Lincoln University's Siren FM secures resident business advisor - January 2008
Young People
Make a Difference with Your Actions
Jon Thornes is sitting in a small studio. Headphones resting comfortably, microphone on, perched at the edge of his seat ready to start interviewing his guest. Jon is resident Business Advice DJ on the Making Money programme, broadcast on Siren FM, Lincoln University’s student radio station for the Lincoln community. There’s a buzz of excitement as Jon asks the first question. “So Michelle, tell me how do we make money?”
It’s the first time Jon has done anything like this. Usually you’d find him dictating a letter to his PA or making executive decisions at his business, but the half hour sessions are part of his involvement with the University in his capacity as a Business Champion – a regional programme funded by the East Midlands Development Agency
“As a Champion I’ve been asked to get business people involved more with the university,” he says. “So I enlisted local business people and other Business Champions to come in and talk about how to make money.
“Doing the radio show is very interesting. It’s given me another skill set which I wouldn’t have gained through my working environment. I’ve been trained up to conduct interviews and edit them for the radio by the University students. It’s amazing what you learn. And the students benefit too from the advice they receive.”
Jon is the managing director of Cool Milk At School Ltd. In 10 years this dynamic businessman has created a business with a turnover in excess of £10 million. It’s hard to believe that a businessman whose time is constantly in demand spends up to three days a week volunteering his time through Business Champions.
During a regular week Jon will sit on a variety of Lincolnshire bodies, talking to councils, helping chief executives with employee interviews and encouraging outside investment to relocate into the region.
“Business Champions has given me a life outside of my company,” he says. “In the isolation of your business you think that the whole world is against you but through Business Champions I’ve been able to see how things work.
“It’s given me a much better understanding of people and provided access to a wider range of friends and associates. In Lincolnshire we are in the main a very white, middle class community but at Business Champions you get to meet people from all walks of life and backgrounds. It really broadens your horizons. Through my volunteering I’ve personally become more understanding and less selfish.”
As well as picking up new skill sets Jon also gains the ability to influence and shape his community and region. His involvement as board member of Lincolnshire Enterprise allows him to be more than a bystander, it provides a route into making important regional decisions.
“For example Skegness and Mablethorpe are run down places with reduced economic activity. I am able to help in the economic uplift of the region and can actively encourage new business to come to the region. Business Champions provides a means for people like me to make a difference in the East Midlands.
“The beauty of being an emda Business Champion is its open to experienced business people and depending on your interest, whether it’s schools, social or strategic, you can choose how to help depending on your interest and time available.”