Thoughts on technology start-ups in Scotland
August 24, 2011 Leave a comment
Broadcasting Buiness
Popular TV shows such as The Apprentice and Dragons Den attempt to bring the world of business to life on the small screen, but does the need to entertain hopelessly distort the reality of doing business? I watch quite a lot of “business entertainment TV” and I think that there are some great messages behind all the shouting and posturing…
August 19, 2011 Leave a comment
Lots of exciting news from Salient Point this week, so I thought I should share it on the blog!
Fahd Baig joins Salient Point
Salient Point is pleased to announce that Fahd Baig, who graduated as a Saltire Fellow in 2011, is joining the team as an associate.
Fahd is a hi-tech entrepreneur, having extensive experience of setting up and leading business and marketing strategies of award-winning technology businesses. Fahd has an exceptional understanding of how an entrepreneurial start-up works, and specialises in helping businesses define their technology and products, get to first customers and raise investment from government organisations and private investors.
We are fortunate to have Fahd Baig as an associate, and it is a great pleasure to have another Saltire Fellow working with us. This move will increase the number of young companies we can help to make significant progress, as well as increasing the breadth of skills and experience we have available.
Fahd will be contributing to this blog in the near future!
Salient Point to Sponsor Invest, Inspire, Succeed
Salient Point has signed up as a Silver Sponsor for “Invest, Inspire, Succeed”, an event run by the Saltire Sirens in support of the Saltire Foundation.
Speakers at the event on 7th September 2011 will include Bob Keiller, Mick Jackson, Neil McMartin and Sandy Kennedy, and the event will be chaired by John Anderson of the Entrepreneurial Exchange.
Ian Stevenson, founder of Salient Point, said “Participating in the Saltire Foundation Fellowship in 2009 was a life-changing experience for me, and I am pleased to be able to support this fundraising event. The Saltire Sirens have put together a great line-up of speakers, and I am sure it is going to be a great evening.”
Tickets are on sale now – an excellent opportunity to enjoy an evening of inspiring business speakers while contributing to a great cause.
August 19, 2011 Leave a comment
Josh Liu is the founder of MinuteBox and keeps a very candid blog entitled Josh’s Lessons in Entrepreneurship about his experiences, a very worthwhile read, especially for anyone working on an online project. The post that drew me in was on the subject of attracting the talent you need when you have no money – a topic is dear to many people in the startup community!
August 16, 2011 Leave a comment
How clearly do you get your message across?
Entrepreneurs constantly have to present their ideas to others in order to build relationships with customers and investors. Using the question “Who cares?” can improve the effectiveness of communication, making it easier to find customers and investors and so to build a successful business.
August 3, 2011 Leave a comment
A banks job is to keep savings safely locked up, not to make risky loans.
For this blog entry I’m stealing unashamedly from Les Charm of Babson College, who I saw speak last week at one of the closing sessions for the 2011 Saltire Fellowship (congratulations to all the newly graduated fellows). He put forth a view about banks that I have long held in a very succinct way, which I will share with you here.
When banks lend money, they are lending the savings of their depositors. Banks have promised to give the depositors their money back on demand – their survival and public confidence in the banking system depends on them keeping that promise.
Banks will lend money only where:
