More forum activity & meets

[Labno]

Hello,
I am Adam and i live in the Merseyside area.I have been looking for a site like this for a while (I'll post a proper introduction soon)
My question is how can we make this forum a little more active? & also When is the next meet and how can we arrange more meet ups on a regular basis, i am desperate to be involved in a local network of Entrepreneurs but at the moment the numbers seem a little thin....Any ideas guys?

[Will]

Hi Adam and welcome to the forum,

It's a good question and I think the forum could be more active however, forums can be difficult to get going until they reach a critical mass with enough active members to keep the momentum going.

Also, with the forum being aimed at smaller businesses, members tend not to have the time to participate which is a shame as there's obviously some interest from businesses in the Merseyside area.

The meet-ups were also stopped due to the same reasons.

That's not to say that we can't improve the situation!

If there's enough interest then I'll ask the people who used to attend the meet-ups regularly if they'd like to restart them. I don't know if they stop by any more so I'd contact them directly.

So, is there anyone else interested in a Liverpool-based meet-up?

[Labno]

I think the problem lies within the attitudes of our society.I visit a lot of American Entrepreneur forums which are buzzing full of small business owners who seldom visit the forums to network.I think it lies within the attitudes of the U.K and like many people say we (U.K) fail to embrace what the Sloan brothers of Startup Nation call 'the golden age of entrepreneurialism' The Americans arent afraid to fail but in the u.k we are'nt encouraged and taught how failure is only a learning curve.Many people dont realise the oppurtunities out there to make a job instead of just taking a job and working for 'the man' as they call it.This is through-out the U.K as well as regionally on Merseyside.Maybe if this 'golden age' was made more aware and preached to a young age at school there would be more people succeeding in start ups,and then maybe the forum would be a little busier.

Just my thoughts! But how can we make Entrepreneurialism more aware on Merseyside?Does anyone have any ideas?

I had an idea that we could Raise it as a subject on the Pete Price show on Radiocity 96.7.He is always asking people to sugest subject for nightly shows.I think it would be a good idea to raise awareness for this Forum to generate activity, Entreprenurialism in general and your Business if you ring up and explain how you started up and give your views on the subject (And of course a few plugs)

What do people think?

Labno

[Will]

Some interesting thoughts, Adam. Personally, I spend a lot of time in the, primarily American driven, Internet marketing world where the entrepreneurs chase the dream of being their own boss and making more than a living through passive income.

I find that people in the UK tend to be more sceptical about doing business on the Internet. I've no doubt that our society is a major influence on that behaviour. It's like the saying goes, "what happens in America today will happen in the UK tomorrow" or something along those lines.

I like your enthusiasm and your idea about approaching Radio City is interesting, but I feel that the forum as it stands isn't ready to offer much more than a staging ground for people to discuss.

There are already several larger, more established forums covering a similar niche. Not that I'm wanting to discourage this forum from growing, but such a thing would take a lot of commitment to nurture.

[Labno]

True it would take alot of commitment, are you a member of any more established forums, any recomendations?

[Will]

I tend to frequent Internet marketing forums so you're more likely to have better a chance of finding more active forums here (http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=uk+small+business+forum) and here (http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=uk+business+forum). I'm registered across a number of those that appear on the first pages of both searches, but it really depends on what you're looking to get out of the forums.

[michael]

Great thread guys,

I think the differences between the UK and U.S are intrigueing for sure, i definitly feel that it would only benifit SME's and start ups in the UK if they were prepared to embrace that which is already available to them for free i.e. making good use of business forums such as this one!