Karen Darby ENTREPRENEUR & BUSINESS SPEAKER At the age of just 22, Karen became a young entrepreneur. She set up one of the country’s first telemarketing companies, the Decisions Group, now part of Sitel. Within seven years the company had more than 200 staff and sales in excess of £4m. By 1990, she had decided it was time for a new challenge. She sold her share of the company and set up her second business, a firm providing training for call-centre staff; Karen Darby Direct. With two young sons and working from home, Karen became a "mumtreneur". She personally trained hundreds of people in the call centre industry and for many it was a life changing experience. In fact, many champions were raised in ‘Karen’s Stable’, several of whom have gone on to set up their own highly successful businesses. In 2003, Karen launched her third and most successful venture, SimplySwitch, a price comparison service. She secured venture capital funding from Bridges Community Ventures, which was subject to the business meeting certain social criteria such as being based in one of the most deprived areas of the UK. Initially launched as Simply Energy Ltd offering consumers a free and impartial switching service for gas and electricity, it quickly extended its portfolio of products to include home phone, mobile, broadband and a range of financial products and was re-branded SimplySwitch. The company created over 100 jobs and helped thousands of consumers save over £20m on their household bills. In August 2006 Karen sold SimplySwitch to the Daily Mail for £22m. Karen Darby is a highly successful serial entrepreneur with a classic 'rags to riches' story. Her speeches are inspirational, imaginative, refreshingly honest and highly entertaining. Karen has over 20 years experience of delivering dynamic, high energy talks and presentations to literally thousands of conference delegates both in the UK and overseas. She also has extensive broadcast experience including live and pre-recorded TV and radio interviews and has participated in various business-based podcasts. Her presentations are upbeat and motivational, delivered with the passion and focus which only comes from someone who has really been there and done it. She talks of the highs and inevitable lows of running your own business, how to deal with the set backs and how to turn them to your advantage. Karen always tailors her presentations to the client and the brief. Past subjects have included: -
How to be a Millionaire - the light-hearted story of a serial entrepreneur -
Raising Finance – what investors want to hear and how to really sell your ideas -
PR - Getting fabulous publicity for your business on a shoestring budget -
Marketing – how to create valuable partnerships with big-name brands -
Making a Difference - building ethical business with a strong social mission -
The People Factor – finding, nurturing and developing talent -
Women in Business – what it really takes to be a success -
On the Curve - selling your business at exactly the right time
“Karen Darby is a super-inspirational entrepreneur. Her story, of creating several major business success stories while also juggling a real life at home, is a tale of our times – of what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, woman and mother in the 21st century. Karen is exciting, high-energy, imaginative and highly entertaining. She’s a natural on stage but equally comfortable offering one-to-one advice to guests afterwards on how to build a business. And here’s the ultimate proof of her abilities: I rang her up with two hours’ notice to join a panel speaking to an audience of aspiring entrepreneurs; and not only did she say yes – she was also the star of the show!”
Matthew Rock, communications director, Caspian Publishing
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