Be passionate and put your heart into your business but don’t let ego get in the way.

That’s the message from top businesswoman Rowena Bird, one of the speakers at the Entrepreneur Summit 2019 being held in Bournemouth on October 17.

The co-founder of Dorset success story Lush told dorsetbiznews: “To succeed in business you must have passion and really put your heart into it. There’s no place for being lacklustre.

“But you must also not let your ego get in the way.

“Employ people better than you. After all, you’ll always be the boss.

“Above all, build a team with each member having different skill sets.”

Entrepreneur Piers Linney, pictured left, is headlining the event.

He has a professional background in law and investment banking and is a non-executive director of British Business Banking, the economic development bank owned by HM Government.

In the year to March 31, more than 89,000 businesses were benefiting from £6.6bn of finance supported by the bank.

Mr Linney said it was important that owners were objective about their businesses.

“Be ruthless, if necessary. Don’t let things drift. if it’s not working then do something,” he added.

Other speakers at the summit, hosted by Bournemouth PR agency Sunny Bird PR and business podcaster Alex Chisnall, include:

• Camilla Ainsworth, the youngest ever finalist of the hit TV show, The Apprentice.
• Timothy Armoo, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fanbytes.
• Hannah Anderson, Director of Social & Creative at Media Chain
• Cemal Ezel, Founder of Change Please
• Alan and Juliet Barratt, the husband and wife team behind sports nutrition start-up, Grenade.

The one-day event, at Bournemouth’s Hilton Hotel, also includes an audience Q&A session with an expert media panel from across the print, digital and social spectrum.

Sunny Bird, Managing Director and Founder of Sunny Bird PR, said: “We work with brands every day and have watched them grow from one-man-bands to multi-million businesses with an international reach. We know all too well the hard graft that it takes.

“This event will shed some light on how to navigate that journey and help businesses connect with their target audiences in an entertaining and engaging way.”

Mr Chisnall said: “Start-ups are my passion and giving them every opportunity to succeed is important to me.

“Working on this event, alongside Sunny Bird PR, gives us the chance to reach more people than ever before and, hopefully, give brands the tools and inspiration they need to grow.”

Fewer than 20 tickets are left for the summit. More details at www.sunnybirdpr.com

The event is part of the BOMO Festival which takes place in Bournemouth during September and October each year.