Welcome to the blog of Stephen Fear. Businessman, Doctor of Business Administration, Author, Former Entrepreneur in Residence & Ambassador of the British Library, Philanthropist. Based UK, France, USA – twitter @fearstephen
All blogs written by Stephen Fear are for general information purposes only and express personal opinions, and do not necessarily constitute fact and should not be relied upon wholly or in part in the form of advice or in any other way. All content is designed for the enjoyment of the reader and is based on personal experience and opinions.
2020 has been a terrible year for many people, especially the self-employed in Britain. While people working in the public sector, and big private businesses, continue to collect enviable regular salaries, the self employed have been largely left to fend for themselves. I’m not critical of ordinary people working in…
Georgia is a small country with a very big heart. It has a population of about 3.7m at the last count, most of whom are native Georgians. The country is bordered by Kazakstan, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and of course Russia. Since it left the now defunct Soviet Union, Georgia has…
During my last visit to Georgia, I was asked to appear on the national television, channel one, which is similar to the BBC in the United Kingdom. The programme I appeared on is a bit like Good Morning Britain so is watched by many Georgians and visitors alike. Georgia has…
When I was asked to speak in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi about the importance of enterprise, I was pleased to accept. Fewer places in the world can understand just how powerful free enterprise is to both individuals and a sovereign nation than Georgia, which only 30 years ago was…
When I was personally asked by Harvey Goldsmith CBE to try to arrange a meeting with the current Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, because he himself hadn’t been able to get hold of him, I thought it would be an easy job. Harvey has serious American investors with a plan…
Bristol is often cited in national newspapers and magazines as a great place to live and work, and that is undoubtably true, but the counties that border one of Britain’s great investment & lifestyle hotspots have their attractions too! South Gloucestershire lies to the North & West of Bristol and…
Last summer I decided to take a trip to the cradle of winemaking, the beautiful Eastern European country of Georgia, considered historically to be the gateway to Asia. Accompanying me last year were, Paul Hinchcliffe, who teaches business studies at The University of the West of England and is someone…
I have been talking with the Mayor, Marvin Rees and others over the last few weeks about the new arena and why it is essential that Bristol does not lose traction on this important issue. Whether you like Marvin or not is irrelevant. I know for a fact that he…
Going back a year or two I appeared on the front cover of Talk Business, the magazine for entrepreneurs written by entrepreneurs. Above is a birthday card they send me later that year. So when I was asked the other day on twitter what I thought the difference was between…
Social Enterprise is a fairly new phrase in the English language but what does it actually mean? I started to think about this in more depth when I was asked to be the keynote speaker at the above conference in Stafford. Enterprise is vital for the success of any economy.…
When the British Library asked me to be their official EIR in 2011, it was an honour I was pleased to accept. The first Entrepreneur in Residence was the founder of BodyShop, Dame Anita Roddick, so I was following in hallowed footsteps. It is interesting to note that all EIRs…
Everyone enjoys a pat on the back, whether it’s for winning an Olympic Gold, as British distance runner Sir Mo Farah has on four separate occasions, or by winning Wimbledon as another Britain, Sir Andy Murray famously did in 2013. Both men have won many titles and a raft of…
When Louis Armstrong sang ‘Georgia On My Mind’ in 1931, he wasn’t thinking of a small independent democratic nation nestling in the Caucasus Mountains on the Black Sea but, on the 4th July this year, I certainly was. I was honoured to be invited by the Georgian Ambassador to Britain…
Lucy Air Ambulance is a national charity based in London, but running an important national service for seriously ill children from Exeter Airport to places such as Newcastle, Manchester and Liverpool. Leon & I spent an afternoon with the charity following my keynote speech to an affluent audience in the…