future skills Archives - Don't Stop Us Now

Future Proof Me: 3 Founder Essentials

August 24, 2021August 24, 2021
by Claire

We’ve been thinking about the impact the global pandemic has had on peoples’ careers and one thing that’s been happening is many folk have been wondering whether it’s time for a career change and, in particular, whether they should start their own business.

So for today’s mini episode, we’ve chosen to share some brilliant advice for founders and potential founders from the successful British entrepreneur, Debbie Wosskow OBE.

Debbie is well known for building and selling her online home exchange business, Love Home Swap for £53 million.

Not only that, Debbie is now co-founder of another business called AllBright, an education and networking organisation designed to provide skills and connections to working women particularly in the UK but also internationally. We talked all about AllBright when we first spoke with Debbie on the show some years ago.

Having sold her own start-up and also being a start-up investor, Debbie knows first hand what it takes to build a business from scratch and, as you’ll hear, there are 3 key things she believes founders need.

Useful Links

Debbie’s full interview episode – Debbie Wosskow, OBE – What It Takes To Be A Successful Female Entrepreneur

AllBright Website

The AllBright Academy

TheAllBright on Twitter

Debbie on Linkedin

Debbie on Twitter

Book on Grit – by Angela Duckworth

Future Proof Me Mini Episode

Future Proof Me – Future Proofing Your Skills

March 23, 2021March 23, 2021
by Claire

This week’s mini episode focuses on staying current with your skills in the fast changing world of work. Something that’s relevant for all of us given the pace of technology change!

In this episode, we hear from drone and tech expert, Dr Catherine Ball, whom we featured on the show about a year and a half ago. She’s a real dynamo and a passionate believer in accessible lifelong learning.

Cath is a strong believer in how important it is for corporates and individuals to think about re-training in order to keep up with where technology is taking us all. Plus she shares some great resources as well and you can see links to those below.

Our take is this: don’t get overwhelmed with the full spectrum of change that’s happening in technology, take it one SMALL chunk at a time. Think about what one new skill or piece of knowledge would be most useful for you right now in your current role to help you to continue to grow and progress? Then find a short course or expert you can learn from – it might be as simple as a free 2 hour course.

Cath also shares great advice on how networking and linking in with industry associations to help you learn and make your next career step.

So what are you waiting for? Enjoy this mini episode.

Useful Links

Dr Cath Ball’s website

Dr Cath Ball Linkedin

Kaggle (free cyber security and coding courses online)

Harvard University’s Introduction to Computer Science, EdX

Learn to Code by Dash, General Assembly

Email Marketing Crash Course, Hubspot

How to Start a StartUp with Sam Altman at Stanford University

Product Design by Google, Udacity

Competitive Strategy, Coursera – uses game theory

Future Proof Me Mini Episode

Future Proof Me – The Magic of Yes

October 13, 2020October 13, 2020
by Claire

Brought to you by Microsoft’s The New Next

This week’s mini, Future Proof Me episode features some insightful advice about saying “Yes” to the unknown, even when it really scares you.

We hear from fashion entrepreneur Caroline Issa, the CEO of the Tank group which includes the revered global fashion and culture magazine, Tank Magazine.

We loved Caroline’s openness to embrace unexpected and unfamiliar opportunities. It seems so relevant in this time of COVID when nearly all of us are navigating the unfamiliar on an almost daily basis!

Her willingness to embrace doing things she hasn’t done before, even when she’s not sure she knows how to be successful with them, has worked so well for her. It’s as if she channels the magic of saying “yes” and it’s really paid off.

Hear her advice on how she copes when she’s not sure whether she can rise to the challenge or not….

Useful Links

Link to full ‘Don’t Stop Us Now!’ episode with Caroline Issa

Caroline on Instagram

Caroline on Linkedin

Tank Magazine on Instagram

Tank Magazine website

Book: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway – by Susan Jeffries

Future Proof Me Mini Episode

Future Proof Me – Advice on Starting your Idea

September 29, 2020
by Claire

This week’s Future Proof Me mini episode shares some great advice if you’re contemplating starting your own business or side hustle.

We were so inspired by social enterprise founder Navyn Salem when we had her on the show a year or so ago. She told us how, when she had the idea to set up a social enterprise to tackle malnutrition in children in developing countries, everyone told her it couldn’t be done.

She decided she would prove the naysayers wrong and, today, her organisation Edesia has made an incredible impact and transformed 12 million children’s lives in 54 countries.

In this mini episode, Navyn shares advice about how to get started and how to approach the many problems any founder is sure to encounter.

Navyn really is the ‘real deal’ and if you like this mini episode be sure to listen back to our full conversation with her here.

Useful Links:

Edesia Website

Navyn on Instagram

Link to the full ‘Don’t Stop Us Now!’ episode with Navyn Salem