How Retail Ready helped Cadava connect, learn and plan for the peak season

When Colin Humphrey walked into the Retail Ready event in Croydon, he was looking for two things: practical advice and real connection.

As the founder of Cadava – a platform that supports organisations and small businesses with hosting, design and development – he spends most of his time deep in the technical side of the work.

Marketing and sales are areas he wants to strengthen, especially as the busiest months of the year approach. The event gave him space to do that.

Colin had never been to an Enterprise Nation or Croydon Council event before. He arrived early, grabbed a coffee, met a few people and settled into the room.

It was a simple start, but it set the tone for the rest of the day. "I had a good chat with a few of the attendees," he says. "The venue was nice and secure, and it felt like the right place to focus."

Learning from the panels

Across the panel sessions, he picked up ideas he could put into practice straight away. The conversations on social media stood out most, as it isn't an area he feels fully confident in.

Hearing founders and specialists talk openly about what works for them helped him see what he could try next. He says:

"The audience had good insights too and the conversation opened up into good discussions."

Two pieces of advice stayed with him.

• The first was a reminder to keep going and stay motivated, especially during a busy season.

• The second was a simple phrase that stuck: "Clarity leads to conversion."

It made him think about how Cadava talks to customers and how he can communicate what the company offers in a more direct way.

Colin also liked the encouragement to build an online community, something he plans to focus on through the winter.

A useful space for connection

For Colin, the networking was just as valuable as the learning. He left with several new contacts and followed up with two of them soon after.

Those meetings helped him gather fresh ideas and opened the door to a possible collaboration. He sees this kind of support as an important part of running a business in Croydon.

"I think it's very useful and should be part of the bedrock of encouraging people to start up and take risks."

Seeing Croydon Council in the room mattered to him too. He appreciated their presence and their commitment to local entrepreneurs.

And he shared a hope for future events: more visibility and support for digital-first businesses, which play a big part in the area's economy.

Colin also runs Critical Matters, a news community that invites contributions from students and local voices, and he sees events like Retail Ready as another way to help people connect and share ideas.

Planning ahead with new ideas

Colin left Retail Ready feeling more prepared for Black Friday, Christmas and the new year.

He took away a set of marketing ideas he wants to test over the next few weeks. He found the advice practical, not abstract, which made it easier to apply to his own work.

"I have a plan to implement some ideas and try some marketing experiments."

Why Colin recommends events like this

When asked if he'd recommend Enterprise Nation events to other founders, Colin's answer was simple: yes. He already has.

For him, the value of the event sits in the mix of people, ideas and encouragement.

Retail Ready gave Colin a chance to step away from the day-to-day, meet other founders, compare experiences and pick up advice he could use right away.

It's the kind of space that helps small business owners feel less isolated and more supported. For many, that's the difference between standing still and moving forward.

Big ideas happen when business owners meet

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