Kirsty James Networking

03/10/2025

Friday Feel-Good Feedback and views on “failure”. What does success look like to you? Should it not be about our relationship with setbacks?

Success is something I think about every night when I reflect on my day. With varying benchmarks for my business, community and personal ventures. We will all have our own barometer of success and should not be measuring by other people's standards.

I have failed at loads of things this week (frustratingly). But succeeded at many. I am a fierce self-critic. I take on too much sometimes (ok, often), I strive for the best from myself and others, and I work hard to identify and correct failure.


Success for me is all about embracing those setbacks.

The other thing it is for me is the “people moments”.
In fact, my prior business strapline was ‘Success in Numbers’ for that reason. And my talk was definitely all about the power of the people.

Business or pleasure, it is always about the impact you have on people and the impact they have on you.

There are too many examples from the last fortnight where I have spent time with unbelievable people, each a tribe for the right project or reason I needed in that moment.


For now, I want to say a word about the awards last Friday, run by Coral Horn and team.

I attended as a guest of Preeti Choudhary of Pro Business Solutions
What an amazing event!
I was thoroughly inspired and humbled by the people behind the amazing female stories of success.

When I arrived, I read the programme and identified those I knew.
My primary focus at most events is not meeting new people, but re-networking and reconnecting with existing contacts. Several people I knew were finalists and I tried my best to find them to wish them well.


The moment that stood out for me most in the whole evening what that point of dichotomy when someone wins and another loses.

Despite the cliché that everyone is a worthy winner, there can only be one gold medal. When people get silver or bronze or runner up, it is equally as amazing but takes extreme courage and graciousness to hear that result.

The winners for me are also those who don’t win, who may overcome knocks but who still believe that success isn't far off.

It takes huge strength to accept defeat.
Success is in dealing with that and placing it down in front of you as a paving stone to the next pathway. Step by step, often 2 steps forward, 1 back.

We all know that, but we don’t manage failure that well in the UK. I wish mindsets were different.


1 of my favourite phrases in life is this – ‘It’s a no just now, but not for ever’.

My next favourite is one I heard this week (during an Amazon and Digital Cheshire event).

“Be stubborn with your goals but flexible with how you get there’.
Failure is part of that flexibility imho.

So, what does success look like to you? Feel free to share.

22/09/2025

Friday is when I write a weekly feedback post. Often I share it. Sometimes, like last week, work wins & it stays in my drafts.

But leaving (and receiving) feedback are so critical to help provide constructive steer and share thanks.

It would be remiss of me not to add my voice to the noise that occurred last Friday on the hashtag

Plenty has been said about the event being one of Warrington's business calendar highlights

And I'd agree

These are my top 3 reasons why it was successful:

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1️⃣The inclusion of big and small business

We heard local business updates and news stories from big hitting firms in the Warrington area, substantiating our place on the regional/national map, despite comments that we are lost between Manchester and Liverpool.

There were presentations from Sellafield Ltd, ABB, United Utilities, Lenovo, University of Chester, Innovate UK, both Warrington MPs, Warrington Borough Council & more

The impact on the majority SME audience of hearing and meeting the bigger fish in town cannot be underestimated in terms of supply chain opportunity, knowledge sharing and inspiration. Business contacts chatting - as equals – with the same challenges but on different scales

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2️⃣Themed discussion

The event was focused on Innovation with some staggering stories of success and future plans in the town

But the debate also kept returning to young people and how we can build support and opportunity to engage, retain and support the towns younger talent

This one particularly resonated as it is integral to the services I’m developing for the under 30's. Within TEDxWarrington, we’ve created young speaker opportunities, set up a bursary programme and partnered with the best kept secret in town – Warrington Youth Zone. In my own work, I continue to develop communication and networking skills workshops for young people and to seek funding to roll this out into education settings

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3️⃣Networking

Whatever anyone says about the icky small talk and cliquey groups, networking is key

I work on a lot of projects with multiple companies and teams of people but essentially my business is ME + outsourced support.

Without regular networking, I'd be lost, lonely, ill-educated and probably a basket-case

Catching up with regular contacts and making new ones to share opportunity and best practice to support business growth should be top of the Networking Why's, imho. Please give it a go if you're not doing it (or regularly)

A huge congratulations to Warrington Chamber of Commerce & Industry on their rebrand as Warrington Chamber Plus but particularly for all their hard work - events of this scale involve months of planning and lots of hard work, often by many in the background.

Well done!

22/09/2025

Don't miss out on these networking events and offers 👇 -

09/09/2025

The calendar hit me like a ton of bricks this morning because of the proximity of these 3 dates 👇

1️⃣ week today - TEDxWarrington 2025 first rehearsal and final selection
4️⃣ weeks today - The Literary Lunch founded by Sue France
1️⃣2️⃣ weeks today - TEDxWarrington 2025 Live Event

And a whole load of other project and event deadlines in between.

Oh my wordy - this could be a mega term to say the least!

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Information on any of the business and community networking events I'm involved in can be found via the Events tab of my kirstyjames website.

Opportunities to partner, sponsor and speak at most events also exist so drop me a line for info.

02/09/2025

I woke up in my own bed today for the first time in 6 weeks. It was 6.30, I'd slept through (yay!) and I had 3 lists whizzing round my head.

As I headed home yesterday from a summer that has seen over 4500 miles of adventure, my head was clearly processing work as 3 lists have crystallised this morning.

1. Everything I achieved this summer

I've still worked this summer, albeit on limited hours and pre-agreed projects - mainly TEDx, a couple of client jobs and business planning.

Am I refreshed? Mostly, yes. My head has been cleared for sure. Physically, perhaps a little less. Age is making my travel hobby a little more tiring despite building in plenty of rest stops. Nothing that my own bed and a decent cuppa won't set straight soon.

2. Tasks I didn't tick off

Why does this list have the ability to continually spawn new content. Admittedly, I don't help myself because the list never fits onto 1 page.

3. Diary items for the next month's networking events, meetings, calls and emails.

My 29hr (!) ferry gave me time to sit on deck and nail that planning, including the following events I'll attend (if you're in my region and after any suggestions, take a look).

* TEDxWarrington young app pitch night
* Professional Speaking Association NorthWest
* JTD (Join The Dots) Manchester
* Altrincham networking with Altrincham HQ
* TEDxWarrington rehearsals begin at Warrington Youth Zone
* Warrington Chamber of Commerce & Industry Annual Conference
* Networking Matters Warrington monthly group I host with Heather Hiley Financial Planning (Sept learning topic is Canva)
* KNEKT business Networking
* Warrington Curry Club with Tricia Peters and myself
* Moja Writing Retreat with Sophie Milliken MBE
* Cheshire The Literary Lunch founded by Sue France with Sian-Elin Flint-Freel and myself (several authors now booked, 1 sponsor place available)
* 2020 Annual Networking Lunch
* Multi Story Club with Andrew Thorp
* SWAG networking
* My private mastermind group
* Adele Carr Charity quiz night
.. and a few more

Time to crack on now with that neglected, incomplete list no.2.

If you're after networking event ideas, contacts and extra skills and strategy to go with them, give me a shout or contact the folk tagged.
Feel free to tell me of further ideas I could add to my networking circuit.
Happy Networking

29/08/2025

Friday Feel-Good Feedback and team thanks. The sweaty, Oompa Loompa-looking person is me, working on hols somewhere hot. The other 4 were not on hols BUT were also giving up their time for TEDxWarrington speaker curation work.

I'm hugely grateful to Gill Fletcher, John Cooper, Emma Baylin and Carlos Munez who alongside me have worked very long hours June to August to review every single video application (and we had a lot) for both core and young person categories.

We now have our shortlist and some amazing talk ideas emerging. Those people will go into final selection stages in September which the wider speaker support team and the rest of my 30-strong team will also attend to watch and add their feedback.

Super grateful to each and every teamie who gives up their personal time for this unpaid event project. Thank you 🙏

31/07/2025

If you have a young person aged 16-25 in your organisation or life with an idea that merits hitting a TEDx stage and audience, the deadline is 5pm, today 31/7.

#

📢 Only 1 day to go before young applications close!

Have you submitted yours yet?

❌ Applications will close at 5:00 PM tomorrow, Thursday 31st July. Don't miss the opportunity to share your big idea on the red dot.

28/07/2025

Monday morning traffic but NOT as it usually looks as the observant may notice different surroundings in my lane.

Monday is feeling very different today. Not only am I the right side of the road (literally) as the traffic opposite is queuing heavily into Luxembourg from France, but I also have the benefit of having my out of office on for the 2nd of 6 Mondays.

Last Monday, I was on the Norfolk Broads with 21 family and friends aged 1 to 78 across 5 boats for my brothers 50th. All still talking and the only thing overboard was a kids speaker. I'll take that as a win!

This Monday, I'm on a road trip to Spain that my 12 year old son has planned. The stops and activities are his choices to keep him interested since his 2 sisters are working then flying out this year.

Is there a work-related point to my post though.

I think so.

First, to those who may message, tag or email me. I will reply BUT on delay unless its an urgent issue. The laptop is with me for commitments on client work, Literary Lunch and networking event and course planning, and TEDxWarrington (I'm doing young applicant shortlisting next week then on speaker coaching during August).

Modern tech offers many of us the luxury of remote working. Not everyone's job allows distance working I realise but how much have you explored what is actually possible?

Second, my long summer break (this is my 11th year doing this of 18 years in business):
has NOT ruined my business,
has NOT made me invisible afterwards, and
has NOT lost me work or clients.

BUT, it has offered me recharge, perspective and family time with 3 kids and my teacher hubby - my why's for being self-employed.

I've realised over the years that no one has to get your Why's except you.

When I take my long break, I'm usually met with comments like "nice if you can" or "you're lucky". Maybe!? I view it as my privilege for long working hours in term time. Not 1 full day off since Easter so I'm not feeling guilty.

Oddly, when I choose to work on my long break, some say I should switch off completely and not mix work into my holidays.

You can't win if you listen to other people's views too much which is why the best conclusion is do what serves you best whilst fulfilling work commitments responsibly.

I love my work, I don’t hanker for Fridays or hate Monday traffic, but for now, remote working and summer breaks are how our lane moves, even if it tipped down on arrival last night so we ended up wrapped in towels in the car eating biscoff spread out the jar!

My lane won't be for you but your lane and your WHY is.

Best nip off now. The Lindt chocolate factory in Zurich awaits these 3 chocolate-loving, hungry Brits.

25/07/2025

Look who I "roped" in recently!
Possibly the oddest message they've had from me - "Fancy going climbing?"

Here I am, inappropriately overdressed in my TEDx hoodie for hot climbing work, with the first of our amazing TEDxWarrington 2025 sponsors Management Ltd & Rebecca Wray Coaching Consultancy.

We "pulled" together to do this clip with 2 big messages for now:

1. Applications remain open until 31 July for 16-25s.

2. Sponsorship opportunities for the live event on 2 Dec are now open.

I'm sure there could have been easier ways to shout about these opportunities but it was fun filming, albeit harder than expected. I genuinely thought I'd be up the top ringing the bell in seconds 🤣 🤔🤪

16/07/2025

📚 Are you a book lover, writer, published or aspiring author, publicist, book club member or organiser, publishing house, literary enthusiast, book seller, or literary organisation? This may interest you 👇

One of the events people may not know I’m involved in is the annual The Literary Lunch in Cheshire.

It was run for 13 years by friend and networking compatriot Sue France. When she took semi-retirement last December, myself and book mentor and editor Sian-Elin Flint-Freel decided that the event could not retire with her. We wanted to maintain the magical concept of The Literary Lunch which is a celebration of writing and reading, and is supportive and nurturing to those who appreciate and wish to unleash creativity.

The annual lunch will unite authors, writers, readers, publishing organisations and literary enthusiasts in a beautiful Cheshire setting we’ve secured.

📚 If you know someone that would enjoy and benefit from this event, please share this with them.

📚 If you feel your organisation could benefit from reaching 150 (mostly women, both businesses and consumers), please drop me a line to find out more about our remaining sponsorship/partnership opportunities.

And,

📚 If you know an author that would like a wonderful outlet to display and sell their books, please flag this to them.

We’re delighted to have the support of two powerhouses in the field of publishing too – TAUK Publishing led by Estelle Maher and Moja Publishing led by Sophie Milliken MBE.

So, who’d like to join us on Tuesday 7th October?

The EARLY BIRD offer runs until this Friday 18 July and is an absolute bargain for what we're offering.

News is generally over on The Literary Lunch page.

For all of our contact details, visit: https://linktr.ee/theliterarylunch

To read out latest newsletter announcing our first author and partner offers, so please take a read and subscribe at: https://mailchi.mp/7cef2aa70ede/authorticketannouncement

15/07/2025

WiFi + 100-150 legal folk + Zoom + moi = fingers crossed!
Delighted to be speaking on networking and community-building at this event today.

Home WiFi picked its moment to play funny buggers. I blame the weather of course – I’m British. Extreme heat, then rain – does anyone in the UK know where they’re at right now 😉

Luckily I have a hotdesking and small office solution to head to - thank heavens for the facility of Lymm Business Centre I helped set up, just for this very type of situation for small businesses.

Seriously though, it’ll be fab and I have a LOT to share and will thoroughly enjoy being quizzed and questioned by Blume Expertise webinar host Zoe Holland MBE

12/07/2025

Another work-related weekend. This time supporting and learning from lots of fab businesses at Warrington Wellbeing Festival

Love that so many networking connections have turned turned into friends.

Congratulations Becca Percival, Neil Lewis and team on another cracking day with plenty of great talks and activities and a lot of melting moments too from that weather you ordered 🌞