Last minute Christmas gift ideas 2020

If like me, you’ve left buying most of your Christmas presents until now, here are some great independent businesses I recommend buying from for your loved ones (or yourself) this year.

Nature + Nature

Nature + Nature was started by Nicola Black with the sole purpose of bringing people & nature back together through her carefully selected 100% natural products designed to restore your mind, body & soul.

With a small but perfectly formed collection of bath salts that are 100% natural, vegan friendly & sustainable, a %age of profits from every purchase goes towards United World Schools to carry out vital education & sanitation programmes in developing countries.

To ensure arrival in time for Christmas, please order online before 5pm on Wednesday 16th December at https://nature-nature.co.uk/shop/ (or any time after if you don’t mind receiving products after Christmas).

MyGeekDen

If you’re a bit of a geek or know someone that is, check out MyGeekDen‘s cool range of geek-inspired products to enhance your home (or your outfit)!

Founder Richard Harkness has really great taste with each product carefully sourced to make you smile & proud to have them in your den (I’m love the fantastic wall art & cushions I got from him)!

Please note that because some of the items are sourced from outside the UK there’s no guarantee you will receive them before Christmas but if you don’t mind potentially waiting, order now at https://mygeekden.com/collections/

Always Wear Red

If you attended our physical Newcastle Startup Week festival in 2018 or 2019, either (or both) of our Startup Week ONLINE events this year or have just been following me closely on Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram in recent years you’ll know how much I love Mychael Owen’s super-stylish Always Wear Red clothing brand.

AWR products have always been limited edition but after moving away from luxury accessories to ‘the best hand knits in the world’ earlier this year, you can now get your hands on the final ‘Early Years’ pieces for 55% off the original price if you order them before Midnight on 21st December!

To order yourself of your loved one a beautiful hat, scarf, tie, handkerchief, wallet, purse or belt, go to https://alwayswearred.com/collections/the-early-years-sale & enter the code DOWNTIME50 before checkout.

ps Nicola & Richard are active Members of our online Startup Week Community which is how I know about them & one of the benefits of joining is getting my help in raising awareness of your business.

Brilliant Books

Yesterday, I posted a message in the Startup Week Community private Facebook Group asking members “What books have you found most inspiring this year & would recommend others read in 2021?

Here’s what Katie Stidolph, Nicola Black, Richard Harkness, Russell Mills & I recommend:

  • ‘Meditations‘ by Marcus Aurelius (Gregory Hayes translation)
  • ‘The Happipreneur: Why #MicroBizMatters – A Memoir & Guide for Enterprising People‘ by Tony Robinson OBE & Taryn Lee Johnston
  • ‘The Obstacle Is The Way‘ by Ryan Holiday
  • ‘How To Think Like A Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius‘ by Donald Robinson
  • ‘The E-Myth Revisited: Why most Small Businesses Don’t Work & What To Do About It‘ by Michael E. Gerber
  • ‘Think & Grow Rich‘ by Napoleon Hill
  • ‘The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself‘ by Michael Singer
  • ‘You Are Awesome: How To Navigate Change, Wrestle With Failure & Live an Intentional Life‘ by Neil Pasricha
  • ‘The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living‘ by Ryan Holiday
  • ‘They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach To Inbound Sales, Content Marketing & Today’s Digital Consumer‘ by Marcus Sheridan
  • ‘The Complete Notes From The Universe‘ by Mike Dooley
  • ‘The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream‘ by Paulo Coehlo
  • ‘Feck Perfuction: Dangerous Ideas on the Business of Life‘ by James Victore
  • ‘Infinite possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams‘ by Mike Dooley

Join our Community

Finally, if you’re thinking of starting a new business in the new year, are in your first 12-18 months of trading or a more established micro business owner that would like a bit more encouragement, support & advice from likeminded fellow micro business owners, you should join our online Startup Week Community.

Membership is currently just £75 for 12 months but will increase to £150 on 4th January 2021 so have a look at what’s in it for you / join today at https://newcastlestartupweek.com/community/

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ps The 7th annual #MicroBizMatters Day event is on Friday 8th January so if you believe that micro businesses (0-9 employees) are important, get involved!

Thanks for reading,

Paul Lancaster
aka @lordlancaster
Founder & Director
Newcastle Startup Week | Founders’ Friday | TRYBES | Plan Digital


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