About Us Our Mission Band Leaders Get Involved
What's all the noise about?
Launched in January 2012, Enterprise Rockers aspires to become the largest global self-help community for micro businesses that are already trading, wherever they are in the world.
The aim of Enterprise Rockers, a UK based community interest company, is to make life in micro business better and fairer and to achieve that we promote the following ways of working:
Encourage micro business owners to trade with each other.
Encourage consumers to buy goods and services from micro businesses.
Encourage micro businesses to collaborate with each other to create opportunities.
Develop productive relationships with larger organisations.
Ensure micro business owners get the support they need from current or former micro business owners.
Encourage young people to understand that self-employment is a great form of employment.
Ensure life for micro business owners is enjoyable
Anyone already involved with Enterprise Rockers will know that the co-founders Tina Boden and Tony Robinson are passionate about micro business and really are on a mission to make life in micro business better and fairer.
Tina and Tony knew when they first started talking about Enterprise Rockers that it was not about a couple of individuals wanting to see things done differently; it was about those that employed between 0 and 9 coming together to form a band and create the ‘Power of Plenty’. A lone voice in the wilderness will struggle to be heard but a group of people rejoicing about the great things they do will get people listening.
All good bands need a leader however Enterprise Rockers does not have just one band leader they have them in many towns and cities in different parts of the world. Band Leaders are awarded their title for going that extra mile to make life in micro business better and fairer whether that is offering services for free to develop this rapidly growing movement, organising an Enterprise Rockers Gig – an informal networking event that encourages micro business owners to come together and share their success stories and support each other if needed or they may just have just done something that makes the world of micro business rock!
Band Leaders.......
The following Enterprise Rockers have given up more than we could possibly ask in free time, and money in some cases from their own business, to support all of us Enterprise Rockers, our movement and our campaigns:
Tina Boden & Tony Robinson
Neither one deserves more credit than the other for forming the Enterprise Rockers band - the original founder members and the current inspiration for most of what is going on here at the moment. Of course that doesn’t mean they make all the decisions as it’s strictly ‘One Rocker, One Vote' majority decision during our creative period and beyond.
Tina's energy and belief in micro enterprise owners is simply awesome. Whilst busy founding Enterprise Rockers she’s also running her own two micro enterprises, do buy some of her delicious olive oil it makes her very happy, being a Trustee and strategy sorter for the wonderful Ellie’s Fund - Brain Tumour Trust young people's charity as well as a Mum to Tom & Charlie and wife to Neal, all of whom support her in everything she does and are used to her new ideas taking on a life of their own. You can contact her at tina@enterpriserockers.co.uk. If you ever visit Scarborough just ask where she is well known throughout the town!
Tony, driven by chocolate, wine and a year round supply of Christmas pud, has spent much of the Rockers development time writing his first novel - or should that be most of his novel writing time developing Enterprise Rockers. With a passion for micro enterprise that goes back years, Tony has run many micro enterprises of his own, most of them with the very tolerant Clare Francis (not the sailing person - there really is a theme here!) and has campaigned to give small business a big voice for a long time. If you want to chat to Tony you can get him at tony@enterpriserockers.co.uk
Stefan Töpfer
As Group CEO and Chairman of WinWeb Stefan has worked to extend the boundaries of the internet by using it in a unique way to simplify the working life of Small Business owners.
Stefan started his blog over 5 years ago and made it into one of the most read small business and micro business blogs on the world wide web. He now serves as the first Chairman of the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs (IoEE) Anvisory Council and is a member of the SFEDI Advisory Board.
Most of his time he spends on further developing his vision of a complete Small Business Infrastructure Framework to reduce micro business and small business mortality. It is his belief that most governments fail these businesses out of a lack of understanding of the needs of these businesses.
Stefan believes successful businesses are not derived from technology, software and marketing, but from vision, focus and creativity. His concept of a Small Business Infrastructure Framework aims to free the entrepreneurial spirit from the burden of unproductive admin and other equally distracting business functions like IT and marketing. Most of his time he spends on further developing his vision of a complete Small Business Infrastructure Framework to reduce micro business and small business mortality. It is his belief that most governments fail these businesses out of a lack of understand for the needs of these businesses. Apart from his role as editor & author of The Small Business Blog, he has his own column on the US tech stock exchange website NASDAQ and on the Hotfrog Small Business Hub.
Interact with Stefan at The Small Business Blog
Adrian Riley
Adrian is founder of Electric Angel, a design studio comprised of three designers with a reputation for a creative approach to graphic design and public art, often involving community engagement. They work with the likes of York NHS Trust, The Church of England and local authorities and art organisations across the UK (and they designed the Enterprise Rockers logo!). Collaboration with other creatives is key to their approach and Adrian is co-founder of Creative Coast - a network of creative practitioners and micro-businesses on the North Yorkshire Coast and was one of the core team who helped Scarborough win the National and European Enterprise Awards in 2008/2009 which resulted in him being invited to meet the then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. He is often invited to speak about enterprise, Electric Angel's work and their sometimes unorthodox approach to being a design studio in a competitive sector. Contact Adrian at designforlife@electric.angel.co.uk
Andy Peers
Andy is the guy who is keeping the whole Enterprise Rockers structure on track and has been in the Enterprise - Do You Get it ? discussions from the very start, a fantastic guy who we cannot do without. After leaving the world of retail management, Andy joined The Big Issue in the North in 2000 as their Regional Magazine Sales Manager and later that year was promoted to Head of Sales - during his time in this role the company had their highest ever magazine and advertising sales figures. Andy has also held the posts of Chief Executive for The Big Issue South West and was one of the original team of Executive Directors who created The Big Life Group in 2002. Andy is a very busy guy, he is currently Chair of the Board for Leeds based social enterprise Theatre Company, The Paper Birds (winners of a Fringe First in 2008) and a Non-Exec Director for Amazonails, a pioneering social business that uses strawbale and natural materials as part of the construction process. Over the last four years, his company Love Enterprise has provided support to organisations at pre-start stages, right through to nationally recognised and internationally focussed and from start-up to multi-million pound turnover stages. The breadth of social issues he has supported has been incredibly diverse, including health, the environment, creative arts & media and education. You can get hold of Andy at andy@loveenterprise.co.uk
Jane Walton
Jane has been involved in supporting organisations and individuals through mentoring and training for the past 20 years. She specialises in working with young people and organisations in the cultural and voluntary sector. Jane works with the Yorkshire Mentoring Forum to provide support in establishing mentoring programmes and with YES youth enterprise services and the Wildfirehub to support young people to start and grow their businesses. She established her own business Creative Minds in 2010 which reflects her belief that everyone can be an entrepreneur if you put your mind to it.
Lorraine Allman
Lorraine Allman is Managing Director of Speed Mentor Central® - a company providing access to online expertise and services for entrepreneurs and small businesses, and author of the recently published Enterprising Child supporting parents to develop their children's entrepreneurial potential. Lorraine has over 14 years’ experience starting and running enterprises, from establishing one of the first online business information portals in the UK to running a highly successful business and educational research company. She is an author on the number 1 ranked Small Business Blog and is an enthusiastic advocate of micro-business. Lorraine and her team have re-developed and now manage the UK web site which offers services such as the Rockers marketplace, interactive map, and barterplace. She also co-manages the Rockers Linked In page. Contact Lorraine at lorraine@enterpriserockers.co.uk or follow her on Twitter @beindemand
Jamie Dunn
Jamie started his first business aged 12 selling unwanted items at school. By the age of 15 he was making around £500 per week from 5 market stalls across Birmingham. At the age of 16, Jamie left school and got a place on the Pathfinder course of the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy as one of the 28 from nationwide applicants.
Now aged 20, Jamie is Co-Founder of the company, Made By Young People, has spoken at over 300 events across 10 countries, won an award for Youth Excellence, is the chair of the A Fund, and has his own newspaper column. Jamie’s passion is in providing opportunities for young people - he believes that teenagers should be challenged to do something enterprising as it teaches many transferrable skills that can be used in every aspect of life, work and personal development.
Jim Lilkendey
By day, Jim Lilkendey is a consultant, trainer, and the founder of Apogee Coaching; focused on individual and organizational development and growth through the application of mindful leadership, strategic and cultural alignment, talent development, accountable execution and continuous improvement.
But by night, Jim is a passionate supporter and champion of community entrepreneurship and microbusiness, whether as an advisor for incubating companies at the Santa Fe Center for Innovation and Economic Development, instructor of the Kauffman Foundation endorsed Ice House Entrepreneurship Program, or as the founder and Chief Evangelist of I'm A Micro, a microbusiness support initiative and the US partner of Enterprise Rockers.
You can connect with Jim via jim@apogeecoaching.com
Elsa Caleb
Elsa has a passion for micro enterprises. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs; for over 21 years she has specialised in business development support for entrepreneurs. Currently combining consultancy projects with managing the SFEDI Centre of Excellence that offers qualifications in the areas of Mentoring, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Business Support and Business Information, Elsa also enjoys training and assessing Mentors, Coaches and Business Advisors and has a proven track record in assisting high growth business owners to develop and plan their business growth strategies.
Clare Rayner
Clare Rayner, The Retail Champion, is one of the most well-known and respected retail experts in the UK, championing for the success and sustainability of smaller, independent retailers and suppliers to retail. A child born into a family of retailers and entrepreneurs, she is passionate about retail and business: it is in her blood.
Clare is engaged by clients as a business consultant, inspirational speaker and retail mentor. In 2011 she was invited to launch Independent Retailer Month in the UK, a global 'Shop Local' campaign which runs throughout July that has gained incredible momentum and reach under her leadership. Following the success of this campaign she created “Celebrate an Independent Christmas”, which launches in 2012 and will feature nationwide “Christmas Shopping Crawls” in high streets and retail communities UK wide. Clare is founder and host of 'The Retail Conference', a well-established and highly respected annual retail industry event.
Come and join the band
There are plenty of ways to get involved with the Rockers movement and we have so many fab micro-business owners already helping out by donating their time and talents; sometimes they even send us their products – we love chocolate at Enterprise Rockers HQ.
- Click on the link on the home page of this website that invites you to become a Rocker.
- Follow us on Twitter @EnterpriseRocks don’t forget #MicroBizMatters
- Like our Facebook page or join our Enterprise Rockers Facebook group
- Join our Enterprise Rockers LinkedIn group
- Tell your MicroBiz Mates we are a free to join movement
- Become a Band Leader and organise an Enterprise Rockers Gig in your community.
You can participate and get involved as much or as little as you like, we are very informal bunch.
