Chris Williamson
Chris is currently doing an MBA at London Business School, and leads the Transform Business group at ChristChurch London. He is married to Christianne and plays the guitar.
Church: ChristChurch London
My Articles
No Dragons Allowed
Chris Williamson
Tuesday 21st February 2012
Sharla enlisted some friends to help with her education pitch
Ella's pitch was for a documentary film about the lives of young Christians
Jo shared an idea for a Creative Arts programme
Jonny had some innovative ideas to help first-time dads engage with their children
Imagine Dragons' Den... but replace the scary 'Dragons' with a roomful of supportive collaborators, willing to offer time and resources to help get new ideas off the ground. That was the idea behind the 'Good Ideas: Pitch Night', hosted by member of ChristChurch London's 'Transform Business' group.
The inspiration for the event came from seeing many great ideas that have been brought to life by members of ChristChuch over the last few years. A common pattern emerged; someone with a good idea connected with others with the resources and skills to help turn the idea into a reality. Why not catalyze this process, by giving people a platform to pitch their ideas and what they need to take it to the next stage?
We decided on simple criteria; the ideas had to be ‘good’ - reflecting Kingdom values, with a clear aim to serve society. As soon as word got out about the event, an amazing deluge of good ideas began.
So, on a mild Friday evening in January, 12 pitchers were given five minutes each to pitch their idea. The pitches were as brilliant as they were diverse - from dad-oriented baby-wear, through decor-friendly fire blankets, to franchises for ex-offenders and food vouchers for the homeless. The venue - the crypt of St James’ Clerkenwell - could have been straight out of Dragon’s Den itself. Around 80 people came to hear the pitches and to offer their advice and support over a glass of wine afterwards.
Thanks to great pitchers and a great audience, the feedback has been really encouraging. The pitchers are now pursuing multiple offers of help, contacts and even funding. We hope to run a similar event in a few months time - and we’re also thinking about other ways to support those who are already pursuing their good ideas.
This initiative works really well in a big church that is already buzzing with ideas, but there’s no reason a few churches in an area couldn’t get together and organise a similar event, pooling resources across congregations, and helping people find like-minded others to connect with and see their ideas take shape. If you’re thinking of doing something similar, you might find these guidelines that we gave to pitchers useful.
If you’d like to see the idea in action, look out for it in one of the breaks at this year’s Everything conference - we’ll be hosting a mini-Pitch event to inspire you and hopefully make some more great connections. Don’t forget to book into the conference in advance to save 20% on the ticket price. Now that’s a Good Idea if ever I heard one.
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