UK Startup & Scaleup Week

21/05/2026

Have you got apprentices doing brilliant work in your business? If so, what's keeping you from shouting about it..?

Business owners & leaders in the North East of England keep having the same conversation at every event, every panel, every roundtable - that we don't shout about ourselves enough on a national level! That we let our work speak for itself & hope someone notices. And then we wonder why the region doesn't get the recognition it deserves?

Here's your chance to do something about it...

The National Apprenticeship & Skills Awards are open right now & entries close next week (at 12 noon on Thursday 28 May 2026). It's completely FREE to enter, with regional ceremonies taking place in October & the national final in November. This is a national stage, built specifically for businesses like yours to showcase the people driving real change inside your organisation.

When apprentices walk onto that stage & accept an award, you can see it in their eyes & hear it in their voice...genuine amazement that this moment is theirs! That moment only exists because an employer, business owner, leader or manager somewhere decided to put their people forward.

That could be you. It only takes one submission!
Submit your entry today at https://apprenticeshipandskillsawards.co.uk

(Made In North East)

19/05/2026

18/05/2026

Love the North East of England & proud to call it your home? Or new to the region & want to learn more about the North East's rich & wonderful history, culture & business? Watch this SuperConnector Show podcast with the wonderful David Simpson (Founder & Owner, englandsnortheast.co.uk & tangledworm.com) on replay! ⬇️⭐️

(Made In North East) cc England's North East Tangled Worm

15/05/2026

Final chance to save 53% on ATOMICON (midnight tonight)…!

The current ATOMICON 2026 ticket offer ends tonight at midnight and this is your last chance to save 53% and use split pay.

So if you have been meaning to book, today is the day.

ATOMICON is one of Europe’s largest business growth conferences for small business owners and it is happening on our doorstep here in Newcastle / Gateshead. This is the 7th time Andrew and Pete (Atomic HQ) have run it and the 2026 line-up is massive.

Jamie Laing, Shawn Kanungo, Ann Handley, Daniel Priestley, Timothy Armoo, Saf Mohammed, Amelia Sordell, Dani Wallace, Alice Benham, Richard Moore, Natasha Hamilton-Gay and more are all speaking.

This is where:

- Deals get done
- You meet your next client, referral partner, business buddy and collab
- You learn from the best speakers in the game
- You get fired up!

And for those of us based in the North East of England, we think it’s pretty special that we don’t have to travel halfway across the country to be in a room like this.

It’s happening on our doorstep, with people coming from all over to be part of it.

That is why we think it is worth getting your ticket before tonight’s deadline. Not because you need another event in your diary or another day out of the business but because sometimes putting yourself in the right room, with the right people, at the right time, can genuinely change what happens next.

We’ll be there and we’d really love to see more brilliant North East-based businesses in the room too.

The deadline is midnight tonight.

Grab your ticket via the link in the comments below ⬇️⭐️

14/05/2026

ATOMICON offer ends tomorrow (Friday)…!

Before you miss this…

The current ATOMICON 2026 conference ticket offer ends tomorrow (Friday) so this is the time to take a proper look.

Until then, you can save 53% on your ticket and use 'split pay' (payment in 2 instalments) before that option disappears. After that, the current offer ends.

The reason we’re mentioning it again is because we think ATOMICON is one of those events that is genuinely worth paying attention to, especially because it is happening in the North East of England (at The Glasshouse in Gateshead).

We don't often get events of this scale, with this calibre of speakers, happening locally. ATOMICON is now in its 7th year and Andrew and Pete have built something that attracts people from all over the world.

But it still happens here.

That is the bit we love.

ATOMICON brings a major international business conference to the North East, while still having that fun, friendly, "you can actually talk to people" feel.

And that matters, because a good event is not just about sitting in a seat and listening to talks. It’s about the conversations you have in the breaks, the person you sit next to, the idea you hear that makes something click, and the connection that turns into a collaboration, client, referral, podcast invite, speaking opportunity, or something you couldn’t have planned if you tried.

And with ATOMICON, you get all of that, plus a ridiculous speaker line-up.

Jamie Laing, Shawn Kanungo, Ann Handley, Daniel Priestley, Timothy Armoo, Saf Mohammed, Amelia Sordell, Dani Wallace, Alice Benham, Richard Moore, Natasha Hamilton and more.

That is not a "we found a few people who were free that day" kind of line-up. It’s a serious business growth event.

If you are a small business owner, freelancer, founder, consultant, coach, agency owner, marketer, or service provider, there will be a lot in this room for you: sales, marketing, content, brand, confidence, networking, big ideas, practical strategies, and other people who are trying to grow something too.

So yes, we think this is worth looking at. But I would look at it before tomorrow (Friday), because after that, the current offer ends and split pay is no longer available.

We’ll be there and would love to see you in the room too.

Find out more and get your ticket via the link in the comments below ⬇️⭐️

12/05/2026

If AI talk has ever made you feel unsure, it’s the wrong person talking. It’s not you! Kaye Nicholson launched GrowthZone AI for business owners who are working hard, juggling too many tasks & quietly feeling 'behind' as the world gets louder about AI. Her approach is simple: plain-English AI that fits real life & real work - emails, content, documents & everyday admin. Find out more at our FREE half-day PLATFORM event in Newcastle next week (Friday 22 May). Book your ticket via the link in the comments below ⬇️⭐

12/05/2026

Can you build a profitable & sustainable small hair care business on the High Street / Main Street in 2026? Kate Assaraf (Founder, Dip) believes you can (& so do we)! If you'd like to know how, watch our SuperConnector Show interview below & visit https://dipalready.com ⭐️

12/05/2026

We offer a range of Business Growth Services for different budgets. To learn more, we need you to fill out a short form...

The form asks a few questions like 'What's the main thing you need help or advice with? What's holding you back?' & which services you'd like a FREE, no obligation phone call or video call about. Funding & investment too.

Once complete, you can also book a FREE, 30 minute video consultation with our Founder, Event Producer & Growth Consultant, Paul Lancaster.

Take 3 mins to complete the short form via the link below ⬇️⭐️

11/05/2026

Save 50% on ATOMICON tickets this week! (The current ticket offer ends this Friday)...

A major international business conference for small business owners is happening in Gateshead in June & all this week there is a flash sale.

Here’s the tea…

ATOMICON is one of Europe’s largest business growth conferences for small business owners, with over 1,500 attendees from around the world flying in.

And what’s amazing is that it’s right here in Newcastle / Gateshead this year (15-16 June) with the main event at The Glasshouse (formally The Sage Gateshead)!

If you’re based in Gateshead, Newcastle, the wider North East or anywhere close enough to get there easily, I think this is an absolute must-attend event.

As we know, huge business conferences with this kind of line-up do not usually happen on our doorstep, but this one does.

The 2026 speaker line-up includes the incredible: Jamie Laing, Shawn Kanungo, Ann Handley, Daniel Priestley (who spoke at our UK Startup & Scaleup Week festival last year), Timothy Armoo, Saf Mohammed, Amelia Sordell, Dani Wallace, Alice Benham, Richard Moore, Natasha Hamilton (yes from Atomic Kitten!) & more.

That is a proper international conference line-up, and this will be the 7th time Andrew & Pete have run ATOMICON. Every year, they seem to raise the bar.

If you are a small business owner, a freelancer, coach, sell services, create content, want to grow your audience, improve your sales, meet better people, or simply get yourself into a room that makes you think bigger, this is well worth looking at.

Until Friday, you can save 53% on your ticket & use split pay before that option disappears. After that, the current offer ends.

So if you've been thinking, "I’ll look at that later," this is your nudge to look at it now.

We'll be there & would love to see lots of you in the room too!

Find out more & get your ticket via the link in the comments below ⬇️⭐️

11/05/2026

Many of you will love YO! Sushi but do you know the man behind the brand? Simon Woodroffe started YO! Sushi at the age of 45, after a career in the music business working on staging for rock bands like Queen, Rod Stewart & Ozzy Osbourne. A chance meeting & subsequent trip to Japan introduced him to the idea of conveyor-belt sushi & he became fascinated by the theatre of it. In 1997, Simon opened the first YO! Sushi in Poland Street, Soho, bringing something entirely new to London’s restaurant scene. What began as a slightly mad (& he would say risky) idea went on to become the world’s number one conveyor-belt sushi brand! After selling his controlling interest in YO! Sushi in 2003, while retaining a stake for a number of years before eventually exiting the business on a royalty, he joined BBC Dragons' Den launched YOTEL (inspired by Japanese capsule hotels) & continued to embark on a range of entrepreneurial ventures. Simon is now focused on sharing what he's learned along the way so please watch the interview on replay here & check out his book... ⭐️