I’m both thrilled and humbled to be one of the four Judges at the British Education Awards.

I was first approached to determine if I’d be willing to take on this role, early last year during my work as a Keynote Speaker and Business Mentor for the Youth Enterprise Awards (at which our youth team were Regional Winners and National finalists)

On Monday 30th January 2017, I’ll be sat on the VIP table alongside 5 MP’s, 2 TV celebrities and a number of other dignitaries who are all supporting the awards.  Alongside the film crews and press officers there shall also be over 200 head teachers, teachers and of course all regional finalists for the awards ceremony.  It’s all taking place at the Grand Connaught Rooms, in London and a strict Black Tie and Ball gown affair!

But what has this got to do with me? (I hear you ask)

Well, I never planned to be a National Judge at such a prestigious national awards ceremony! I didn’t have it on my agenda as a ‘must do’ or even on my dream board as something I aimed for! Yet here I am, being asked by the event founder if I’d consider being a Judge!

“It all started along time ago, when I learnt to say YES”

You see, a number of years ago now; I was fortunate enough to have heard Richard Branson keynote at a National Business Conference.  He was a fabulous orator and had the whole audience hooked as he unfolded his story.  One of the biggest ‘take aways’ I got from his keynote was:

“Learn to say YES more, say yes quickly and confidently; then worry about the how later! It might be a worry, but it’s a far more positive worry to have“

In my experience, too many people, especially business owners are still failing to say Yes! They are not looking for opportunities to say YES to. They are so busy, ‘doing the doing’ they forget what its actually all for; and whilst they have their head down, working hard on whatever it is that they are doing; opportunity after opportunity passes them by!

I moved house in February 2016, to a new area where I hardly knew anyone and more to the point nobody knew me! In order to grow and expand my business, I needed to make acquaintances with sufficient of the ‘right people’ in order to quickly build that Know, Like, Trust thats SO important in business.

One person I met was an exceptionally good networker. He was a professional ‘introducer’ and having met and spent some time together, deemed I was indeed worthy of being introduced to a number of his local contacts.  One of these was My John Dalziel, Deputy Principal at Hulme Grammar School, and National Governance Leader for the National College for Teaching and Leadership. We met, exchanged a few hours conversation and I was invited to become a voluntary business mentor for the region as part of the Youth Enterprise Awards!

I must admit to having not previous heard of the Youth Enterprise Awards, and had not originally set out to become a voluntary business mentor to a school business team!  But Richard Branson’s quote rings forever true in my consciousness and so I said YES.

Over the coming months I spend a number of hours working in a number of local schools and colleges supporting various YEA teams with the business planning, product design, marketing, financing, and general business progression.  It involved a number of hours, all voluntary and all part of the working day, which determined I had less availability to take on board more paid employment as a Business Mentor and Growth Strategist, but; I was intrigued by the learnings, idea’s consideration and at times naivety of the youth teams, which inspired me to continue to make the necessary diary amendments to see the project through.

In May 2016 I was invited to be the MC at the Regional Finals and watch one of the teams I had mentored win, and go through to the National Finals!  I also got to see first hand the competition they had been up against and see how much all teams had developed both personally and professionally over the school year.

In June 2016 I was a VIP guest at the National Finals in London and watched as numerous teams from all over the UK competed to determine who had the best entrepreneurial youth business of 2016.  The standard was exceptional, the work, effort, learnings that had come through to achieve was a privilege to be a part of and the elation as the winning team was announced breath taking.

But then it was over, back to work, business as usual!…..

Or was it? You see throughout the significant amount of voluntary work I’d done, I build relationships. I built relationships with the youth teams sure, but I also built relationships with teachers, heads of departments, head teachers.  And through this I was also introduced to parents, partners of teachers, the PTA, the school governors!

In the 6 months that followed, I also won. Not an award, but the recognition and trust of those around the awards, those in some way connected to them, either through the sponsors, or promotors or parents and schools, and it is through these connections that I’ve subsequently been invited to Judge at the National Education Awards.

Having sifted through countless applications, regional finalists and national finalists at both GCSE, A Level, Degree and Vocational Qualification level, I am most reassured our future entrepreneurs and business owners are going to be awesome.

I only hope this blog, has inspired you to think again about your purpose!  What are you doing it all for?  It can’t just be about the cash!  It has to be that you have a higher purpose than money.  If you give to hundreds and thousands, you shall be rewarded with hundreds and thousands.

There is NO greater return, than the gift of giving”