A brand-new initiative called ‘Indian Business and Entrepreneurs in Northwest’ (IBEN) recently kicked off its pilot event in Manchester. Started with the aim of helping entrepreneurs, starts-up and business, the initiative seeks to bring together like-minded people from the British Indian diaspora and provide them with a platform to talk, share ideas and collaborate on business initiatives.
“The Indian Business and Entrepreneurs’ motivation is to help each other and grow together,” shares founder and leader of the initiative Leena Desshmukh (founder of Deleevan International Pvt Ltd and Himani Tanwar (Vibrant gathering events and founder of indian ladies in MCR)
Desshmukh, herself an entrepreneur leading a small local business, hopes to help people like herself who want to start their own business but who might be struggling with one or more aspects of the process.
“Starting a business is hard work. I have been there myself and it can get quite daunting if you don’t know who to ask for help or where to seek advice. This is where we come in,” explained Desshmukh.
Desshmukh noticed that there was a clear dearth of platforms where diaspora businesses and startups could come together and help each other grow, particularly in the Northwest and decided to get the ball rolling earlier this year.
MORE LIKE THIS…
“We started our group just 5 months ago and this was our very first meetup to know each other but it has already attracted a lot of attention.”
Their first meet-up hosted author, motivational speaker and coach, Minesh Vaiwala, to offer an engaging and interactive session to the attendees.
“We wanted someone who can motivate and inspire people thinking of starting their own business to actually take the first step. I’ve spoken to many women who share ideas or dreams they have about a business idea but are not sure whether or not they should take the leap of faith. Having Mr Vaiwala for our first meeting was an absolute honour.”
Vaiwala covered topics from his successful motivation book ‘Your Struggle in life is always optional’ in his talk.
In the pipeline for the IBEN are community meetings and events which cover the different aspects of a starting and growing a business. The plan follows the journey a business/start-up would take as it grows: the initial inspiration stage, the finance stage and then experience sharing stage.
MORE LIKE THIS…
"We also want to thank all the local business who supported this event, namely: 'OM Digital', 'Bhajipala', 'Ziya', 'Sthan' and 'Ouvra'," says Desshmukh.
“Next month we will be approaching banks to hold seminars and talks on commercial lending. This leg hopes to provide a starting point for how the logistics and finance side of things look like for a new business and what are some of the things to think about before you start your business,” shares Desshmukh.
The new initiative already has a Facebook and a WhatsApp group with a growing member base and hopes to grow in its quest for uniting diaspora businesses in the Northwest.