Workshop series by US small business expert to help Northern Ireland entrepreneurs build 'solid business foundations'

He will be joined by his co-founder at Bricks or Sticks, top branding and leadership expert, Jocelyn Ring. The first three classes will be held online starting September 4; the final full day event will be held in-person at Innovation Factory in Belfast on September 29 from 10am to 4pm.

With years of experience in the corporate world as executive director of sales development at The Wall Street Journal and Associate Publisher with both Inc Magazine and Entrepreneur Media, Brian has gone on to build his own company supporting business growth and development.

Supported by Invest NI, Innovation Factory and Belfast International Homecoming, the workshop’s objective is to help 25 Belfast business owners solidify the foundations of their companies to weather any storm and to ultimately help them achieve their annual goals. The workshop is broken into four pillars that make up the foundation of every business, regardless of the size of the company.

The pillars include: How to navigate forks and obstacles in the road; changing your mindset to gain better control of your time; writing a GPS Plan for your business; why DCA (Discipline, Commitment and Accountability) is the secret to your success; and how to build your internal and external brand, which is a key component to success for companies that rely on referrals for their business.

Brian explained: “We will run the workshop in Belfast the same way we run it in the United States. There will be a set of weekly videos and workbooks sent to attendees on Mondays starting on September 4.

"Participants will watch the videos and do the work in the workbooks then on Thursdays Jocelyn and I will host a one-hour interactive discussion with attendees on the work they did that week. On September 29, we will host an in-person workshop at Innovation Factory and review everything that attendees learned.”