Over the past 12 months I’ve done some pretty challenging things, pushing myself out of my comfort zone and trying to live each day to the full (however hard that can be!). I don’t want to dwell on the past however, I’m very much looking forward to the future!

On September 5th I’m off to Mallorca, by myself! A spontaneous holiday booked in the spur of a moment and I’m very much looking forward to it, however weird people may think it is to go on holiday by yourself. Hot sunshine, luscious beaches and freedom to do whatever the hell I want. I feel I need to get away, relax and take a break from everything, recharge my batteries before the next chapter in my life begins.

Here’s the beach I’m jetting off to:

On my return I’m excited to be starting Sunderland University! A 3 year degree in English Education is ahead and I’m determined to come out of it as a fully qualified teacher with a FIRST degree classification. I’m going to work my ass off to get the best grade possible and become a top class teacher

Some might say what’s with the sudden change in direction? Well, my passion is still business and I’ll never stop being enterprising. I’ve got a life plan and teaching is the first part of this, I’ll definitely be back in full time business in the future and will continue to work freelance alongside my degree.

I’m very lucky to also have an amazing part time job at the biggest company in the world which I love and I’m eager to keep learning in retail!

Last but not least I’m doing the Great North Run for the 2nd time this year, despite not having trained much I’m determined to finish it. It’s going to be tough but I’m up for the fight!

That is my life at the moment, keep checking my site for exciting things happening soon.

The World Youth Congress series is recognised as the leading international platform focused on youth and sustainable development. It brings together the most active young leaders who are changing their communities. In Rio de Janeiro we will engage with global decision-makers and development professionals, where we will explore ways in which we can work more effectively together to achieve shared goals.

The World Youth Congress is designed to be a catalyst for action. It will have a dynamic programme that combines inspiring speakers, skills workshops, roundtable discussions, intercultural performances and action projects in order to provide 350 young participants coming from hundreds of countries with a life-changing experience that will both inspire and empower every individual who attends the event.

The 6th World Youth Congress will be taking place at Sitio das Pedras, located at the foot of the Pedra Branca Mountains at the edge of the lush tropical forest and quite close to Rio Centro, where the official UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) will be held.

Sitio das Pedras is a large property, chosen as the site of this event not only because of its beauty, space and facilities, but also because of its history and symbolism. It hosted a 17th century Benedictine Monastery and was used as a temple where spiritual leaders and wise elders from different cultures met during the first Earth Summit in 1992.

It’s truly an incredible opportunity and I can’t wait to jet off on June 4th! The only downside being I’ve got over 20hrs travelling to Rio.

I’m currently looking for sponsors or a main sponsor to fund my flight to and from Rio as this is the only part of the congress that isn’t funded. I’m sure it would be a great PR opportunity for any company or organisation that helps out. If you think you can help or know someone that can please contact grant_ridley@hotmail.com

12 April 2012 – Stop learning at your peril!

BEING in business and living the life of an entrepreneur at any age is a true rollercoaster journey, there’s no denying that. However one thing that is seeing so many previously successful businesses fall by the waste side in this economy is the fact that the founder stops learning and staying ahead of the game!

We have so many fantastic people in this country from a wide variety of backgrounds, whether you’ve been to University or dropped out of school at 16, the fact is to be successful long term, you can never stop learning!
Having a hunger and an unrivalled enthusiasm for your product or service is essential; yet more and more I meet people who are lack lustre.

Whether it’s changing things up to reignite that original passion you had when you first started out, or delegating to someone who you know is genuinely excited about what you do. People do business with people and now, more than ever we need to be on the ball to secure that next sale or that next potential client. It’s time to be clinical. It’s time to get up, learn something new and energise your business to defy this gloomy ‘image’ of the economy.

One top tip given to me recently was “If it doesn’t sell one more car, don’t do it”…a quote which can be applied to anything.

I thoroughly agree with this and I’m applying it to my own business GR Marketing. This does not mean however that you focus solely on sales! No, it means if what you’re doing, i.e. the marketing or the PR isn’t cost effective and isn’t going to lead to a sale then is it worth doing it? We need to choose carefully, once again, be clinical.

One positive thing I’ve noticed with many young budding entrepreneurs and students is that they show passion and enthusiasm beyond belief. They’re eager to learn and want to succeed.

The next business generation is coming and at a furious pace!

Let us learn as young entrepreneurs the lessons from the wisest entrepreneurs and from their mistakes, whilst at the same time, revitalising and breathing fresh air into what can sometimes be businesses and people simply ‘stuck in their old ways’.

Finally, I finish with an incredible opportunity for young creative people wanting to gain experience within creative industries.

Whether you want to set up a creative business or work within a creative company, this is most definitely worth a look:

Creative Pioneers 2012 – We live in a fast-changing world, especially in the creative and digital media industries. We need to find the Creative Pioneers of the future to make sure we continue to lead the way.

Creative Pioneers are offering:

• 300 opportunities of work in the form of internships and apprenticeships across 100 creative and digital media companies;
• Additional support options for those with a business idea;
• 3 categories of entry: Can-Do, Can-Code, Can-Start (each with a slightly different opportunity);
• September 2012 start date for apprenticeships/internships/business support

The deadline for applying is noon on Friday 27 April 2012, so don’t delay! For all the info head to: http://www.creativepioneers.co.uk

GO FOR IT!

If you have enterprising news you want to share get in touch with Grant Ridley on Twitter @grantridley, email via oi@grantridleymarketing.com or contact him through www.grantridley.com.

As April approaches I’ve got a few public speaking gigs booked and I’m especially excited about helping to launch the Peter Jones Enterprise Academies in the North East! Sharing my journey at the Academy is important to me as I know from experience that it helps and inspires some young people to take that first all important step into Enterprise and then go on to chase their own dreams , whatever they may be. If you’re reading this and would like to inquire about booking me as a public speaker, whether it be in a school, college or business, don’t hesitate to get in touch as I’m currently offering 15% off until the end of April 2012, if you quote ‘Save April’.

I’m running GR Marketing full time at the moment too and I have a wonderful client in Birmingham whom I’m very excited about helping with some great ideas over the coming months. Keep up to date with GR Marketing via the website www.grantridleymarketing.com.

I’ve got lots of opportunities coming at me at the moment and I find myself at a bit of a crossroads as to which route to take. Do I move down to London to enhance my opportunities of fulfilling my dreams or do I stay in the place I love with friends and family and try to achieve the very best in the North East. I’ve got some tough decisions to make but I know whatever I decide will be the right choice. I’m very grateful to have such choices.

In the meantime, I haven’t really had the chance to develop Toonpreneur as a business/brand so I’ve came up with an interesting idea that I’ve seen done well down South and I’m going to test it up North this summer. I don’t want to reveal all just yet, but let’s just say it will be an iconic event with a difference.

I’m off to London in the next week to run the Olympic Park Run, which I’m extremely excited about! I’ll be one of the first people in the world to cross the finish line at the London Olympic Stadium; truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

So that’s my life at the moment, lots going on and hopefully a holiday over the coming months too, but we’ll have to see about that one!

Take care and whatever you do, just go for it!

Sitting at my desk in my room, freezing cold and absolutely loaded with cold is the perfect way to depress you before I’ve even begun. But then again I’m not exactly dying so I shouldn’t moan TOO much.

The start of 2012 has been like no other year. I’ve had so many ups and downs already, from speaking at a great event in Stockton to an experience I can’t talk about (YET) unfortunately that has seen me learn so much about myself over a short space of time. I’ve even gained a fantastic client in the form of AMA Events! Follow them on Twitter @AMAGlobalEvents and I’ve been back to Manchester to visit my old Peter Jones Academy. Seems all this travelling has taken it’s toll.

I continue to enjoy writing my weekly ‘Go For It’ column with the Gazette and love to see it being so widely appreciated across all forms of social media! I’m definitely getting the journalism bug.

In my personal life, I still love as much as ever spending time with the people that mean a hell of a lot to me, my friends. It’s the best feeling in the world when you know there are always people their you can talk to when you need them. Very lucky

In January it seems I broke the VAST majority of the New Years Resolutions I set myself, so I’ve started again in February having only broken 2 so far haha One thing I’ve done recently that I think is pretty cool is write a list of things I want to do before I die. Now I know I’m only 20 and this may sound a bit morbid but it’s good to get down on paper what you actually want to do. I was really inspired by a programme called The Buried Life which was introduced to me by a friend and I thoroughly recommend you check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRexWE9yBVA I’m going to upload my list soon, so keep checking back and who knows, maybe you can help tick one of the things I want to do before I die off the list.

For now that’s me and I promise to blog more frequently this year and be as open as I can

Hasta Luego!

I have just got a part time evening job working for Robert J Earnshaw Ltd in sales and so far I’m learning lots. I’m so out of my comfort zone constantly being on the phone but I knew this before I applied and I can already see I’m improving a skill-set I need to have for my own business. Plus, its a constant source of income because having your own business can be financially challenging at times, its good to have a back up.

I’ve been thinking a hell of a lot recently. I somehow don’t quite feel content, almost as if there is something missing in my life right now, what that is I don’t quite know yet but I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough. More and more I’m trying to enjoy each day as it comes. Really looking forward to Christmas with the family and New Year with friends. Its been a surreal year for me, so much has happened its hard to get my head around sometimes, yet at the same time I sort of feel I’m back to square one in a way. Back at home, and most things are exactly the same just slightly different. I know that doesn’t make much sense, but to me it does. I’m considering a return to university next year to study Psychology (I ultimately need a degree for when I go into teaching so I might as well do something I feel I’ll find interesting!) I look forward to 2012 to starting a fresh and beginning a new chapter that I’m sure promises to be completely different to the one I’ve just lived. For now though, it’s goodbye 2011.

During my time at the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy I feel as if my mindset has been almost ‘tampered with’ …in a good way! I now look at things and question their value in the world we live in today. I started a business in April and to be honest with you, I haven’t been able to be fully committed to it because I’ve constantly been in education. Now, I’m back in the North East making what could be a life changing decision to commit fully to my business ideas and make them a success!

Why did I do it? I was sitting in my International Business Management lectures listening to management theory from god knows how long ago and doing what can only be described as GCSE IT and Maths. Don’t get me wrong, I’m certain the work would get much much harder, but I was not motivated one bit by the content we were learning or in fact going to be learning and couldn’t see how it was any more valuable than gaining experience in the real world whilst reading business books from the library! Anyway, to be frank the only reason I was at university was to get a degree so that in later life I can progress into teaching, faster. Yes, teaching! After I’ve made my millions in business of course! I just don’t believe you should teach business until you’ve been in business. I tried to transfer onto a course I felt would motivate me more, but courses were full and despite much persuasion they would not budge, so I dropped out. Like never before I find myself fitting (accidentally) into the characteristics of many entrepreneurs who have went on to do great things. I best stop there. Don’t want to get ahead myself do I?

So, I’m sitting at my desk writing this blog after my first full day of entrepreneurial freedom and it feels bluddy fantastic! I’m able to do what I want, when I want. I’m putting my all into developing an action plan of how I will go about driving forward GR Marketing and my up and coming regional business Toonpreneur.  It’s extremely exciting, but also a little scary. I’m venturing into a world where (let’s face it), the majority of business start ups fail or don’t make an awful lot of money, but then again there are those who start with nothing and end up with something epic. I just have to be the latter! With pressure yet support from my parents, it’s going to be a tough journey. My financial position is poor with having to pay a portion of my student fees back, this had lead to me having to cancel a couple of events I had planned to go to in November. I guess I have to make these sacrifices and earn the money to get where I want to be and to ultimately achieve what I want to achieve…financial freedom.

The future looks bright and I’m going to make sure I seize every opportunity whilst continuing to absorb as much information as possible to get a foot hold in this ever changing world. It’s time to step it up, raise the bar, be more competitive than I ever have before…a message to all…it’s my time now and I’m stopping at nothing to change the lives of my family and friends. Bring it on!

An EXCITING North East business coming soon!

Before France, I had recently got back from the MADE festival where I was speaking on a ‘Peter Jones Wonderkids’ panel. I got the chance to network with some great entrepreneurs young and old and talk to politicians Mark Prisk and Vince Cable. It was also lovely to catch up with Melody Hossaini, Oli Barret, Peter Jones and other very inspiring people. It’s events like these that will inspire people to get the UK economy back on the right path again. A true success.

I’m going to be featured in the Financial Times at some point over the next month or so and also SYB Magazine, so again keep an eye out.

So, I applied for a trademark yesterday for a new exciting business idea I have, really passionate about getting this one off the ground. Read my next blog to find out more!