Welsh entrepreneur joins impressive list of headline speakers at major convention

Rachael Flanagan, Managing Director of commercial cleaning company Mrs Buckét, was part of an impressive line-up of inspirational speakers, including a Dragon’s Den star, to address guests at a sold-out event at The ICC in Birmingham.

The Entrepreneurs Circle: Getting and Keeping Customers Convention 2022 was attended by over 1200 delegates across the two-day event and saw Rachael join the likes of Dragon’s Den star Sara Davies and BrewDog President and Chief Operating Officer David McDowall.

Rachael herself became a member of Entrepreneurs Circle in the early days of Mrs Buckét and she has since grown the Swansea-headquartered business to employ more than 300 people with a turnover of over £5 million.

The popular event featured practical and actionable content, keynotes from celebrity guests, a full-service business exhibition as well as networking opportunities, focused on helping delegates grow their business to the next level.

Speaking about the convention, Rachael said: “Having joined the Entrepreneurs Circle in the early days of growing my own business, I know first-hand just how helpful it is for connecting people with likeminded businesspeople and other entrepreneurs.

“To be asked to return as a headline speaker was quite surreal, and really made it hit home how far we’ve come since the early days. I was just so pleased to be able to talk to the delegates about my journey and share some of the tips I’ve picked up along the way.”

Following a series of exciting client wins, Rachael now has her sights set on national growth, targeting clients UK-wide, in a bid to push turnover past the £10million mark.

Rachael said: “The subject of the conference really struck a chord with me. When you run your own business, you constantly have your customers at the front of your mind. How to provide the best possible service for the ones you have and what you can be doing to win new ones. As we look to expand the business, it was fascinating to speak to entrepreneurs from the Midlands to gain their insight into Mrs Buckét’s exciting plans.”

The convention also featured the 9^th Annual National Entrepreneur Awards, hosted by comedian Jimmy Carr. As well as Rachael, the other headline speakers were: Jamil Quresh, leading expert on performance enhancing psychology; David McDowall, President and Chief Operating Officer at BrewDog; Cathy O’Dowd, the first woman to climb Mount Everest from both sides; Marcus Sheridan, international web marketing guru; and Sara Davies, successful entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den star.

Rachael founded Mrs Buckét in 2005, spending £20 on printed flyers for her new business and distributing them around her local area. Now Mrs Buckét is worth over £5 million, employs over 300 staff members and has won more than 35 awards.