Ask René: Calling all London Entrepreneurs!

Survival Toolkit Series: Never Say Die
René Carayol, David Gold, Sally Preston & Sky Andrew

The Drill Hall Theatre, London, WC1
Monday 1st June 2009
6.30pm to 9.30pm
£49 (+VAT)

When it comes to businesses, and especially entrepreneurs, the difference between the winners and the losers is that the winners never give up.

As we find ourselves in extraordinary and unprecedented times it is becoming increasingly critical to reinforce, reinvent and refocus. In short, it is a time to never say die; no historical mega-fortune was ever made outside of a recession.

In the first of the “Ask René” Survival Toolkit Series, acclaimed business guru René Carayol will be interviewing live on stage three self-made entrepreneurs who have tasted both soaring success and bitter failure, after making the leap of faith from the mainstream to the world of entrepreneurialism.

All three are ready to share the secrets of their success, their sustainability and their transformation as René gears up to ask the questions that nobody has dared ask before.

And if René doesn’t ask what you want to hear, then you can. In the intimate setting of London’s Drill Hall theatre, it is a unique chance to get up close and personal with three of Britain’s most unforgettable entrepreneurs.

When it comes to Britain’s most successful businessmen, few come higher or more well respected than David Gold. Worth over £550 million and a regular feature on the Sunday Times Rich List, Gold is the chairman and co-owner of recently promoted Birmingham City Football Club and chairman of Gold Group International, incorporating the likes of Ann Summers and Knickerbox. His rise to prominence has been an incredible one and is a true rags to riches tale.

Brought up in East London in extreme poverty, David started out helping his mother sell buttons from a stall outside their house. After converting their front room into a card and sweet shop he went on to run a book store in Charing Cross, which set the foundations for an eventual expansion into publishing, printing and distribution.

Now living in a mansion in Surrey set in 55 acres with its own private golf course, helipad and runway, he has quite literally “been there, done that” and risen from the bottom to the top of British business.

Sky Andrew represented Great Britain at Table Tennis in the Seoul Olympics and won three career Commonwealth gold medals before becoming the first licensed black football agent. In 2001 he negotiated one of the biggest and most high profile transfers of its time when Sol Campbell joined Arsenal from Tottenham Hotspur. He won a Barclays Bank “Man of Merit” award in 2002 and was named BEA Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003.

Sally Preston went from the safety of an illustrious career at Marks & Spencer to becoming the inspirational Managing Director and founder of the frozen baby food phenomenon Babylicious.

All are thriving in the downturn. But all had to learn how to do it the hard way.

With only 200 seats available in the Drill Hall theatre, book early to avoid disappointment for the first in the essential Survival Toolkit series; it might just help get YOUR business back on track in the downturn.