This week’s episode is slightly different as we meet one of the Leeds business community’s most well-known faces, Colin Glass OBE. Colin shares his expertise on a variety of business topics including what makes a great business founder, funding options available for businesses, what is a NED and why you might need one, what sweat investment is and, of course, how to be a great networker. INTRODUCING COLIN GLASS Colin is a Chartered Accountant who started his own practice, Winburn Glass Norfolk (WGN) in 1975 and in August 2019 WGN merged with Murray Harcourt Colin is, or has been, a Non-Executive Director of several companies, some of which are quoted on AIM and has always been passionately interested in helping small businesses, including start-ups to develop to their full potential. He has invested in many start-up businesses over the years. He was awarded the Star in Practice Award in 2006 from the West Yorkshire Society of Chartered Accountants, Business Adviser of the Year in 2007, Non-Executive Director of the Year in 2008 and 2019 by the Institute of Directors Yorkshire and Humber and, in January 2011, he was awarded Non-Executive Director of the Year in the Quoted Company Awards. Due to his many years of involvement with SMEs, in 2014 Colin was appointed a Non-Executive Director at the British Business Bank and was awarded an OBE in the 2017 Queen’s New Year Honour’s list. He is one of the most well-known, and respected, faces on the Leeds business scene. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:00:45] What are the common themes in successful businesses [00:03:30] The common mistakes business owners make [00:06:20] The best places to find funding [00:09:00] Should you bootstrap your business? [00:10:45] What makes a good Angel investment pitch? [00:13:00] All about sweat investment [00:19:40] Colin’s successful first sweat investment deal [00:26:00] The investment that didn’t go well [00:31:00] What does a NED do, and do you need one? [00:36:00] How to be a good networker 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS & BUSINESS LEARNINGS • You need to listen to the advice of mentors around you • All companies that are trying to grow should look at some kind of NED • Don’t try to sell at networking events BEST MOMENTS “One successful angel investment can pay for all the others that go wrong” “Do me a favour, let them wine & dine us” VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR YOU Website: www.leedsbusinesspodcast.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinglass1/ Shout out: https://www.luma3.uk/ DON'T FORGET THE LEEDS BUSINESS PODCAST ‘FAIR DEAL’ My half of the agreement; Every week I bring you inspiring Leeds Business people FOR FREE. Your half of the deal has two simple steps; 1) Share this episode with just ONE person who you think will get value from it 2) Post a review of the show on this app SOCIAL MEDIA Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram YOU MAY ALSO LIKE https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/nigel-botterill/ https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/alistair-maiden/ ABOUT YOUR HOST Phil Fraser went from an accidental kitchen table start up, with no investment, all the way to multi-million pound sale to a PLC 18 years later. He’s travelled the full