MeetMagic - reinventing the concept of the business meeting With special guest Carl Gough, Founder of MeetMagic

Small Biz Matters – #185 Providing the small business community with educational content and advocacy since 2014
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 10 November 2020

I realised recently that I haven’t had a real life disruptor on Small Biz Matters before. Someone who recognises early the potential, uniqueness and well, the magic of their idea. Coupled with a desire to make true change, disruptors are a special type of entrepreneur.

Carl Gough, the Founder of MeetMagic is one such individual. Listening to him you can’t but get swept up in his excitement in making real change in the events and conference industry. He’s a passionate disrupter.

Along with all the corporate execs, software partners and the Starlight Foundation he supports, he is like a bull at the gate, ready to make you rethink your preconceived ideas and bring you along for the ride.

Welcome to the show Carl.

Topics we’ll be covering:

What do you think is inherently broken about the business growth market?

• So before all this why did people go to conferences
• Has COVID broken the conference system or was it broken beforehand?

o   The disingenuous lunches & conferences, speed dating

o   Time waster & time is becoming more and more precious

o   The badge scanning & out bounding marketing process

o   The huge cost, the ego stroking and the missed opportunities

• This is the structural shift
• COVID is the Closing ceremony of the industrial revolution
• Other examples happening now – remote health, remote learning,

Did you recognise quickly that your business was going to be disruptive? What advice would you give a small business on the cusp of being a disrupter?

• Recognise it because people try and shut you down and through this they show you their fear
• Recognise quickly who you’re disrupting and keep it  from them
• You need to have some background knowledge if you’re going to disrupt

Do you need to be lean to be a disrupter?

Partnering with a not for profit – how has this benefited your business growth?

• Talk me through the passion for purpose model – its not just a line on your balance sheet, you need to be genuine
• How do you build a relationship with the charity – your key stakeholder. Look at existing fundraising models or build your own?
• 50/50 model
• What’s your story?
• The inception, and what motivated Carl to start meetmagic.
• How we engage and are received by the tech community (vendors who purchase our meetings).
• What motivates executives to pledge their time to meetmagic.
• The importance for charities to have an alternative stream of funding, especially with the current climate of covid and the resulting charity fatigue experienced by the public.

To find out more go to their website: https://www.meetmagic.org

About our Guest:

Carl Gough - meetmagic Founder and CEO

Carl is a fundraiser, a social entrepreneur and an enterprise sales & business development executive. Hailing from Nottingham, the land of Robin Hood, Carl holds over 17 years experience in Business Development in the IT industry globally. After making the leap from the IT industry to the non profit space, Carl realised the uphill battle that is fundraising. Combining his understanding of the challenges faced by both charities and tech vendors, Carl applied his innate ability to open doors for people to build the brainchild that is meetmagic. He is an inspiring motivator of people and has a hands-on practical approach to making business work. As a rapid new business growth specialist he is the unending energy force behind the success of meetmagic.

About MeetMagic

meetmagic started as a way of disrupting how charities raise funds sustainably by helping the corporate world make better connections. What we do is simple. We curate meetings between executives and problem solvers from leading global tech companies. Vendors get instant access to corporate leaders and leaders gain access to the best problem-solvers for their company's current and future needs. Execs donate 45 minutes, vendors purchase their time, and 70% of the meeting price goes to charity.