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There was a tangible buzz of excitement as one walked into the main
banquet hall at the Business Link for London Entrepreneurship event on
the morning of the 19th of November. No surprises: this year’s
event was the biggest ever, with some 1000 small business attending to
take advantage of speeches by some of the UK’s top entrepreneurs,
workshops on issues relevant to small businesses, and – of course – a
fantastic networking forum.
After an introduction by Judith Rutherford, Chief Executive of Business
Link for London, Sir Gulam Noon, President of the London Chamber of
Commerce & Industry, gave a short speech during which he raised the
question: are entrepreneurs born or made? Although Noon came out on the
“made” side of the debate, he also noted that entrepreneurs need to be
creative and work hard and – perhaps most importantly - be in the right
place at the right time.
Perhaps a perfect example of this is Simon Woodroffe, founder, owner and
driving force behind YO! Sushi – and the guest speaker for the
“inspirational breakfast” at the event.
The right time and place for Woodroffe was in 1997 when he bumped into a
Japanese friend who suggested he set up a conveyor belt sushi restaurant with girls
in black miniskirts. He didn’t do the miniskirts, but he did set up the
first conveyor restaurant some two years later – and the rest is YO!
History. Twelve restaurants and three bars are dotted throughout London, and YO! Sushi plans another six openings next year.
What, then, were Woodroffe’s words of advice for the entrepreneurs gathered
at the event? “Successful people learn to stay a little uncomfortable –
it helps make your circle bigger”.
Woodroffe himself came from a
background in the music industry where he essentially introduced the
concept of “rock productions” – combining show business with concerts.
His list of clients includes names such as Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart
and LiveAid…but after a while, he decided to leave the music business
and go into television, selling rights. “But I missed the creativity of
having an idea and seeing it happen”, Woodroffe says of these years in
media. So, after considering several different ideas and having the
fateful conversation with his Japanese friend, he decided to take the
first big step towards building the YO! Sushi Empire. He picked up the
phone and began his research. Unbelievably, he almost immediately
hit upon a Japanese government agency that could give him most of the
facts that he needed about existing conveyor belt (kaiten) sushi
restaurants in Japan – including details of how to set one up and
estimated costs! “It was incredible”, he said of the experience. “All of
a sudden it seemed possible.
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“Remember: the successful don’t go around succeeding all day. In
fact sometimes it’s better to take the time to go up the wrong paths
so that when you do get to market, you have a product that makes a
people go: wow!”. |
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But then my inner voice kicked in, saying:
‘If it’s such a great idea, how come no one else is doing it?’ Then the
other inner voice kicked in….. ‘Simon, you could be a millionaire!’
Luckily, I’ve been around enough to know that both of these inner voices
should be listened to in moderation. The trick at that juncture in
the process is to just do the research – this usually answers the question
of whether it’s a good idea or not”. |
Another tip from Woodroffe was to “act as if”. By this, he explained,
you act as a person who was going to do the things you wanted to do –
often the mindset you need to get started or to break a period of
inertia. “Remember: the successful don’t go around succeeding all day. In fact sometimes it’s better to take the time to go up the wrong
paths so that when you do get to market, you have a product that makes a
people go: wow!”.
The UK, added Woodroffe, needs people who are revolutionaries; people
who can think of real change. “Even the most imaginative people have
difficulties imagining what will be 10 years from now”, he explained.
“But to really think differently, you need to use ‘Imagined Hindsight’ –
project 100 years ahead and try to think of what people will think of
what we’re doing now then.”
On
a parting note, Woodroffe introduced what his own personal mantra for
success: CAN I – Constant and Never-ending Innovation. Certainly, this
seems to have worked for YO! Sushi, which has branched from its original
sushi bar concept to casual bar spaces (complete with karaoke-singing
waitresses, self-serve beer and masseurs on-demand). Other concepts,
such as YOTEL – a low cost, city centre, highly innovative alternative
to the conventional hotel and Body YO! - a Japanese health spa concept,
look set to be the next YO! Extensions.
“I’ve never met anyone – regardless of whether they’ve succeeded or
failed – who did what they dreamed of doing and regretted it”, concluded Woodroffe. Certainly, he himself seems to have lived – and continues
living – his dreams in a very successful way.
Formed in 2001, Business Link for London is the Capital’s Arm of
Business Link, an information and advice service for small companies.
The national Business Link network consists of 45 Business Link
operators and is managed by the Small Business Service, the agency
within Government that champions business.
For more information on Business Link, see: www.businesslink.org
For more
information on YO!Sushi, see: www.yosushi.com
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