Business commitment to improving lives

Our latest Business Breakfast took place on Thursday October 12, at the offices of chartered surveyors Bennington Green in Avenue Road, the Pagoda, something of a Bournemouth landmark.

As ever, a huge range of issues were addressed in just an hour, giving a fascinating insight into the levy paying businesses that took part and their views on the way ahead for Bournemouth town centre.

A key theme was social entrepreneurship which empowers the community and provides a real opportunity to focus on health and well-being. One contributor said one of the most important motivations in their approach to business was changing lives rather than simply making money.

Other themes included focusing on what you are good at, balancing diversification with not trying to do everything, understanding the difference between price and value, taking good advice from those around you, and using skills and expertise to help people ‘fall back in love with Bournemouth.’

BID Chief Operating Officer, Paul Kinvig, said: “We have hosted many of these Business Breakfasts in the past two years and each one offers something new, insightful and challenging.

“In terms of understanding what our businesses are thinking and how we can help, they are unquestionably one of the most important things we do.”

He added: “It’s also really reassuring to realise there are so many businesses in our community that are interested in what they can do for others.”