Businesswoman Sarah Willingham (centre) with (from left) Mohammad M Ali; Flora Hamilton, executive director of the Small Business Charter; Susan Davies; Declan Curry.
ENTREPRENEUR and former Dragon’s Den investor Sarah Willingham has shared the lessons she has learned throughout her business career.
Speaking to journalist and business commentator Declan Curry in Milton Keynes, she stressed the importance of maintaining a clarity of vision and the importance of business education.
The best piece of advice she has received? “Surround yourself with brilliant people.”
Sarah was speaking at The Lord Young Talk, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Small Business Charter. In her fireside chat, she said: “As an entrepreneur, you must be able to see clarity in chaos.
“I am comfortable with chaos, I know what infrastructure I need to put in place. As a leader, there can be mayhem all around but you need to see clearly where you are going without getting into the small stuff.”
She forged her business reputation leading the international expansion of restaurant chains PizzaExpress and Planet Hollywood, before taking ownership of Bombay Bicycle Club and transforming it into the UK’s largest chain of Indian restaurants. During the pandemic Sarah cofounded Nightcap plc, an award-winning group of nearly 50 cocktail bars, which became one of 2021’s most successful IPOs.
She remains as chief executive of the business and chairs a number of her investments.
The event was hosted by Santander at Unity Place, its UK head office in Central Milton Keynes. Sarah also spoke of her strong belief in business education, having studied for her MBA at Cranfield School of Management.
“As well as giving me confidence, being on the course gave me a level of self-awareness because you are in a group with other entrepreneurs. You quickly realise your place in the team which helped me to understand my strengths and weaknesses and I cannot stress how important that is in leadership and in business success.”
She concluded her talk by advising aspiring entrepreneurs on the importance of building a strong network of support through mentoring or by meeting other business owners.
“Being an entrepreneur is lonely. You have to be very self-propelled. When you are surrounded by other people who are also falling into holes it is invaluable – they are often falling into the same holes even if they are in different industries.”
The event, which honoured the late Lord David Young who was instrumental in establishing the Small Business Charter, was opened by Susan Davies, head of business banking at Santander UK, and Mohammad M Ali, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean at Anglia Ruskin University, and vice chair of the Chartered Association of Business Schools.
In a video message to the event, Gareth Thomas, Minister for Services, Small Businesses and Exports, said: “I am committed to making the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business. Small businesses are the beating heart of our high streets and communities, and programmes like Help to Grow: Management plays a vital role in helping small businesses to improve their productivity.”
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