Since I joined Westminster Business Consultants, WBC alumni were constantly talking about how important the JADE Spring Meeting was for every member of a Junior Enterprise. I wanted to be part of the amazing experience that everyone was talking about; I booked my flight in January, and it was not until March that it hit me how soon I was going to be attending this event and I started to think about how Brussels would change me.
I was feeling excited and anxious about networking with people from all over the world that had the same entrepreneurial interests as me and obviously, be able to get to visit a new country and have the opportunity to take part in an event that could possibly change my life.
As soon as we arrived at Brussels, it was interesting to see different people speaking a language that I did not understand. It was funny to see an advert that said, “Be aware of your pockets”, as Brussels is apparently well-known for pickpocketers (I did not know that). However, as I am from Mexico that did not surprise me at all, but it was a good commence.
We arrived at the hotel and had just a few minutes to get ready and go to our first workshop; everything was exciting for me on the first day as it was all a new experience and I did not really know what to expect next.
Angels Den was the name of my first workshop at the Meeting, I did not realise that the speaker was Steve Zskowyrski, the founder of WBC until Victor, WBC’s Managing Director told me. Obviously, as soon as I knew this, the workshop became ten times more interesting to me as I was just in front of the founder of the company that I am in.
In this workshop, I learnt a lot of new things such as funding sources for businesses, the difference between equity funding and crowd funding, and the process for a person wanting to start a new business needs to follow in case they want to approach an Angel Investor. Steve gave us 7 steps to successfully pitch an idea to Angels Den; highlighting that Angel Investors normally expect ROI from 3-5 years and this is why during when pitching an idea to Angels Den it is important to mention in how many years a return will be received. All these tips helped me to get a holistic view of the situation, and I hope it also helps you in case you want to start your own business.
Being part of the only the only Junior Enterprise in the UK, I did not realise how big the Junior Enterprise concept was until I was in Brussels and it made me feel proud of myself of being part of such an amazing organisation. I definitely recommend everybody to experience this when they have the opportunity to as it is an invaluable experience. The JADE Meeting had exceeded my expectations, I was able to meet new people from all over the world which I would be more than happy to meet again and collaborate with. It has helped me become more outgoing and be able to confidently share my current knowledge and talk about WBC and the Junior Enterprise Concept.
Fernanda Reyes Garcia, Westminster Business Consultant
Westminster Business Consultants 