Roadie, restaurant rookie and rocker – Simon Woodroffe OBE has been all of these and more, and he’ll be sharing his experiences with entrepreneurs in north east Scotland at the Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise.
Simon, known to many as a former ‘Dragon’ on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den, is founder of the successful YO! Sushi restaurant chain.
Simon Woodroffe
Over 400 guests will attend The Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise finals, which will be held on 7 June at Ardoe House, near Aberdeen.
“The term entrepreneur can be used loosely to describe any business person,” says Chris Travis, chief executive of the Enterprise North East Trust.
“But Simon is a true entrepreneur who innovates, motivates and captivates. A dynamic speaker, he’ll be sharing his story on how he built the YO! brand from leaving school with four ‘O’ levels at the age of 16, through being a roadie in the seventies and his involvement with events such as Live Aid, to his ‘burn his bridges’ moment where a Japanese acquaintance suggested he open a conveyor belt Sushi restaurant with waitresses in black PVC skirts.
“His refreshing approach to being the best you can be in life and in business will be encouraging for all the finalists and business people in the audience.”
Simon is no stranger to awards himself. He’s been the recipient of the 1999 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, a finalist in the Real Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year in the same year and has scooped awards from Design Week, Marketing Week and Design Effectiveness for YO! Sushi, among many others. Simon was awarded his OBE last year.
Competitive edge
Having won so many himself, Simon is in doubt about the potential benefits of awards.
“Entering awards is an excellent way of raising a business’s profile and highlighting to staff that their hard work is both valued and appreciated. The entry process often acts as a catalyst for the consolidation of achievements and affirmation of successes.
“Companies whose entries are shortlisted for the second round will further benefit from the prestige associated with reaching this stage of the awards. Being able to add such information to a company resume can give a competitive edge and ultimately play a part in business growth.”
Thirty years in the entertainment business played a big part in the concept for YO! Sushi, says Simon. He spent years as a roadie and stage manager for acts like seventies glam rockers The Sweet, Rod Stewart’s band The Faces, folk rockers Jethro Tull and the legendary Led Zeppelin. This led him to designing stage productions for Rod Stewart, The Moody Blues and Stevie Wonder and one of the world’s most memorable gigs in history – Live Aid. A spell in television followed where he developed television deals for international shows such as the Nelson Mandela and Prince’s Trust concerts as well as the deal for Japan’s number one pop show ‘Hit Studio’.
The first YO! Sushi was opened in 1997 in London and now has branches from Paddington Station to Paris, from Soho to Dubai. Simon’s latest concept Yotel, is based on Japanese capsule hotels and opens in the spring of this year at Heathrow and Gatwick.
The Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise are organised by Enterprise North East Trust and sponsored by The Royal Bank of Scotland and Business Gateway. The Business Gateway service is delivered in the north east by ENET on behalf of Scottish Enterprise Grampian.
There are five categories in the 2007 Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise, the final of which takes place 7 June at the Ardoe House Hotel, near Aberdeen. Winners will receive a unique handcrafted trophy and the awards are one of few with a cash prize of up to £5k.
For further information contact Lyndsay Aitken at Tricker PR on 01224 65408 or at laitken@trickerpr.com.
