Hey! Here’s what’s happening in the Enterprise Nation community this week
Community Ambassador Catherine Erdly is bringing product founders together for a virtual Start, Stop, Continue Retail Roundtable. Local Leader Jarmila Yu will host a night of art and entrepreneurship at Kaizen Fine Art in Surrey, and we’re heading to UAL Peckham to explore what it really takes to build a start-up that’s ethical, fundable and built to last.
What the community are saying 🗣️
This week, the community shares tips on winning public-sector tenders, HR expert Lauren is looking for feedback on a product nearing launch, and ahead of an upcoming L&L, we want to know which small-business tasks you’d most like to automate or speed up.
💬 “I built an HR Companion for founders doing their own hiring. Would you pull it apart for me?” Lauren
Member spotlight: Tihara Smith 👚
“I'm Tihara, a fashion designer and textile artist based in London, and the founder of Tihara Smith.
I specialise in raffia embroidery, a craft inspired by my Caribbean heritage and the story of the Windrush Generation.
Through my brand, I try to bring people a little piece of the Caribbean, whether that's through a bespoke raffia embroidered piece, a workshop, an embroidery kit you can make at home, or a greeting card.
Alongside designing and making, I also teach raffia embroidery workshops for individuals, groups and corporate teams.
In 2026 I published my first book, Raffia Embroidery: Vibrant Designs Inspired by the Caribbean, with Search Press.”
Upcoming events timetable 🎟️
Today I The Retail Roundtable
30 Sep I South West London online meet-up
1 Oct I Northamptonshire online meet-up
1 Oct I Do you really want to go viral?
5 Oct I South Yorkshire online meet-up
5 Oct I North East online meet-up
6 Oct I Nottinghamshire online meet-up
6 Oct I East Midlands online meet-up
Explore how AI can help you get more done without adding headcount 🤖
On the session we’ll be running a live demo based on real workflows submitted by attendees. If you would like to submit a task you'd love to automate or speed up, you can do that here.
Think: chasing approvals, writing reports, logging customer queries or following up with leads.
Grant opportunity for 18-24 year old entrepreneurs! 🚀
The Enterprise Nation Next Generation Grant is giving one aspiring young entrepreneur aged 18–24 the chance to turn their business dream into a reality!
🏆 One lucky winner will receive:
💰 A £1,500 grant to help start their business
📣 6 hours of mentoring with an experienced entrepreneur
Simply fill in the short application form below and tell us why your business deserves the boost, or share with someone who you think could benefit! Grant closes 12th October at 23:59.
Freelancer Magazine: 23rd issue 📖
The 23rd issue of Freelancer Magazine, Goals & Growth, lands on 7th October.
Expect the usual mix of real freelancer stories, practical business advice, and positivity without the fluff.
Find out more about The Freelancer Magazine Club at freelancermagazine.co.uk
Win a $200,000 start-up fund in 30 seconds
Have a brilliant product you want to take to the world? The Alibaba.com CoCreate Pitch is coming to Europe and it’s your chance to get in front of one of the world’s biggest e-commerce platforms and win a $200,000 start-up fund in 30 seconds.
That’s all for today 👋
We’ll be back on Wednesday with The Founder newsletter. If you want to feature in an upcoming Community Catch-up, reply to this email.