Running an early-stage business is rarely just about having a great idea. For most founders, the real challenge begins when the initial excitement wears off and the daily pressure of operations, marketing, and leadership takes over.
Running an early-stage business is rarely just about having a great idea. For most founders, the real challenge begins when the initial excitement wears off and the daily pressure of operations, marketing, and leadership takes over.
Last Friday afternoon, our training suite on the eighth floor of St James's House in Salford was filled with local business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and community leaders for a workshop titled "Entrepreneurial Mindset: Building a Scalable Business."
Organised by Tobi Owoeye, CEO of Kyrios Global Resources, and hosted by Connect Talent CIO in partnership with Connect Institute, the afternoon moved past motivational slogans to focus on practical, operational realities.
Master of Ceremonies Louisa Nosa opened the session, welcoming a vibrant group of roughly twenty attendees. We were especially pleased to welcome two local civic leaders to the room: Councillor Wilson Nkurunziza (Salford City Council, Pendleton & Charlestown Ward, Executive Support Member for Equalities and VCFSE) and Councillor Yolande Ghola (Salford City Council, founder of Salford Community Upskilling CIC). Their attendance highlighted the strong council backing for grassroots business initiatives and adult upskilling in our borough.
Here are four key insights from an inspiring afternoon.
1. Entrepreneurship is a Daily Discipline, Not a Title
Opening the session, organiser Tobi Owoeye reflected on the grassroots origins of the workshop. The idea emerged from monthly informal mastermind meetups with ambitious young professionals across Salford and Manchester who came together to critique each other's project ideas and hold one another accountable to real business goals.
Tobi challenged attendees to rethink what it means to be an entrepreneur:
"It is not simply wanting to own a business. It is a way of seeing, deciding, and acting."His message was straightforward: registering a company at Companies House is simple, but building an enduring business requires examining your daily habits, focusing relentlessly on validated customer problems, and executing with consistency every single week.
2. Stop Becoming the Bottleneck in Your Own Business
Delivering the keynote address, Connect Talent CIO Chief Executive Dr. Oladimeji Ojerinola challenged the room with an uncomfortable opening question:
"If you stepped away from your business for 30 days, would it slow down, stop completely, or grow stronger?"Drawing on data from the UK Department for Business and Trade, Dr. Ojerinola reminded attendees that small and medium-sized enterprises account for 99.8% of all private sector businesses in the UK and 60% of private sector jobs. Yet, many small businesses stall early.
The cause, he explained, is rarely a lack of passion or hard work. It happens when the founder tries to control every single operational detail:
"The limits that you place not only on yourself but even the organisation is that they may not be able to progress. There may not be reason for expansion. There may not be reason to create more leaders."His advice to founders was practical: define clear boundaries, build genuine trust, and give team members real ownership over specific outcomes so the business can grow beyond one person's working hours.
3. Technology Must Solve Problems, Not Just Add Costs
Taking the stage next, EUR ING Patrick Obidoyin, Founder and CEO of Digital InfraCo UK Ltd, cut through the noise of modern tech hype.
Patrick cautioned business owners against subscribing to expensive software packages simply because they are trending on social media. Instead, he urged founders to ask a diagnostic question: If your client numbers doubled tomorrow, which part of your business would break first?
He also stressed that digital visibility is fundamentally about credibility:
"If they have never seen you, they would want to know there is somebody at the end of that business before they throw out their money."Whether running a consumer-facing service (B2C) or selling to corporate accounts (B2B), Patrick demonstrated how simple digital plumbing connecting website enquiries, phones, and email into one central CRM and automated invoicing system can save founders hours of manual paperwork each week.
4. Stay Creative and Follow Your Customers
In the final masterclass, Abiodun Awe, Director at Fitch Ratings and experienced founder, shared lessons drawn from both corporate finance and grassroots entrepreneurship.
Abiodun drew a clear line between branding and marketing: branding is who you are, the reputation you earn, and the promise you deliver; marketing is how you communicate that promise to the world.
She urged business owners never to become complacent:
"You cannot stay in a place as an entrepreneur. You have to think outside the box: Where are my customers? What is diverting the attention of my customers? You have to be creative."Because consumer attention is constantly shifting, Abiodun encouraged participants to stay close to their audience, listen carefully to customer feedback, and test small, low-cost marketing experiments before committing large budgets.
Next Steps: Continuing the Journey at Connect Talent
Following an open Q&A session where attendees discussed everything from solo delegation to corporate pitching, the room gathered for closing photographs and networking.
Before wrapping up, Dr. Ojerinola announced Connect Talent CIO's upcoming community training programmes hosted right here at St James's House, starting on Thursday, 24 September at 12:00 noon.
These funded courses guide adult learners and local entrepreneurs through structured learning pathways, progressing from Essential Digital Skills up to professional certifications including Google Professional AI credentials.
Get Involved & Connect
Whether you are looking to launch an enterprise, streamline your operational systems, or build essential digital and AI skills, Connect Talent CIO and Connect Institute are here to support you.
- 📍 Visit Us: Suite B, 8th Floor, St James's House, Pendleton Way, Salford, M6 5FW
- ✉️ Email: admin@coinst.uk | david@coinst.uk
- 🌐 Websites: www.connect-talent.org | www.coinst.uk
Workshop Photography & Attendees at St James's House
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Ready to build your confidence with our free Essential Digital Skills training or looking to get involved as a volunteer? Reach out to Connect Talent CIO online or stop by our community hub at Pendleton Gateway today.