Being self-employed needn't feel lonely. This group is for small business owners in and around Nottinghamshire. Join this group to connect with like-minded founders, share knowledge, discuss challenges, and support one another. And for anyone who'd like to continue the conversation at one of our monthly online meet-ups, we'll be sure to let you know when your next event is taking place.  

Leisa Pickles

Groups

Chief Go Getter

Find Something

I am the Founder and Chief Go Getter at Find me the Leads®, an independent sales consultancy supporting SME’s with Sales Outreach.
I have an extensive background in Sales spanning more than 25 years and prior to founding Find me the Leads® in 2018 worked for Mars Incorporated in various Sales roles.
In 2022, I was named Enterprise Nation Sales Adviser of the year for the UK and Ireland. Building on this accolade, in 2023 I made the F:Entrepreneur #ialso100 list, a list of 100 inspiring female business leaders from across the UK.
I am the Co-Host of the Scale Up Your Sales &amp; Marketing Podcast which empowers Small Business Owners and Leaders to take control of their own Sales &amp; Marketing process.
When not on the telephone making Sales Outreach calls on behalf of Clients, you will find me listening to Power Ballards whilst out walking my Miniature Schnauzer, Buddy 🐾
Failing that, I am often found drinking a flat white and enjoying a slice of coffee and walnut cake in one of my favourite independent coffee shops ☕

Being self-employed needn't feel lonely. This group is for small business owners in and around Nottinghamshire. Join this group to connect with like-minded

? Become unshakable in your self-expression and communicate with POWer? I help impact-led leaders stand up and stand out through impossible-to-ignore storytelling and electric connection building. You&apos;ll learn how to harness the power of your voice and use your influence to lead with vision and purpose. As an award-winning NCTJ-qualified journalist and brand strategist, I take a story-first approach to brand communications and have grown multi-million dollar organisations by keeping them at the front of industry conversations. I&apos;m passionate about the potential for businesses to drive cultural and systemic change, and I work with change-maker brands committed to responsible business practice and prioritising people and the planet alongside profit.
I&apos;m a non-exec director of The Organisation for Responsible Business and a mentor with Enterprise Nation. I&apos;m here to support you to find your voice and make some noise, harnessing the power of storytelling to attract new audiences and galvanise them to action.&nbsp;

Director

Building your brand beyond social media

Discover how to build your personal brand, amplify your influence and establish yourself as a thought leader.

Karla is the associate programmes manager at Enterprise Nation; she is responsible for providing support across the various projects. She has a degree in Political Science and a MSc in Public Policy and Administration from London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her background is in project management in the public and private sector in Peru, and international organisations. Karla is passionate about helping the most vulnerable communities and having a positive impact in the lives of small business owners.

Associate Programmes Manager

TikTok Takeoff

Join our TikTok Takeoff group to share your TikTok tips and learnings with like-minded small business owners.

Website design

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Our paid&nbsp;website service is great for taking businesses to the next-level.&nbsp;

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Serial entrepreneur and innovation director across multiple verticals, with a technology and sector agnostic approach to consulting. Currently consulting to various ventures ie Medtech, CPG, FMCG, Fintech, Adtech, HeathTech etc

Having been deeply immersed in the Startup / SME EcoSystem for approximately 25 years, in 2 distinct sectors and countries with various business models. Providing both product / services for b2b and b2b segments has allowed me to gain a solid amount of diverse knowledge and understanding.
This entrepreneurial experience also allowed to gain insights of the innovation value chain and operational requirements of building / scaling ventures, for product market fit. The critical component of fundraising through various mechanisms, is an area that I understand well, having bootstrapped businesses and then raised circa 3m Euros across angel, Venture Capital and the European Development Fund (EDF).
The full spectrum of the fund-raising process was arguably the most challenging aspect of venture building for a multitude of reasons and it was a definite grind to get it done. Learning to dealing with brutal reality was a crucial part of success and helped test / fortify my resilience and growth mindset.
The last venture Zveetz had a regenerative aspect with a mission to make a dent against sugar pollution and its consequences to people and planet. Working cross functionally with a stellar team of individuals including food and behavioural scientists to deliver an impactful value proposition was highly rewarding. The business model was multifaceted with transactional, subscription and asymmetrical revenue streams. We were able to move the needle on sugar reduction and enabled people to be more sugar smart, thereby hitting multiple impact and revenue KPI’s.
Previously to that, I had the privilege of deep diving into the world of AI, machine learning &amp; ontologies to build a recommendation engine SaaS for the e-commerce sector, although there were multiple future use cases for the technology. This immersion and venture was very challenging for multiple reasons but ultimately the outcomes were net positive, so the juice was worth the squeeze.
hankfully, I have been able to transition into the role of an Innovation Director and apply skills / experience to provide consultation across the Oxford Innovation ecosystem to various stakeholders.&nbsp;
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<li>Performed 96 one to one business support sessions and workshops for students, faculty, startup and SMEs teams.</li>
<li>Consulting with the KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnerships) department to revamping program offering and positioning to meet desired Research Excellence Framework (REF 29) standards.</li>
<li>Supporting faculty members across the UnIversity’s different schools, on commercialisation of their research and various potential fund-raising strategies.</li>
<li>Working with the AI Research group within the University to develop their strategic roadmap.</li>
<li>Supporting the establishment of “Managementfest”, a student led innovation &amp; entrepreneurship conference and accelerator programme at BNU.</li>
<li>Regularly meeting with the university leadership committee to report all innovation initiatives and results.</li>
<li>Leading Oxford Innovation AI working group with a remit to i) develop a wholistic adoption strategy for competitive advantage. ii) Steering AI integration and operationalisation across the org, towards ISO42001 (trustworthy) compliance.</li>
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Innovation Director

Vishal Kawatra

Serial entrepreneur and innovation director across multiple verticals, with a technology and sector agnostic approach to consulting. Currently consulting to various ventures ie Medtech, CPG, FMCG, Fintech, Adtech, HeathTech etc

Having been deeply immersed in the Startup / SME EcoSystem for approximately 25 years, in 2 distinct sectors and countries with various business models. Providing both product / services for b2b and b2b segments has allowed me to gain a solid amount of d

Nottinghamshire small business networking group

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