Simon is an accomplished business angel, management consultant, professional mentor and non-executive director
He has a highly successful track record in business, and now devotes his time to lecturing, raising funding for SME’s and delivering management consultancy. Funding comes from his own personal resources as well as a wider group of business angels.
Simon is an Associate Professor and Programme Director of the MSc Entrepreneurship programme at the UCL School of Management.
Simon has recently written a book, Entrepreneurial Finance, specifically to help early stage entrepreneurs understand the financial statements and the process of fundraising.
Background
Simon Hulme is a serial entrepreneur having built up and sold two significant businesses in the past 25 years. His entrepreneurial history has been written about in Dr Rob Yeung’s book 'The Extra One Per Cent: How small changes make exceptional people’.
At the age of 24 he started his first business, Frame Express, a chain of fast picture framing shops and built this to 16 outlets. In 1989 he sold it to a public company, The Oliver Group Plc.
Simon then started Card Connection in 1992, a greeting card publisher distributing through over 100 franchisees in the UK and Ireland. The business was widely regarded as one of the best-run franchises in the UK, and was in the Top 10 publishers in the greeting card industry. The business was sold to UK Greetings (the British subsidiary of American Greetings Inc) in March 2008.
Since selling Card Connection, Simon has invested in around 40 businesses. He was also a mentor on the highly acclaimed Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme for 3.5 years.
Financial literacy is one of the fundamental keys to business success, and this ground-breaking textbook teaches students the necessary financial skills required by entrepreneurs.
Presenting an abundance of case studies and examples throughout, the book uses a step-by-step approach which will develop the reader's knowledge of the three key financial statements: profit & loss, balance sheet and cash flow. It explains the various considerations for raising capital: the requirements of banks, business angels, crowdfunding platforms, and venture capitalists, along with details and pitfalls of term sheets. Finally, it suggests ways of using accounting data to create a financially intelligent business and achieve business success. The authors impressive background as successful entrepreneurs and business angels underscores the highly practical and useful coverage offered, whilst Simon Hulme s teaching experience tailors it to fit student needs perfectly.
Entrepreneurial Finance is a refreshingly easy-to-grasp introduction, especially suitable for those who find this topic daunting. Visually appealing and engagingly written, this book, together with its range of bespoke digital resources, succeeds in breaking down complex concepts and communicating them with clarity. The ideal resource for university students taking entrepreneurship and business courses, it will also be valuable for entrepreneurs who wish to scale their business, as well as managers seeking to consolidate their understanding of entrepreneurial finance.
"A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results"
"You win some and lose some. It's part of the game. You have to take it in a very positive way."
"Virtually nothing is impossible in this world if you just put your mind to it and maintain a positive attitude"
"A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug."
Some other funding networks
Simon Hulme only co-invests alongside other experienced business angels. This has the added advantage of not only access to more funds, but also greater expertise. He is also a major investor in the Antler Fund.
Simon is one of the most active members of the Southern Angel Investors Club whose members have invested in numerous businesses over the past decade. The club also works closely with other angel networks throughout London and South East.
So if you are looking for funding, get in touch. Simon can either help personally or put you in touch with someone else with experience in your sector. There are not usually any sector limitations, however, Simon does not invest in medical products or devices (but other angels in the networks mentioned do, of course).
London, South, and South East, and are the primary geographical areas of interest.
"I think of entrepreneurship as a way of creating value."
"Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. The act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth"
"What is great about entrepreneurship is that entrepreneurs create the tangible from the intangible"
Simon is an Associate Professor and Programme Director of MSc Entrepreneurship at UCL School of Management, based at Canary Wharf. He lectures primarily in Entrepreneurial Finance.
Simon is a regular speaker / lecturer on business topics, and has spoken or run workshops at UCL, Kingston University, Surrey University, Westminster University, Brunel University, Academy of National Economy (Moscow), and at various start-up accelerator programmes and angel events. Topics have included: