This month I have been learning from Professor Carole Howorth (sadly no relation) about busting the beliefs and myths of family businesses.

Some of this insightful information will be shared at The Family Business Conference on October 11, but we got a flavour of what’s to come at the recent Yorkshire Family Business launch event.

The information was well received so I can’t wait for you to hear it for yourselves.

It’s tempting to share some facts now, but I wouldn’t want to give anything away so come and find out for yourself.

The launch at York Minster was wonderful and it was great to see support from Cumbria there too.

In particular, a big thank you to John Stevenson, Carlisle MP, who not only supported myself and Dave Clarkson at the launch but has recently been filmed by Sheenah Alcock talking all about the family business network.

The insight events across Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire have really shown how valuable they can be in terms of peer-to-peer learning from situations that are “real life and happening today” – something that has been a key part of the recent feedback received.

I am looking forward to announcing more names soon, including The Bath House in September – whose HQ is on the borders of Cumbria and the Yorkshire Dales – but in the meantime a heartfelt thank you to The Moody Cow, Castle Industrial Supplies and Carlbom Shipping Ltd for sharing their stories.

This month I am delighted to be part of Cartmell Shepherd’s Summer Social event, where I have the pleasure of hosting the family business panel with Peter Stafford.

We’ll be chatting with Stalkers Transport, More Handles and Ryecorn Ltd – all brilliant examples of Cumbria family businesses.

In September, Lamont Pridmore is hosting the next in its series of roundtable events with the theme “how to communicate effectively with all family members, including those not directly involved in the business”.

Chris and Graham Lamont have first-hand experience as well as professional insight to share.

Another exciting project is the Farm Shop Deli Show 2019 – a result of my efforts with Jacqui and Keith Jackson at Thomas Jardine & Co, who specialise in generational food businesses and food entrepreneurs.

The ‘This is Cumbria’ stand represents great value and a one-off opportunity for those new to the world of exhibitions, or businesses with tight marketing budgets, to sell more products. We are offering a range of stand sizes: from shared space which is ideal for first-timers, to larger stands for the more established firms.

 Other incentives for joining the Cumbria stand will include the sharing of logistics and travel costs and collective buying power for show sundries.Thanks to Maria at Hawkshead Relish and Lisa from Ginger Bakers, we have secured the best location for our ‘This is Cumbria’ stand, adjacent to the Live Stage to help us to create a real buzz.

Remember, we also have our flagship family business conference on October 11 at the Castle Green Hotel. #fambizconf18

All details of our events are at www.fambiznet.co.uk