Meet the Mentors

Event information / agenda

The Big House is a business support programme designed to help Creative and Digital businesses in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire to grow and create new jobs; from potential start-ups and new entrepreneurs, to established SMEs looking to expand and bring new products and services to market.

The Creative Quarter is a partner of the Big House programme, and as part of our offer, we aim to match eligible entrepreneurs and small businesses with mentors, to help them work through specific issues in their business and deliver expert advice.

On Thursday 9 December, come along to our online Meet the Mentors event and have a short informal chat with any or all our mentors, to see if any of them are the right fit for you and your business. If it's a match and you meet the eligibility criteria, you'll be entitled to 3 hours of free mentoring support from The Big House. Mentoring will be arranged to commence in January 2022.

Can't make this date? Contact info@bighouse.org.uk and ask to be put on the mentoring waiting list.

OUR MENTORS

ADRIAN REYNOLDS

Adrian is a copywriter, brand developer, and creative collaborator with experience ranging from major client work at a London ad agency to supporting start-ups in articulating what they're about. He's created work in tv, film, and theatre, and trained and worked with some of the world's big names in the psychology of making things happen.

As a business coach, Adrian will help you find the spark that'll keep you going when things are tough, and cultivate your ability to walk around a wall rather than bash your head against it. He's supported people building an organisation from ground up, teams developing something new, and employees stepping out to do their own thing.

BERTIE CORDINGLEY

Bertie Cordingley is a serial entrepreneur with many businesses under his belt. Bertie has founded companies from the idea stage, right through to multi-million exits. Bertie has experienced all types of start-ups, from bootstrapping to raising investment.

He is best known for founding the hugely successful fillmybelly.com in 2006, which was acquired by Just Eat in 2012. Bertie then went on to be a director at Just Eat for 3 years, overseeing further acquisitions which were key to their growth and subsequent IPO.

Bertie has a deep-rooted passion for helping other business owners reach their potential and is now working as a business coach. Bertie specialises in working with business owners get the most out of their businesses by sharing experience and working alongside them.

SUZY RAI

Suzy is an experienced and creative marketer. For the past 25 years, she has helped individuals and organisations shape compelling stories that sell their products and services.

Her experience spans all sectors and sizes of organisation from micro businesses selling their handmade wares online to large Blue Chip companies looking to improve their productivity, performance and engage their stakeholders.

Suzy specialises in positioning a business in the context of its values, helping identify their core target markets and shaping campaigns that engage with customers and sell products.

EMMA TORRANCE

Emma is a SFEDI qualified independent business adviser helping with running & understanding complexities of running a business including business planning & finances.

She is used to being at the sharp end of retail and hospitality businesses having co-owned a cafe, gallery and meeting venue in Nottingham City Centre, enjoying successes and failures and earning valuable insights and wisdom along the way.

Emma has an MBA and have been involved in supporting and mentoring other businesses for two decades, so understands both the theory and the practical realities of running your own business. She provides one-to-one coaching, mentoring and workshops to freelancers, small private businesses and social enterprises across a range of sectors including creative, music, food, IT, educative, hospitality, leisure and retail.

TIM ELLIOTT

Tim Elliott has worked in the creative industries for over 23 years which means over the last couple of decades, he's been at the table having strategic conversations with 1000's of businesses and leaders, helping them understand how to apply creativity strategically so that they can do better work and do work better.

Today, his work regularly involves delivering keynotes at events, speaking to leadership teams internally at organisations as well as at leadership groups, masterminds and retreats, delivering lectures and seminars and facilitating workshops.

BEN RAWSON

Ben is a serial entrepreneur who works within the creative and cultural industries helping brands owners grow their business and serve their customers better. Ben works with the Nottingham Tourism Centre and Nottingham Castle overseeing products/gifts selection, visual merchandising, including creating unique window displays.

Ben works with creatives on product development, pricing, photography, general business process and best practice, all designed at helping you grow into a successful small business.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for mentoring on the Big House programme, you must be a creative or digital entrepreneur (not yet trading) or small business (trading) based in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. You will need to be enrolled with our programme before you can access mentoring - we can enroll you if you aren't already. If you have already received 1-to-1 coaching or mentoring through The Big House programme, you will not be able to access additional mentoring at this point. If you have any queries about your eligibility, you can email info@bighouse.org.uk.

HOW TO BOOK

Between 11am and 1pm, our mentors have six 15 minute slots available for you to book. In the ticket section, select each of the mentors you would like to chat to, and a ticket for the relevant time slot. If at a later date you are unable to attend any/all of your time slots, please cancel your ticket so that the space may become available for others to book. If you have any issues, please contact info@bighouse.org.uk and we will do our best to assist you.