5 minutes with… Dave Bushnell – Hull What’s On

5 minutes with •  Winter 2021

Jo from Y&H was pleased to chat with Dave Bushnell of Hull What’s On and find out how it feels to have a newly launched business completely impacted by the pandemic and how his own perseverance and reflection is paying off.

Dave, tell us about the last 12 months with Hull What’s On?

The last 12 months have actually been fantastic for us, the majority of it anyway. This time 12 months ago, things were looking pretty grim, with a winter lockdown and nobody knowing when things would return.

I got to the point in January, where I felt we couldn’t offer any more ‘at home’ entertainment articles and so decided to shut us down until things reopened.

I used this time to reflect and develop a new vision for the business and where I wanted to take it. I wanted to feel more local again, and not just focus on events, but expand into positive local news and be more of a lifestyle guide for Hull & East Yorkshire.

Just a few months before, I started working with a business coach. The break helped me to talk to him about my ideas, and we developed a long-term plan together so that when things reopened, I could make some real progress.

And that’s exactly what’s happened. In March, when things started to reopen, we got back to work, and our advertisers started to return. The last 8 months have been the best financial period since I started the business back in 2016, and we had a record month in October!

Obviously, the pandemic must have been tricky, how are things recovering?

Yes absolutely! Just before the pandemic, I’d launched a new UK-wide event directory called What’s On Hub, which I felt was going to be hugely successful.

It had taken 18 months to develop, but I only had 2 months to get things moving before we were in lockdown, which was a huge kick in the teeth.

Mentally that was very draining, and I really did feel lost for quite some time.

Like I said, working with a business coach helped massively. It was almost therapeutic because I got to talk it all through and have time to sit and plan which got me excited about the journey ahead.

And now things are looking very positive for us. The government launched the Kickstart scheme, so I now have two employees helping me from there, plus Jack has returned part-time and I’m recruiting for a sales manager position.

What’s next in your plans for Hull What’s On?

Well, for the next 6 months, the plan is to do more of the same and continue to build our client base here in Hull & East Yorkshire. I love it here, and our mission is to help residents rediscover how good it is to live and work here and improve their social lives in the process.

So, I have loads of ideas to introduce and improve it, but I’m just taking it a small step at a time.

We’ve just added a new jobs board/directory to the website, and we’ll soon be launching a property one too. My belief is that to make the most of events and things to do in Hull & East Yorkshire, you need to work, earn money, and live in a home you’re happy with.

I do still plan to expand around the UK but not in the same way as before. We’ll be looking at places similar to Hull and possibly franchise it to people in those areas who are as passionate about their area, as I am about Hull.

Thanks Dave. We really enjoyed hearing your story and seeing how well things are progressing for the business.

To find out more about Dave and Hull What’s On, you can follow him on LinkedIn and visit hullwhatson.com