to say:
"The Club has always been exclusively for founders, and members-only with no access to non-members. Prospective members go through a rigorous process to ensure they are meeting our member criteria and are approved by a member panel before offered membership.
At our Autumn Networking Soiree, we offered our members the opportunity to bring along other founders who they believe would be ideal members, to give them a chance to 'experience' what the Club is all about. Of course, each recommended founder was assessed and well-aware of our no-sales ethos to preserve the safe and inclusive space we promote at Helm.
This has been the first time we opened the doors for interesting prospective members, and we can definitely count it a success! We got to meet new inspiring members in a beautiful venue, they got to experience a little of what the Club is about, our existing members came along to network and form new connections, and everyone had a brilliant time"
SaaS Founders Dinner
📍 Location: Heddon Street Kitchen
🎙 Hosted by: Joe Mathewson, Member at Helm
We hosted one of our quarterly industry specific roundtables. This time, we had Joe Mathewson, a SaaS savant and Helm Member leading the session.
Here’s what Joe had to say about the dinner:
“We covered quite a few shared themes on making the transition from consultancy to (at least partially) software business, optimising pricing, growing ARR/MRR and thinking about who you need in product and/or tech at different stages.
Additionally, the group brainstormed and shared ideas on the best tools for managing workflows, internal communication, employee engagement tools, intranets and mnanaging sales and marketing pipelines.”
October Many Heads Lunch
📍 Location: Apex Temple Court Hotel
🎙 Hosted by: Geoff van Sonsbeeck, Member at Helm
🗣 Member Quote:
"Geoff ensured everyone was able to contribute while sharing his own valuable experience. We discussed sales team structuring, C-team building and much more."
Our Autumn series of events were a roaring success, offering both our members and a select group of prospective members a taste of what it means to be a part of Helm.
📩 Interested in becoming a Helm Club member? Reach out to us to begin your vetting process.
Don’t miss out on an opportunity to learn and grow with the best in the business. Join the Club.
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