Karen is the brains and energy behind 3 successful businesses including The Decisions Group in the 90′s, Simply Switch (which she sold for a reported £22m) in the noughties and her most recent venture, Call Britannia. She is smart, she’s ballsy, she’s got attitude and she has agreed to spend an evening with us talking business, success and growth.

Karen got the idea for SimplySwitch in 2002 after being bombarded by sales people trying to get her to switch supplier after the deregulation in the gas and electricity markets. She identified a niche; while people knew they were now free to choose which energy company they wanted to use, there wasn’t anyone telling them how to make the change or providing a switching service over the telephone, and so SimplySwitch was born.

Like a lot of entrepreneurs, Karen’s entrepreneurial spirit was evident early on. At 22 she set up a telemarketing company called the Decisions Group, which she sold in 1990. In 1991 she launched a consultancy under the brand Karen Darby Direct; in 2002 she launched SimplySwitch and sold it in 2006. She has now launched her fourth and most exciting venture yet ‘Call Britannia‘ and is on a mission to create 10,000 jobs for the unemployed.

Karen is a fun-loving, gregarious woman who has a very refreshing outlook towards life as an entrepreneur: “My friend thinks I’m lazy. I’m not. I’m just effortlessly effective! You don’t need to work long hours.’

Karen is testament to the fact that you do not need to necessarily be a specialist in a particular subject or have the cash yourself to launch your enterprise. Sometimes all that is needed is the ability to spot a gap in the market and the ability to turn it into a business.

This will be a small group networking event and give you a chance to get to know Karen and ask her questions about your business and your situation. We’ll also have a chance to network together and create strong connections with each other.