Robert Craven

Robert Craven (born 7 March 1959) is an English author of business books and a popular keynote speaker.[1][2][3] His area of focus is entrepreneurship[4][5][6] and business growth.[7][8][9]

Contents

Career

Craven graduated from the University of Bath in 1981 with a degree in Economics and Politics and promptly set up a cafe, then a restaurant then an outside catering business. He also set up a sound recording studio followed by a training company and then “fell into management consulting”.

Craven earned his MBA from Warwick Business School[10] in 1991 where he went on to become Associate Fellow and Director of Consulting and Training at the Centre for Small and Medium-sized Businesses.[11] He was Programme Director for the Business Growth and Management Development Programme. He subsequently wrote and delivered Warwick’s Personal Business Adviser Training for the government’s newly formed Business Link. Finally he wrote and delivered the Understanding Small Business Programme[12] for Barclays Bank’s business managers.[13] He went on to work on etc's Accelerated Growth Programme.[14]

After leaving Warwick, Craven spent a brief time at University of Bath[15] before becoming Managing Director of The Directors’ Centre, a consultancy for growing businesses. Craven has been a contributor for Financial Times,[16] Director,[17] Independent on Sunday,[18] Fresh Business Thinking,[19][20] BusinessZone,[4] B2BusinessHub,[21] Marketing Donut,[22] SiteRoom,[23] and Start Your Business[24][25] magazines. He wrote the most popular article of 2011 for BusinessZone.[26]

He was Series Editor[27] for the Virgin Business Guides.[28] He speaks for Vistage[29] and The London Speaker Bureau[30] The Barclays roadshow visits 80 venues and 6,500 delegates each year.[31][32] He is a judge in the 2011 UK Startup Awards (with Lara Morgan).[33]

Craven lives in Bath in Somerset.

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ Books. "Quick start-ups". Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/4184399/Quick-start-ups.html. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  2. ^ "CrimsonPublishing.co.uk / Author / Robert Craven". Crimsonbooks.co.uk. http://www.crimsonbooks.co.uk/author/robert-craven. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  3. ^ Warwick Business School, Nexus Magazine, Summer 2011
  4. ^ a b "Robert Craven's articles". Businesszone.co.uk. 2007-08-13. http://www.businesszone.co.uk/item/171754. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  5. ^ The Financial Times, Finance Corner, 20 May 2006
  6. ^ "Globalisation and the e-conomy - gaining competitive advantage in tomorrow's market | Management Services | Professional Journal archives from". AllBusiness.com. 2001-09-01. http://www.allbusiness.com/professional-scientific/management-consulting/999085-1.html. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  7. ^ Accelerate Magazine, 2011
  8. ^ Start Your Business Magazine, Issue 57, 2011
  9. ^ Business First Magazine, Q1, 2009
  10. ^ p 14
  11. ^ http://www.wbs.ac.uk/downloads/nexus/summer2011/?pdf
  12. ^ "BARCLAYS TO INVEST £4M IN MULTI-MEDIA TRAINING FOR SMALL BUSINESS STAFF". Prnewswire.co.uk. 1997-02-20. http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=38301. Retrieved 2011-11-08. 
  13. ^ "Making Banks & Bankers Better (Robert Craven) | Interviews". Professionalbankingacademy.com. http://www.professionalbankingacademy.com/Interviews/robert-craven.html. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  14. ^ "etc - Accelerated Growth Programme - Trainer biographies". Etc.dev.rroom.net. http://etc.dev.rroom.net/programme/agp_bios.asp. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  15. ^ "T Mag archive". Tmag.co.uk. http://www.tmag.co.uk/print_article.php?section=archive&article=march_1998_3. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  16. ^ ""I am not an SME, you patronising ***!"". Businesszone.co.uk. http://www.businesszone.co.uk/topic/business-trends/i-am-not-sme-you-patronising/35194. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  17. ^ "Director Magazine—for business leaders". Director.co.uk. http://www.director.co.uk/magazine/2009/10%20November/business_clinic_63_03.html. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  18. ^ Robert Craven (1998-02-22). "Business News | Latest Business Information, News and Events". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/managers-of-the-future-are-in-need-of-the-feelgood-factor-1146210.html. Retrieved 2011-11-08. 
  19. ^ "Tough Decisions To Improve Sales, Profit And Cash!". Freshbusinessthinking.com. http://www.freshbusinessthinking.com/archives.php?NWSID=1330#AID9505. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  20. ^ "How To Fix Your Business's Problems?". Freshbusinessthinking.com. http://www.freshbusinessthinking.com/archives.php?NWSID=1354. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  21. ^ "I am furious. Really furious!". The B2 Business Hub. 2011-07-21. http://www.b2businesshub.com/public/i-am-furious-really-furious. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  22. ^ "Robert Craven". Marketing Donut. http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/experts/robert-craven. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  23. ^ "How to find niches to fight the post-recession blues". Siteroom. 2011-09-12. http://www.siteroom.co.uk/advice/how-to-find-niches-and-opportunities-to-fight-the-post-recession-blues/. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  24. ^ "Start Your Business Magazine". Startyourbusinessmag.com. http://www.startyourbusinessmag.com/report-mba.html. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  25. ^ "Start Your Business Magazine". Startyourbusinessmag.com. http://www.startyourbusinessmag.com/quote-thingstodo.html. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  26. ^ "Top 10 most popular BusinessZone articles of 2011". Businesszone.co.uk. 2011-12-16. http://www.businesszone.co.uk/topic/business-trends/top-10-most-popular-articles-2011/38621. Retrieved 2011-12-31. 
  27. ^ "Publications featuring Grier Palmer". WBS. http://www.wbs.ac.uk/faculty/members/Grier/Palmer/publications. Retrieved 2011-12-15. 
  28. ^ http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/wbs/research/csme/annual_report_2001.pdf
  29. ^ "Robert Craven (NEW) Full Details". Vistage Speaker Bureau. http://www.vistagespeakerbureau.co.uk/index.php?option=com_vistage&task=speakerbio&speaker=123. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  30. ^ Tel: +44(0) 1483 459 084. "Robert Craven - Business Practitioners". Maria Franzoni. http://mariafranzoni.com/business-practitioners/robert-craven. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  31. ^ "ANALYSIS: The big four banks get serious with SMEs". b2bmarketing.net. 2011-04-13. http://www.b2bmarketing.net/knowledgebank/branding/features/analysis-big-four-banks-get-serious-smes. Retrieved 2011-12-31. 
  32. ^ "What are your Bright Marketing tips?". Liz Spencer. 2009-11-04. http://www.lizspencer.co.uk/2009/11/brightmarketingtips/. Retrieved 2011-12-31. 
  33. ^ "Judges". Startups. http://www.startups.co.uk/judges. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  34. ^ "> Kick-Start Your Business: 100 Days to a Leaner, Fitter Organisation". Ebury Publishing. http://www.eburypublishing.co.uk/viewbook.asp?isbn=0753509733. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  35. ^ "> Customer Is King: How to Exceed Their Expectations". Ebury Publishing. http://www.eburypublishing.co.uk/viewbook.asp?isbn=0753509687&searchtxt=craven&searchopt=. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  36. ^ "CrimsonPublishing.co.uk / Startups: Bright Marketing". Crimsonbooks.co.uk. 2007-07-01. http://www.crimsonbooks.co.uk/book/details/9781854584045/robert-craven/startups-bright-marketing. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  37. ^ "books - The Start-Up Essays - new business". Robert Craven. http://www.robertcraven.co.uk/start-up-essays.php. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  38. ^ "Beating the Credit Crunch - book". Robert Craven. 2009-03-01. http://www.robertcraven.co.uk/beating-the-credit-crunch.php. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  39. ^ "CrimsonPublishing.co.uk / Startups: Bright Marketing for Small Business". Crimsonbooks.co.uk. 2011-01-31. http://www.crimsonbooks.co.uk/book/details/9781854585622/robert-craven/startups-bright-marketing-for-small-business. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  40. ^ "Grow Your Service Firm: Amazon.co.uk: Robert Craven: Books". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grow-Your-Service-Robert-Craven/dp/1780590881. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 

External links