I saw an ad on Eventbrite this week for FREE Business support; running one evening a week for 12 weeks. These were being run completely free to local businesses, no strings attached, with no big sales pitch. Hell if I were to be totally honest, they already had me at ‘free buffet’.
I completed the on-line registration and popped it in my diary, its 180 mile ’round trip for me, but it had worked out perfectly as I was only 20 miles down the road at a client meeting on that day.
The topic for the first session was to be about ‘Idea Generating‘. I’m thinking to myself this is too perfect; not only is it FREE, they are feeding me, its on the exact topic I love in terms of helping people find that EPIC business idea. AND I’m literally right there on that day – I mean the stars couldn’t be anymore aligned.
After discovering there was no parking, and driving in circles for 10 minutes looking for a suitable spot, I arrived bang on the 17:00 start time.
Within a nano-second of walking in I was thrust an extensive and extremely repetitive 16 page form, asking every detail of me and my business including my bra size (well not quite, but it may as well have!) I must have signed 4 pieces of paper that were in circulation around the room. And I’m still confused as to why I needed to write my name and address down in 6 different sections of the same form. I did not change my name nor did I move house since filling in the first box 4 minutes ago.
17:45 we’re told the buffet is open and are quite literally forcefully shoved towards the food. I am beginning to realise that I was lured in with food and I am now being held captive for the currency that is… my data.
The room is uninspiring and considering this ‘social hot desking’ space is less than 12 months old, it feels cold and tired. The tables are so incredibly wobbly that my 16 page registration form is now sitting in a sea of coffee, and the chairs are so tightly packed in that God forbid you need to leave the room to take a call or use the facilities!
For a topic on Idea Generating, the environment is really not one for feeling at all inspired! BUT I didn’t come here for soft furnishings, I came here to pick up new content/new ideas/hot topics that I can use in my own business and pass on to the business I work with. I was determined (even if my back wasn’t) to sit in this plastic chair and find out more.
18:30 FINALLY 1.5 hours after the noted start time the powerpoint is switched on and we get the usual fire exit/facilities lecture and introductions. Then comes the listing of their services and how to contact them.
Of course we had to partake in the dreaded introductions icebreaker which took (yes I’m the crazy lady that times these things!) 41 minutes. It’s now nearly 19:30 and there is STILL NO CONTENT.
At last a young man approaches the front and clicks the slide to ‘Idea Generation’ Hoorah!!!
………
“That’s it?!” I mutter under my breath. No word of a lie it’s over in less than 7 minutes and it goes a bit like this….
Working with the person next to you, take 4 minutes to consider what you interacted with today that was created by a human. I look at the gentleman to my right and say “I recon you probably were!” (always the comic.) We both take approx 10 seconds to conclude that everything was in fact created by a human and spent the next 3.5 minutes doing the usual small talk.
The entire group of 30 diligently reported back to the front that they too had concluded that the answer was ‘everything’, and we were praised as though we were 4 year olds.
The next slide was about ensuring that when we wanted to generate ideas we were in the right environment to do so. Including (quote) “the pub!” as one example of where that could be – “probably more inspiring than this room” I think to myself. I get it; I’m sure some of the best ideas came after 9 pints of Stella and a trip to A&E but still, not really appropriate nor inspiring.
The next and final slide (yes 2 whole slides) told us to be open to criticism about our ideas. I wish I was lying, but that was it! Basically in short – go to the pub, get some ideas, expect criticism and be open to it.
19:37 and its finished. Over 2.5 hours of my time that I could have been playing with the kids or working on my business…lost, gone forever, just like that! And to make matters worse I’ve missed out on tucking the kids into bed, I still have a 90 minute drive to get me home and the babysitter will still need paying.
This brings me to report that on this occasion you get what you pay for. I paid nothing, and got nothing in return! And it pains me to say that because I was still so full from my late lunch with a client, I didn’t even benefit from the free buffet.
That said, there was great value for a start up in the new network you sit shoulder to shoulder with nibbling on a cucumber and feta sandwich. Graphic Designers, printers, photographers, events management, virtual assistants, HR lawyers all about to embark on their self-employment journey; and all now with at least a handful of some great services that they will need to facilitate the set up their businesses. Not all was lost.
If you want to find out about your passion and purpose to help idea generate your next big business move (or your 1st). Request my downloadable PDF of 50+ questions to ask yourself using the form below.
Yes its FREE (no there’s no free sandwich) but I can guarantee it’s a trillion times more valuable than what I just sat through!
If you want to find out about your passion and purpose to help idea generate your next big business move (or your 1st). Request my downloadable PDF of 50+ questions to ask yourself using the form below.
Laura Mowbray 