The Friday Hub is Shropshire’s biggest, regular, FREE, business networking event. Every Friday 9.15-10.15am

How to prioritise

If I only had more time! In this week's Friday Hub, we'll revisit an age old subject to help us get more done and to be more effective. How we prioritise is, to a large degree, common sense, so why aren't we as good at it as we should be! Well the answer is simple, we don't have enough time!

This can be a dangerous circular argument that, if unchecked, can cause huge pressure and ultimately burn-out and leave us scarred and full of regret and long term unhappiness. The good news is that it doesn't need to be this way. Luckily, we're all smart people and can achieve so much more if we just remember to put first things first!

As usual there are plenty of opportunities to meet others and discover the power of sharing and solving together - this is a gentle and light-hearted yet business focussed group where you can be sure to finish your week on a high...

"Good things happen when you bring good people together"

You can register here if you've not before https://bit.ly/G2G1FriHub

The next face to face event is on the 26th May in Bridgnorth.  Find out more and register:

https://good-2-great-8499938.hs-sites.com/friday-hub-roadshow

You can hear Johnny explaining what the Friday Hub is all about here: https://vimeo.com/734666973/437b29363c

Louise Madeley, founder of Madeley’s First Aid Plus in Much Wenlock, recently celebrated winning a prestigious business award and attributes much of her success to the help she received from the Marches Growth Hub Shropshire.

Louise’s company was awarded the ‘West Midlands best Start-up Business of the Year’ by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) earlier this year. The awards celebrate the achievements and resilience of small to medium sized enterprises across the UK.

Madeley’s First Aid Plus was founded in 2021 and, in a short time, has established itself as a leading supplier of comprehensive First Aid Training

Winning the West Midlands award means that Louise has now secured a place in the UK final with the chance to be crowned the UK small Business of the Year.

In setting up her business and taking those first few vital steps, Louise was grateful for the invaluable help and guidance she received from the Marches Growth Hub Shropshire.

“I believe my business is on such a firm footing partly because of the great support I received from Emma and Anna at the Marches Growth Hub Shropshire.

I attended a number of free seminars organised by the Growth Hub that taught me how to utilise social media.  They also put me in touch with the team at Good2Great who specialise in guiding businesses through those first few vital stages of setting up and running a business.

The Growth Hub helped me to apply for funding to launch the company and both Emma and Anna were always on hand to help with any questions, or signpost me to further help or advice.

I couldn’t have started this company without their help and support, so thank you again!”

Madeley’s First Aid Plus provides customised training for businesses and individuals led by Louise herself, an experienced former A&E/ITU Nursing Sister and former Advanced Clinical Practitioner.

Louise’s training covers both physical and mental health and there are even courses for children of 8+ in her ‘Mini Medics’ programme.

Emma Chapman of the Marches Growth Hub Shropshire commented,

‘It was great news to hear that Louise had won such a prestigious award and that she believes we played a part in helping her to achieve that. Our aim is to help companies to start up, grow and thrive and so it’s great to hear of their successes because it’s a great success for us too.”

If you are company based in Shropshire looking for free help and support or funding, the Marches Growth Hub Shropshire can help. Please visit  https://www.investinshropshire.co.uk/relocating-and-investing/business-support/

This week (15 - 21 May) is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme this year, set by the Mental Health Foundation, is anxiety.

Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems and can be caused by prolonged stress at work.

A report by Deloitte estimates that the total annual cost of poor mental health to employers has increased by 25% since 2019, costing UK employers up to £56 billion a year.

Whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, the law requires all employers to prevent work-related stress to support good mental health in the workplace by including it in your risk assessment.

HSE's Working Minds campaign aims to help businesses and workers prevent work-related stress. You can access the following related resources:

• a poster with Working Minds 5 simple steps (.pdf)
• a round up of campaign resources available (.pdf)
• a risk assessment template

HSE's Talking Toolkit for practical step-by-step guidance in speaking to workers about preventing work-related stress