On the 17th April 2008, Business Link Northwest hosted the second of its free ‘hitting the big time!’ events, at Chester Racecourse.

The events are all part of Business Link’s commitment to bringing quality business advice and information to North West businesses. We’ve captured the essence of the event in a short 10 minute audio podcast that features an exclusive interview with Doug Richard, serial entrepreneur and no-nonsense American from the first two series of BBC2’s Dragon’s Den, who summarises the main points from his keynote speech. The podcast also has tips from the local business panel of successful entrepreneurs and some audience feedback on the event.

Listening to the podcast is free and incredibly easy, you don’t even need an iPod to enjoy it. Just click on the grey arrow below, to play it directly from this website.

Podcast running order and timings (in minutes/seconds)

• 00:00 - 00:36: Introduction
• 00:37 - 01:16: Peter Watson, Managing Director of Business Link Northwest, outlines the purpose of the event
• 01:17 - 04:13: Doug Richard interview
• 04:14 - 07:02: Tips from the local business panel, including Jennie Johnson, Steve Purdham, Charlie Oulton and Peter Watson
• 07:03 - 08:36: Audience feedback
• 08:37 - 09:15: Contact information and close

To view photos from the event, click an image in the Flickr player in the right hand column or click here.

If you’d like to find out more about how Business Link Northwest can help you and your business, visit www.businesslink.gov.uk/northwest or telephone 0845 00 66 888. Lines are open 8.00am to 8.00pm, Monday to Friday and 8.00am to 2.00pm Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays.