Laurence Grant and Rob O’Sullivan of Shaking Hands at The Exchange
Two of Croydon’s most promising young entrepreneurs are preparing to take their business to the next level. Together, Laurence Grant and Rob O’Sullivan have founded their own company, the ‘Shaking Hands Interactive Partnership’, which won the Young Start-Up Talent award for the Croydon region in July of this year. This gave them a prize-fund worth up to £50,000 in business products and services.
Both Laurence and Rob are keen to stress that since their ‘YST’ triumph, “Shaking Hands has enjoyed a new lease of life as a result of winning the Young Start-Up Talent Awards, and we have discovered a whole new arena of support and benefits.”
Since their launch on April 1 2016, Laurence and Rob have helped organise over 40 projects for various local businesses going forward. At its heart ‘Shaking Hands’ is a platform for Croydon-based small-medium business owners to communicate, collaborate and shape the future of business operations in Croydon.
The duo have since moved into The Exchange Workspace as part of the prize fund and, with some of the cash from Young Start Up Talent, have invested into a new CRM system which is helping them to organise their business operations going forward.
The pair are now looking towards a new set of events lined up for the autumn of this year.
When speaking about a prospective Q&A session with Westfield, Laurence said: “We’re hoping to inform Croydon business owners about what they can expect from the Westfield Development, and give our members and opportunity to ask any questions they may have.”
Very soon, ‘Shaking Hands’ are preparing a Property Social event with the help of Inspired Assets Management on September 28th at Croydon HQ. The event is scheduled to use state of the art technology to incorporate a 360° panoramic view of the virtual spaces across the world.
The duo have also been laying down the foundations for their biggest event yet which will take place next year, entitled ‘The Big Shake Festival’. The plan is for it to be held on The Exchange Square, just off Surrey Street, with over 60 charities lined up to take part. It is pitched as an event for all of the family, including face painting, candy floss, a petting zoo, sports zones, fashion zones, and entertainment platforms. A pre-launch for the event takes place on 21st October with a sponsorship drive, with the aim to raise £25,000 for the festival.
It seems the sky is the limit for this Croydon duo, as they are beginning to look to take on their first freelancer. They now have over 55 active members of their business, with many ‘big-name’ clients on their books. Rob said himself “the direction we are going is very positive”.
If your business wishes to be a part of the Shaking Hands partnership, prices begin at £75 (incl VAT) for a three-month trial, and £35 (incl VAT) per month thereafter. Further details can be found on their website https://shakinghands.co.uk.
If you would like more information on the Young Start-up Talent awards please visit www.youngstartuptalent.co.uk