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Rob Hingston

by Rob Hingston / Managing Director

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12th Feb 2019

Mentoring isn’t just for start-ups. Juggling the huge responsibilities involved with running a business can sometimes make it difficult to see the wood for the trees, so it can be beneficial for growing businesses to share their journey with a mentor.

Colin Berry approached Origin Workspace for advice with taking his Street Defence school to the next level. Although he came to us with specific objectives, it soon became clear there were other elements of the business that could be strengthened in order for those targets to be realised more efficiently.

With the help from Origin Startup I have also started tackling areas of marketing and web design which I had never done before. I have met with marketing, web and finance specialists and found all this advice invaluable, as these are areas I have no training in.

We caught up with Colin to share more about how mentoring has supported the growth of Street Defence.

What drew you to the Origin Workspace start-up package?

I was excited how Origin Workspace offered a complete package and could help me fill in the blanks my business was missing. Working with Origin Workspace made me rethink many areas of my business and where I wanted to take it in the next five years.

This was what impressed me most with the support I received, my mentors helped analyse parts of my business which had been overlooked, or areas that could have been improved. The first step was to make the product air tight with all gaps covered. Now I am at the stage of launching the business owner package in 2019.

Can you share some of the progress you’ve made since beginning this journey?

I knew that I needed to get my instructor course endorsed with EMD UK, and my Origin Workspace mentor helped me complete all of the paperwork that was needed for that. It’s been a major turning point as I now have the certificates and foundations in place to grow the training aspects of my business.

With the help from Origin Startup I have also started tackling areas of marketing and web design which I had never done before. I have met with marketing, web and finance specialists and found all this advice invaluable, as these are areas I have no training in. This has helped my business grow to where it is now.

Can you give a shout out to any of the mentors/facilitators you have worked with?

I have been working with Rob Hingston who has been amazing. He immediately showed me the areas of my business that needed work and how to move forward. I feel that I am where I am now thanks to Rob’s work over this last year.

If you have a service or product that you want to take to the next level, I would recommend joining Origin Startup straight away! They will help improve all the areas of your business that need work and give your business the best chance of success.

Origin Workspace is again on the lookout for six lucky Bristol-based entrepreneurs or small businesses, who will each be provided with £18,000-worth of dedicated mentoring, office space, training and networking opportunities to turn their business dreams into a reality. Hopeful applicants can sign up to a pitch session here to present an executive summary of their ideas and vision.

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