Just like Christmas, Global Entrepreneurship Week comes around ever so quickly every year! I usually find myself, on the Monday of GEW, quickly trying to book myself into events so I don’t miss out. It’s the first year that I have managed to get a good balance of hosting events and attending. GEW really is an entrepreneurs dream – but do you really take full advantage? Don’t do a Jodie and miss out year on year. First action, put it in the diary for next year – 18th to 24th November 2019.

So, why is it so important? It’s a week not only celebrating entrepreneurs but providing a huge amount of tools and resources to help you start, scale and succeed (and most events are completely free which is always handy as an entrepreneur).

This week alone I have an array of fab events booked in. I have just finished at the NACUE Varsity Pitch Finals – 7 budding entrepreneurs pitched to win £10,000 and boy did they smash it! I see entrepreneurs pitch on a daily basis but I was so impressed with these student entrepreneurs either at university or fresh out. WASE Technology, the overall winner, had a strong pitch but what I loved was the social impact the company bought to the table – most of the finalists had a social impact element which was really positive to see – whether helping those with diabetes, children to swim or even a new catheter design to make life more comfortable and safe for those who need to use one.

Tomorrow it’s the Great British Entrepreneur Awards to celebrate the success of a few brave enough to give it a go (although a huge kudos to you all!) In the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator we have Mentor events, Intrapreneurial events (helping those in NatWest be more Intrapreneurial) and the list goes on. Not to forget work with the Global Entrepreneurship Network.

This post isn’t to show off that I actually got my ass in gear this year (although I’m pretty damn pleased with myself!) It’s to show you that there’s so much out there to help and guide you on your journey – don’t sit at home and struggle. The entrepreneurial rollercoaster can be exciting but also challenging – you aren’t alone! Reach out and you won’t regret it! Action 2? Follow #GEW2018 on Twitter so see what support you can get.

Happy Global Entrepreneurship Week!