THE sun was threatening to push itself through the clouds above York Racecourse bathing the Knavesmire in an early morning autumnal hue.
There is nothing that compensates for having to get up in the dark than arriving at your destination and being inspired by the setting.
As I walked out onto the balcony of the Knavesmire Stand at York early on Wednesday morning I could see joggers and dog walkers speckling the grassland which dates from pre-mediaeval times and which is now the home of York Racecourse.
I wouldn’t profess to be superstitious but given I was there to compere a breakfast seminar on international trade opportunities, the sign facing me across the racecourse did seem something of an omen.
Above a huge photograph of horses racing at York, it said: “Best in the World”.
That’s also the aim of Export Exchange, a the peer-to-peer export knowledge, mentoring and connections network for the Leeds City Region.
Launched by the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, the Department for International Trade and a number of private sector media, marketing and export specialists in June 2017, the ExportExchange online and offline network is a unique collaboration with the aim of helping businesses within the city region and beyond to increase exports, grow revenues and create employment.
ExportExchange (www.exportexchange.co.uk) is growing daily, welcoming new Patrons and helping new and growing exporters across the region, from Barnsley to Harrogate, and Bradford to York.
I hosted the launch event in Leeds in June and this week’s event in York was the first in a series of seminars focused on tapping into the experiences of those already trading overseas and allowing them to pass on tips and war stories so others following in their wake don’t make the same mistakes.
It also highlighted the impressive array of support available to exporters and allowed those who have already tapped into it to talk about how they have benefited.
I’m always impressed by the generosity of spirit of those in business. They aren’t afraid to admit to their failings and are keen to make sure others don’t suffer similar pitfalls.
Panellists ranged from those from businesses already trading in dozens of countries to entrepreneurs who have only just put their first toe in the water selling abroad.
Neil Smith, international sales director of Huddersfield-based Polyseam admitted that when he got his role four years ago he had never done foreign sales before.
The Norwegian-owned building and construction materials manufacturer now supplies customers in 41 countries and Neil said that its focus on quality when selling its range of adhesives, sealants, fillers and passive fire protection products gave it a competitive edge.
Steve Laidlaw runs handmade leather furniture business Distinctive Chesterfields which manufactures its products in Honley near Huddersfield.
The Chesterfield sofa might have been created 200-odd years ago but certainly has a future with Dinstinctive Chesterfields having won significant business in Asia including a recent £500,000 contract from China.
Crafting – making your own arts and crafts products including greeting cards – is big business, particularly in America, Nikky Hall, creative director of York-based Polka Doodles, told the audience.
Nikky’s craft shop in the city closed during the last recession and her online business only started when she got a few enquiries from customers overseas.
International sales now account for more than half the firm’s business and it has been a finalist in the Open to Export competition run by The Institute of Export & International Trade.
Phil Dunseath, e-commerce director of Harrogate business Myroo Skincare, talked about how the Export Exchange patron programme had seen advice and support from fellow Yorkshire-based business Suma Cooperative.
Myroo is at an early stage of exploring how it can sell its unique plant-based products abroad.
I chatted to David Cole, sales director of Leeds-based software business Solutionpath at the launch of Export Exchange in June and he was at this week’s event to speak about how support from Harriet Cross, the British Consul General in Boston and an Export Exchange patron and Paul Snape of Appeal PR, who is based in both Yorkshire and the US, had helped his firm get some real traction in New England, home to some of America’s best universities, such as Harvard.
Solutionpath has created unique software that allows universities to significantly improve their student retention rates, saving them millions of pounds.
Also on the panel was Christian Townsley, director of North Brewing Co, a Leeds-based brewery launched by the guys behind well known North Bars in Leeds and Harrogate.
With support from the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership North Brewing are now selling their punchily-named range of brews, including Sputnik, Transmission, Piñata, Herzog and Full Fathom, to six countries.
Christian admitted that the firm’s international sales were certainly a learning process and recounted how a Polish lorry driver who spoke no English had arrived to collect beer for a French customer.
The delivery was delayed until paperwork on the beer duty could be completed and Christian said that given that no one at his firm spoke Polish, a Russian mechanic who spoke Polish working at a nearby garage on the industrial estate where the brewery is based was recruited to inform the lorry drive of the delay.
Others on the panel and in the audience nodded having probably endured similar bizarre, but ultimately successful international sales experiences.
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THEY say there is no such thing as a free lunch and I found that out last week when Harrogate dealmakers Tim Cottier and Mark Eardley invited me to a lunch last week.
The do, at Harrogate institution William & Victoria, featured a speech by our mutual pal Jonny Hick, the founder of Directorbank, and I was told that not only was I paying for my own lunch but I also had to MC proceedings.
It gave me the chance to welcome the gathered throng, successful financiers, dealmakers, property professional and legal eagles…and Tim Cottier and Mark Eardley.
Touche, or right back at you, as they tend to say these days.
I welcomed everyone and said I was looking forward to Jonny’s speech as I had only known him for less than 20 years and he had still only reached about 1986 in telling me his life story.
Jonny’s career has been something of a rollercoaster, fortunately most of it on the upward slope, and I count myself lucky to know a man who is one of the best connected people you will ever meet, but more importantly very generous and kind too.
His is a fascinating story involving all sorts of experiences and characters.
The death of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner this week reminded me of another chapter of the Jonny Hick story, when he decided to enter the Gumball Rally in his new Jaguar sports car which he drove across Europe, Asia and the US, arriving eventually in Los Angeles at a party at the Playboy Mansion.
As they used to say on Auf Weidersehen, Pet, that’s living all right.
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I MADE a couple of changes to my Linkedin profile this week, adding that I had become a board member of the Maggie’s Yorkshire charity and that we had tweaked the name of our business to COPA Events to better reflect what it does.
That prompted dozens of messages from connections on the business focused social networking services saying “Congrats on the new job”.
You can press a button and send the message automatically without having to write anything.
No problem with that but I sense that had I changed my job title to Deliveroo Cycle Courier, I think I would have still got the messages just the same.
Anyway, I’ve got to go now, I’ve got a 12-inch stuffed crust with extra pepperoni that needs sorting.
Have a great weekend.