The borough’s businesses, big and small, gathered at the town hall today for the first annual Redbridge Means Business expo.
More than 30 stalls were set up by different groups, covering everything from cashflow protection to the most recent trading standards laws.
The free event also offered business owners a chance to get free advice from a number of specialist speakers, ranging from advice on how to run a successful start-up, from the manager of Natwest’s regional enterprise team, to a workshop on public speaking, led by Christen Media’s Steve Baker.
Sophia Hubs, a Redbridge-wide support agency for start-up businesses in the borough, had a stall set up at the event and the Recorder was lucky enough to get a few moments with the agency’s co-ordinator, Ros Southern.
She said: “This has been a great opportunity for us to help connect people trying to get a foot on the ladder with those people that can help them.
“The fact that so many of the need-to-know contacts in the borough – us, the chamber of commerce, the enterprise team – are all here is a massive boost.”
Ms Southern also thought the expo was a fantastic tool for Redbridge residents to sound out their future business plans.
She said: “I’ve met some really interesting people with some fascinating ideas today.
“Not all of them are brilliant and some are going to need years of work before they can take off, but hopefully we’ve been able to steer them in the right direction.”
For the full report on today’s Redbridge Means Business expo, pick up a copy of next week’s Recorder.
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