September news: Important events and a new marketing recruit
Updated: Sep 25
Summer has come and past. To paraphrase Green Day lyrics: “We’re here to wake you up with some important news as September ends”.
The kids are back at school, spooky season and Christmas are around the corner, and we’ve got lots happening at First Enterprise.
From important funding and networking events to new recruits and preparing for Black History Month, there’s lots going on that you should be aware of.
Our October event is nearly here — don’t miss out on your FREE ticket
We feel like a broken record at this point, but honestly, it’s so important you don’t miss out on this wonderful event. It is a fantastic — and FREE — opportunity to network with like-minded business owners, gain insights and advice from finance professionals, and explore how funding could benefit your business long term.
Check out Business Growth & Funding: Practical Insights for Midlands SMEs, taking place on October 15th from 9.30am to 1pm, at the Dryden Enterprise Centre in Nottingham. The event will give you a chance to:
Listen to expert panels and guest speakers
Gain practical lessons around business growth and funding
Benefit from 1-2-1 Funding Clinics with our Investment Managers and Business Advisors
Build a strong network of connections among local business owners and leaders.
Worst case scenario, you come away with a few new contacts and a free lunch. Best case scenario, you discover how to take your business to the next level and unlock long-term success.
Events, events, events — our team are keeping busy, networking across the country
We like to keep our team of Investment Managers and Business Advisors busy. When they’re not handling loan applications or supporting clients, we’ve got them on the road attending funding and networking events across the UK.
Over the past month, our team have attended:
The Coventry Business Buzz networking event
The Rushcliffe Business Partnership event
The Gedling Recruitment Fair in Nottingham
The Business Growth Show at Birmingham City Football Club.
They will also be attending the Creating Connections Conference in Stratford-upon-Avon, an event built around supporting women in business, and the Midlands Business Network Expo 2026 in Solihull — both taking place on Friday the 25th of September.
Yet, the real standout this past month was Ideas Fest.
This two-day festival of finance took place in a field in Hertfordshire with tents, stalls, and service stands set up.
Our Business Advisors and Investment Managers (Lottie Naylor, Zainab Bukhari, Petra Eddison, and Nabeel Akhter) attended the event and also hosted a few expert sessions.
On day one, they hosted ‘Start, build, grow: How finance helped businesses thrive’, a session that focused on how access to the right finance can turn ideas into growing businesses. It featured real stories from Founders who have used finance to launch and grow their businesses.
There was also a panel, 'Better access to finance for female entrepreneurs’, in which our Investment Manager, Lottie Naylor, took part alongside award-winning Financial Confidence Educator Tara Askham. It introduced an honest conversation about removing the barriers women face when accessing business finance. Discussions included:
What better access to finance really looks like
Why support and understanding matters to female founders
What needs to change to empower women entrepreneurs.
Day two maintained the momentum with our 'Funding your future: Using finance to start and scale' session led by our investment team. It explored an important question for any business owner: Is borrowing good or bad for your business?
The answer isn't always straightforward. It depends on how and why finance is being used.
Together, the team explored the difference between good and bad debt, when borrowing can support growth, common funding and cashflow mistakes, and how business owners can assess whether finance could create genuine value for their plans.
Lottie, Zainab, and Nabeel also took to the stage for our second panel at Ideas Fest: 'How to successfully apply for a Business Loan'.
A strong Business Loan application is about far more than completing a form. Our team shared insights into what Investment Managers look for when reviewing submissions, common mistakes that can weaken or slow down an application, and how to present your business plans and financial information clearly and confidently.
As one of the sponsors of this year's event, we were proud to join 6,000 business leaders across 500 sessions, all taking place in one field.
If you want to explore how funding could help your business grow, don't hesitate to get in touch!
Looking forward to Black History Month and supporting minority businesses
October is the UK’s Black History Month, a chance to celebrate the achievements and recognise the struggles of black people across the country.
Across the month, we plan to highlight some of the wonderful black businesses we’ve worked with and helped grow through successful Business Loans and Start Up Loans.
We’re also helping the Nottingham City Council to spread the word about an important event on the horizon.
On Thursday the 8th of October (1pm), Nottingham Central Library will be hosting ‘Doing business well: On black business, wellbeing and life beyond work’.
This free to attend event, doesn’t require any booking. It is being led by Ella Achola, a notable writer and Founder of Espresso Press. Expect an honest and thought-provoking conversation exploring the realities of entrepreneurship, ambition, and quality of life for black people in business and at home.
Some other guest speakers include:
Pamela Abiola, Mindset Coach and Co-Founder of Revive Congo
Jade Koroma, Founder of Essential Woman
Deshaun Hancock, Founder of Bloom & Flow.
Together, the panel will explore:
How your definition of success might evolve over time
The unique opportunities and challenges of Black entrepreneurship
Balancing ambition with wellbeing, rest, and relationships
Navigating setbacks and giving yourself grace when things don't go to plan
Building businesses that create impact without sacrificing yourself in the process
Creating lives and careers that reflect your values, purpose, and aspirations.
Don’t miss out: Book your free place today
Give a warm welcome to Daisy Woodcock, our new Marketing Assistant
We’re always on the lookout for talent to join our growing team at First Enterprise. Daisy recently completed a degree in Marketing at the University of Liverpool. She joined us at the start of September initially as an intern, but we decided we liked her so much that she should stick around long term as our new Marketing Assistant.
Daisy has impressed us with her willingness to get stuck-in and how quickly she’s picked up our systems. She’s already leading the charge with our social media outreach and we’re looking forward to watching her grow into a strong and capable team member over the coming months.
When not at work, Daisy loves a comfort binge, regularly diving back into her favourite TV show Vampire Diaries. We’re sure she’ll enjoy creating some spooky content this October.
Two important work anniversaries to celebrate
Another month, another batch of milestones hit by our incredible team. One of them in particular is incredibly impressive.
Our Head of Finance, Caroline Everett is celebrating an incredible 21 years with First Enterprise, while our departing Marketing Manager Kim Hoang (yes, she's leaving us in October, sad times) marks four years with the team. Two very different milestones, but both a brilliant reminder of the people and experience behind the work we do.
Want to discuss how First Enterprise can help you? Get in touch today
Our team are ready and waiting to hear your story, learn about your business, and explore ways funding might be able to help you reach your long-term goals.
Starting a conversation is simple — get in touch. Reach out to our investment team by completing the form below or by giving us a call at 0345 602 7355.
