Dragons’ Den success story, Ed Hollands, to give keynote speech at The National Franchise Exhibition

The young founder of DrivenMedia will inspire budding entrepreneurs and experienced business owners alike when he headlines the Growing Your Own Business programme on Friday 5 October.

Visitors to the UK’s flagship franchise exhibition on 5 & 6 October at the NEC, Birmingham, will be treated to a comprehensive day of discovery. As well as access to leading franchise brands and expert advice, the Growing Your Own Business conference incorporated within the event will focus on ways to accelerate the growth of both existing and future businesses.

24-year-old Ed Hollands, founder of DrivenMedia which was featured on Dragons’ Den earlier this year, will share his story during an unmissable keynote presentation.  

His unshakeable drive and enterprising spirit resulted in dragon Jenny Campbell investing in Ed’s business in a programme which was aired in February. DrivenMedia creates mobile billboards on commercial trailers for brands, organisations and businesses. Ed came up with the idea while seeing several plain lorries sitting in traffic at a busy roundabout during an early-morning walk.

Before setting up his business in August 2015, Ed studied business studies at the University of Derby.

Ed said: 

“My talk is entitled ‘From the Roadside to Dragons’ Den’. I’m going to be talking about the highs and lows of my business, what I’ve learned, and what I would have done differently given my time again. I’ll also be talking about Dragons’ Den and how to go about pitching for investment, as well as touching on what it’s like to be a young entrepreneur – I get quite a lot of comments like “Is your Dad coming?” when I turn up at meetings.

‘‘I’m really looking forward to speaking at such a prestigious event – it’s a new experience for me and it will be great to connect with a new audience.”

Visitors considering running their own business with the support of an established brand will have the opportunity to meet franchises with investment levels of less than £10,000 through to £500,000 or more. Businesses will include everything from long-time exhibitors such as McDonald’s and Greensleeves, to new additions to the exhibition including Harry Ramsden’s, Junk Hunters and Captain Fantastic.

An exclusive partnership with the British Franchise Association (bfa) provides the valuable assurance that all exhibiting brands have been assessed and accredited by the bfa as operating a viable business format franchise.

The professional advice available and variety of business opportunities on offer make The National Franchise Exhibition a vital event for anyone involved in franchising, whatever the stage of their journey.

Free tickets to the event taking place at the NEC on 5 & 6 October are available online using promo code CAS1, saving £15 per person on the door.

For more information on all aspects of the event please visit FranchiseInfo.co.uk