Superheroes battle it out

ENTREPRENUERS have championed Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Iron Man and even Bananaman in a bid to share insights into running a successful business.

East Yorkshire’s For Entrepreneurs Only (FEO) group battled it out at the University of Hull as part of Humber Business Week to reveal the strengths and weaknesses they feel everyone should learn from when it comes to running a business.

Championing Iron Man, the winner of Superhero Battle Royal was Chris Birkett, co-founder of Hull-based FanFrames, which manufactures designer glasses for top Premier League teams. He said that in business, you’ve got to “put on your business suit – your business head to make the right decisions”. “It’s about making the right decisions. We made some poor decisions in the first year, and if you just jump on anything you will, but once you start making the right ones, you will succeed,” he said. FanFrames is set to break the £1m turnover barrier this year, after launching almost fours years ago.

Entrepreneur Clare Bennett of Pole 4 Fitness, chose Elastic Woman as her superhero. “Elastic Woman can change shape – the economy or the weather can have a massive effect on your business. The ability to change shape can be the difference between success and failure. She can also expand – business growth, more products, more departments, but know your limits – make sure you are able to delegate.”

Graeme Pittaway managing director of fourth-generation family decorating business, Pittaway & Son, championed Nick Fury from the Avengers.  “His secret to success- he’s very handy at picking a team and leading them to get a job done,” Pittaway said. “It is about putting the right people in your business. People are one of your biggest assets. Once you’re surrounded by great people and know how to lead them, you can annihilate the competition.”

Founder of the Gadget Shop, Jonathan Elvidge, got behind Weeble Man. “When you start in business you are going to get knocked back. The secret of success – getting up just one more time,” he said. Meanwhile, managing director of marketing group Strawberry championed Future Man. “The future is where we are all going and belongs to the people that have planned for it today. Don’t underestimate what’s going to happen in the next ten years,” he said.

 

Close