Category Archives: events

Silicon Valley Comes to the UK

I was delighted to receive an invite to attend SVC2UK 2012 – Silicon Valley Comes to the UK 2012– and last week travelled to Cambridge to take part in this annual meet up of UK business leaders, Cambridge University students and the cream of Silicon Valley.

The event brings together digital entrepreneurs, investors, thought leaders and the brightest students of Cambridge University to debate, discuss, create and fund the technology of tomorrow.

As the sector under the spotlight this year was Education Technology, the event was of particular value to me. My main focus was the ‘Scale Up’ theme of the event – examining how to transition growing tech companies into internationally operating concerns with turnovers in the hundreds of millions.

SVC2UK+2

Webanywhere are certainly ‘scaling up’ as we broaden our horizons internationally, and so I was invited to join the CEO workshop event comprising of leaders of companies on track for rapid growth, who are looking to accelerate that growth.

I was inspired to speak with some of those who have been there and done it on the grandest scale, including Megan Smith, VP, Google [x], Rahul Vohra, Founder and CEO of Rapportive and Angela Lin, Head of YouTube Education. As you may imagine, I came away with plenty of food for thought. Something that struck a chord with me was that the best companies empower their staff to act like the CEO – to own their issues, to take control of their projects and to be proactive. If you have talented people, provide the space to be creative and you will be richly rewarded.

I also got chance to sit in on a very lively debate: The Future of Learning – What will students’ lives look like in 10 years time?, covering topics such as the flipped classroom, learning platforms and social and mobile learning.

The main thought left stuck in my head when leaving Cambridge was the need to stay dissatisfied. There are always opportunities to improve your offering, there is always a new challenge to stretch your ability, and always another horizon to aim for.

MADE: The Entrepreneur Festival

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Last week I paid a visit to a fantastic event in Sheffield, the MADE Entrepreneur Festival.

I am always seeking to improve the way we do business, the way we manage and inspire colleagues, and love nothing more than exchanging ideas with other entrepreneurs. As you may imagine, this meant I enjoyed the event immensely!

MADE brought together business owners, inventors, designers and investors at a variety of venues across Sheffield for the free exchange of ideas and opinions. Speakers this year included The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Dr Vince Cable MP, Peter Jones and many, many more.

So what did I learn?

  • Delegreat
    Delegate to great people and you will not go far wrong. We have built an incredible team here at Webanywhere, and as we continue to grow at a rapid pace there are more and more projects for staff to really take ownership of. There is certainly the opportunity for people to shine here!
  • Over deliver
    Our motto at Webanywhere is ‘Stretch Beyond’, and that is what we do, every single day. We work longer, we work harder, and we care a great deal about what we are doing, where we are going, and what we deliver to our customers.

MADEreinforced thatto be great is not some unattainable quality that a chosen few are born with. By always seeking to over deliver, you make yourself great. When facing a new project or task, do it with that little bit extra, be creative, add a bit more value and go the extra mile. This is what makes someone great day to day, and when multiplied across the organisation adds up to something special, something great.

Roll on next year!