The National Franchise Exhibition
3 & 4 October 2008, NEC, Birmingham

Keynote speaker - Josephine Fairley, Co-Founder, Green & Blacks

 

Josephine Fairley, Co-Founder of Green & Blacks confectionary, will beJo Fairley photo addressing The National Franchise Exhibition 2008 with two keynote presentations on Saturday 4 October.

 

12:00-12:30 Highs and lows of being in business for yourself - from a woman's perspective

  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of being your own boss?
  • Making the most out of pursuing and successfully running you own business
  • How far will passion and perseverance take you?
  • What support networks are available for advice - particularly for women?



14:00-14:30 Realising your full potential as a new business owner

  • The importance of setting realistic goals and how to achieve them
  • What advice can you offer to those wanting to become their own boss?
  • Is it important to find external sources for support and guidance?
  • What are the most important lessons that you learnt during your journey with Green & Blacks?

 

Both sessions are free to attend. Simply arrive five minutes before the presentation is due to begin to secure your seat. Both presentations will take place in the Women in Franchising theatre.

Biography

 

Jo Fairley is co-founder of Green & Black’s, the premium confectionery range now owned by Cadbury’s. Jo and her entrepreneur husband set out to market the world’s first organic chocolate. They decided on ‘green’ to represent their environmental and social ethos, and ‘black’ to represent their particularly high-quality cocoa beans.


Green & Black’s immediately picked up a host of awards for entrepreneurial and ethical achievement. They were amongst the first to highlight the social responsibility of food producers, and the first UK business to earn the Fairtrade mark. The fortunes of the Maya Indians in Belize who grow the cocoa have since been transformed, with seven times more village children attending secondary school.


Jo tells how 20,000 young people carrying flaming torches lobbied supermarkets to stock Maya Gold - generating eight valuable minutes of news coverage; but they also had plenty of white knuckle moments. What happens when the cocoa beans are stuck in a volatile tropical country, with the port blockaded, and a major retailer threatens de-listing unless the consignment is delivered on time?


Jo’s presentations show the determination needed and the risks involved in building a business and exploiting a niche market. She also demonstrates the power of branding, how business can be both ethical and highly successful, and why you should never underestimate the intelligence of the consumer.


Jo Fairley is author of more than a dozen books, contributing editor to the Mail on Sunday YOU Magazine and chair of a Soil Association committee. Unwilling to retire, she and Craig now run an organic bakery and a health centre.