Devotees of this blog will be delighted to hear I’ve got four new Side Project Stories penned and at least two more booked for interview in the next month or so. However, before I crack on with ‘season two’ I thought it would be good to catch up with the ‘originals’ and see how the … Continue reading Side Projects: The Great Update

About 18 months ago I read a blog by Do Lectures founder David Hieatt on the subject of ‘Side Projects’ little knowing that it would kick-start my own side project. "For side projects read ‘Labours of Love’. You know those ideas that just won’t go away. That little idea in the back of your head … Continue reading Side Projects: The Story So Far

On January 19th 2018 I got to give a TED talk; that's a lifetime goal chalked off right there! It was at TEDxCorsham to an audience of about 100 people and I chose to talk about my #sideprojects side-project! Huge thanks to the team at The Pound, to Libby (the local sixth-former whose idea it … Continue reading #sideproject talk for TEDxCorsham

For what is the tenth in my ongoing series of #sideproject interviews I’ve found an interloper who may not be what I’ve been looking for… In this interview I speak to an old acquaintance who seems to have been doing some incredible things for no purpose whatsoever. George Cave I first met George just over … Continue reading Side Project Stories #10: 67hours

In amongst all the #sideprojects I do I also have a day job, and one of my workplace projects is about to come to fruition. For the last 16 or so months I've been part of a team of University of Bristol academics and professional digital developers assembling a free four-week online course on the … Continue reading Innovation & Enterprise Online Course

One of my own side projects is being a trustee for student social action charity Student Hubs. Student Hubs is a network of student-led social action projects, social innovation acceleration, and community volunteering activities run at a number of UK universities including my own in Bristol. Last week I had I the pleasure of delivering … Continue reading An Innovation Culture for Student Hubs

This latest story in my #sideproject series is an acknowledged superstar of the scene – Gavin Strange. Gav is a senior designer for the interactive arm of Aardman Animation in Bristol but moonlights with an array of side projects including an online shop he runs with his wife – Strange, a multitude of film-making and … Continue reading Side Project Stories #9: Jam Factory

For the latest interview in my Side Project Stories collection I’ve turned to a former colleague of mine from my days running the Basecamp student start-up accelerator at the University of Bristol. Sam worked with me about four years ago as a graduate helping students get their business ideas started. He started his own journey … Continue reading Side Project Stories #8: Create-Hub

Lots of ideas start off in ‘stealth mode’: "It was my secret hobby, very much for my own amusement", this is how a now successful full-time children's author got started - with his 'secret hobby' of writing on his daily commute. However, central to many strategies for successful start-up ventures is the importance of sharing … Continue reading Dare to Share

Many people subscribe to the idea that we make our own luck; I’d entirely agree because the alternative is fate, and that suggests we’re little more than victims waiting for life to reveal the next page of the script to us. However, life clearly does throw stuff at us that we didn’t ask for so … Continue reading Making Your Own Luck