The Future of Your Business



Welcome to the Converge Challenge Podcast. This time it’s all about the next steps.

In the last episode you heard how it felt to go through the final of a business competition, and what it meant to win for our four entrepreneurs. But after that win, what next?

Money & Advice: The Lifeblood of New Businesses

I want to find out what they did with the money, for example – that seems pretty important. But, just as important is the professional advice. You see, winners are matched up with accountants, legal teams and a lot more – what did our four heroes learn from that in the year following their win.

For that matter, what did they learn in general, when they took those next steps? Because now, of course, the competition is over – it’s time to actually get to work. Time to run that business. And that’s when the learning begins in earnest.

So, let’s learn from their experience – from the good ones, and the bad ones. Starting with that lifeblood of the business, cash. Whether you get it through a competition, through investment or through a loan – what does that first chunk of cash mean for a new business?

What are YOUR Next Steps?

For our four entrepreneurs, their aim is scale. It’s the holy grail, for many others too. That means attracting millions to your vision – of users, of revenue, of profit. And building that worldwide brand. A company that changes the world. That’s the crazy thing, we’ve actually seen that done in our lifetime, in far shorter than our lifetime, and by students in their dorm rooms. Anything’s possible. With the right idea.

If that’s your aim, then Converge is a brilliant first step. Explore the website to find out more about the competition and to speak to the team about your idea.

Thanks again for listening to the show. That finishes up our first series of 4 episodes, but we’ll be back for more in the future. Get in touch with the converge team to let us know what you’d like to hear more of on the next season. If you’ve enjoyed the season, make sure you subscribe so you get future episodes automatically. Just search converge challenge on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. And if you really enjoyed it, the best thing you can do to help us help more people is review and rate the show in the same place

The show was created by ThePodcastHost.com for the Converge Challenge. Many thanks to our four Entrepreneurs who provided the advice and stories on this episode – you heard Adam Brown, Chris Leburn, Susanne Mitschke and Rebecca Pick. And the show was narrated by me, Colin Gray. Thanks again for listening, and we’ll see you out there.


Pitching for Investment



Welcome to the Converge Challenge Podcast. Last time we got into pitch preparation, but this time it’s time to deliver. We’re going to find out what it takes to present a great investor pitch.

Pitch Perfect

Our four entrepreneurs have made it to the big Converge final now – the last hurdle is to get in front of a team of judges and sell their idea. Not over 60 seconds this time either, but 10 minutes, and that’s followed by plenty of time for questions.

So, we’re going to delve deeper into how to prepare, how to calm the nerves, what they learned from the judges feedback and how it felt to win the competition.

By the end of this episode, you’ll be all set to deliver you own, for the Converge Challenge or otherwise. And hopefully you’ll feel a lot more calm about it.

What’s Next?

Always remember, if you need a bit of help with your idea, feel free to start by knocking on the Converge Challenge’s door. Or, maybe the website, at least to begin with. Contact us and find out how you can speak to the team about your business, or how to apply for the next challenge.

Don’t worry, though, we’ve more for you here too. On the next episode we’ll be delving right into what the companies did with the cash prize and the support after the challenge. What did they learn once the real work began?

Thanks for listening to the show – if you’ve enjoyed it, make sure you subscribe so you get future episodes automatically. Just search converge challenge on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. And if you really enjoyed it, I’d really appreciate a review in the same place. Statistics show that people who review podcasts get asked much easier questions in pitches. Honest

The show was created by ThePodcastHost.com for the Converge Challenge. Many thanks to our four Entrepreneurs who provided the advice and stories on this episode – you heard Adam Brown, Chris Leburn, Susanne Mitschke and Rebecca Pick. And the show was narrated by me, Colin Gray. Thanks again for listening, and we’ll see you on the next one.


From idea to implementation



Welcome to the Converge Challenge Podcast, and thanks for coming back for our 2nd episode. This time around we’ll be digging into the next stage in the journey as our four entrepreneurs go from idea to implementation.

Early Lessons and Pitch Practice

You’ll remember, last time we talked about the catalyst – the real starting point – from that initial idea through to the first steps in making it real. Now, we’re going to see what they learned during that shift that might help you in making your own idea a reality.

Some of this focusses around one of the most exciting parts of the Converge process – It’s an event that brings together 30 converge finalists for 3 days of intense training where they learn as much as the training team can cram into their heads about starting, running and growing a business. Then, we move to pitch preparation. Pitches are one of the most terrifying, and exhilarating, parts of growing a startup. What preparation can you make to be more successful in pitches, from competitions to investor meetings?

Where to Get More Help

I hope you get some starting points from the advice during the episode, but if you need more, you know where to go. Why not speak to the team about your idea today!

What’s Next?

We’ve got a lot more for you on the show, too, though. This time we looked into how to pitch your business – that was really focussed on customers or partners, but next time, our 4 entrepreneurs will be pitching to real live investors. And not just for 60 seconds this time, all with the aim of winning the converge prize. We’ll find out what they learned about making their business more attractive to investors, and what they did once they got the money.

Thanks for listening to the show – if you’ve enjoyed it, make sure you subscribe so you get future episodes automatically. Just search converge challenge on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. And if you really enjoyed it, I’d really appreciate a review in the same place. Feel free to sneak in a wee pitch for your business – you never know who might see it there!

The show was created by ThePodcastHost.com for the Converge Challenge. Profuse thanks to our four Entrepreneurs who provided the advice and stories on this episode – you heard Adam Brown, Chris Leburn, Susanne Mitschke and Rebecca Pick. And the show was narrated by me, Colin Gray. Thanks again for listening, and we’ll see you on the next one.


The Infamous Idea



On this episode, we’re covering the ‘infamous idea’. That includes the background of our four role models, how they came up with their idea, where they looked for help in those early days and how they managed to find the nerve to take that first step. It’s funny that, no matter the back story, the catalyst, the end result, they just did it. Anyone can. Including you. It’s just down to taking those first steps. And if you need a bit of help, the Converge Team are there for you. Speak to the team about your idea today!

What’s Next?

We’ve got a lot more for you on the show, too, though. This episode is all about the beginnings, how it started. On the next episode, we’ll be looking at what they learned once things started moving, including one of the most scary bits of starting a business – the pitch. It’s something everyone’s got to learn, from pitching customers to investors. And our four problem solvers will tell you all they learned about it.

Thanks for listening to the show – if you’ve enjoyed it, make sure you subscribe so you get future episodes automatically. Just search converge challenge on Apple Podcasts. If you enjoyed it, I’d really appreciate a review in the same place. Think of it as good karma – every little helps if you’re jumping into a business idea.

The show was created by ThePodcastHost.com for the Converge Challenge. Many thanks to our intrepid entrepreneurs who provided the advice and stories on this episode – you heard Adam Brown, Chris Leburn, Susanne Mitschke and Rebecca Pick. And the show was narrated by me, Colin Gray. Thanks again for listening, and we’ll see you on the next one.