As a beekeeper I’ve learnt that for a hive to thrive, bees need to be in the right location and to support, and collaborate with, each other. Businesses, as it turns out, are pretty much the same if the (appropriately named) Hive in Weston is anything to go by.
Last week they celebrated their 5th anniversary, and I went along to the party. They’re one of Weston’s biggest successes, helping new start-up firms get underway in the tense, tricky first few months and years of their commercial lives.
Whether it’s flexible rents for new offices. business advice and mentoring, or just help with IT problems, they help to incubate our next generation of employers and wealth-creators. It’s the place where a lot of Weston’s recent economic rebirth first sees the light of day.
They have fancy meeting rooms to impress prospective clients, investors and business partners, and they’re also really eco-friendly (their building has top-energy ratings and so on), so you can be a business with a conscience!
Above all, there’s energy and, dare I say it, a buzz (sorry- couldn’t resist) from being surrounded by like-minded people all trying to get their firms off the ground as well. They can even ‘cross-pollinate’ (sorry again) by sharing tips and advice on thorny issues that other people have faced before.
When it all started, 5 years ago, it all seemed a bit new and risky. People wondered whether a business incubator could work in Weston and, I’m pleased to say, they were completely wrong. It’s been a triumph so, if you’ve got a brilliant business idea, give the Hive a call. It just might turn out to be the land of milk and honey…..