The Entrepreneurship Debate: You either have it or you don’t

Brighton is a city that has been hailed as the startup capital of the UK. Nearly 20% of people who live and work here are self-employed, and we’re home to well-known businesses that have boomed and scaled rapidly in recent years – Brandwatch, IMEX and Paxton. We’re a city that prides itself on its entrepreneurial spirit (amongst other things) - but when it comes to entrepreneurship, is it something you can really learn, or is it something you’re born with?

At our next Big Debate, we’re asking whether entrepreneurship is an instinct – a mix of creativity, resilience and risk-taking that can’t be taught – or something we can teach with the right tools, networks and education to take a leap?

Can formal training prepare you for the (sometimes messy) reality of running a business? Do lived experiences – from cultural backgrounds to personal setbacks – play a bigger role in shaping entrepreneurial success? What about all the businesses that fail? And what can Brighton, with its unique mix of talent, diversity and ideas, teach us about the future of entrepreneurship?

Join us on 20 November, 5.00-7.00pm at BHASVIC and hear from a panel of people who have all taken different routes when it comes to being, or supporting, entrepreneurs and bring your own experience to the debate – whether that’s running your own business or being part of one and running an entrepreneurial team.

We’ll look at how the creative sector is well placed to help with some of the challenges facing cities like climate change; social isolation; even growth and expansion – plus look beyond Brighton to other cities that have harnessed and embraced a different way of solving problems and nurturing creativity.

Join us on 20 November to contribute your ideas, perspectives and knowledge while you listen and learn from others with an open mind.

Chaired by Gary Bishop, CEO of Arch Healthcare. Panel to be announced soon.

About the Big Debate

Lively, topical and challenging, the Big Debate looks at the topics that are important to businesses right now in our city – attracting over 100 people from the business, charity, corporate and public sectors – including key stakeholders across Brighton & Hove’s business landscape.

FAQs

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Places are limited, and events are usually oversubscribed. Please give two working days’ notice via email if you are no longer able to attend.

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The Big Debate is open to both members and non-members of the Chamber.

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Photography by Beth Wild.