Emergent Thinkers™

Today, a diverse group of educators, business leaders, community practitioners, and changemakers gathered in Llanelli—not just to talk about entrepreneurship, but to actively map, strengthen, and reimagine the town’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. As part of my Learned Society of Wales (LSW) Research Workshop, this event brought real opportunities to the surface, fostered meaningful collaborations, and empowered participants to turn insights into action.

A Collaborative Approach to Entrepreneurship

Teaming up with Cllr Nick Pearce and David Timbrell-Hill, we welcomed participants from across business, education, and the statutory and voluntary community and youth sectors to explore what entrepreneurship really means in Llanelli—not just in terms of business start-ups, but as a broader force for social, cultural, environmental, and economic value creation. This breadth of representation ensured that no single sector dominated. Instead, we saw genuine collaboration between businesses, educators, youth organisations, council representatives, and community leaders—all recognising the need to connect and amplify existing efforts.

Nick Pearce brought his expertise in circular economy innovation and sustainable community development, reinforcing the importance of long-term resilience and cross-sector collaboration. David Timbrell-Hill, as President of Llanelli Chamber of Trade and Commerce, ensured that local business owners, independent traders, and entrepreneurial networks were central to the conversation. My role—spanning primary to tertiary education, youth engagement, and community agency groups—helped ensure that entrepreneurial learning, social innovation, and community-led initiatives were fully embedded in the discussion.

Entrepreneurship: More Than Just Business

One of the key themes of the day was challenging traditional perceptions of entrepreneurship. Many in the room were already engaging in entrepreneurial activity—whether through mentoring, problem-solving, or leading community initiatives—but may not have previously seen themselves as part of Llanelli’s entrepreneurial landscape.

This is something I have been exploring through Harmonious Heroes, a pilot project working with a local school cluster. It exemplifies how entrepreneurial thinking can empower young people, foster agency, and strengthen collaboration between education, business, and the wider community. By embedding real-world challenges into the curriculum, it nurtures problem-solving skills, innovation, and meaningful cross-sector partnerships.

The workshop took this thinking further, posing key questions which included: Who is already contributing to Llanelli’s entrepreneurial landscape? Where are the strengths and hidden resources?
What barriers stop good ideas from growing?, and How can we connect better across sectors to create impact?

Using colour-coded post-its in a series of structured exercises, participants mapped out existing networks, resources, and stakeholders, identifying both visible and hidden entrepreneurial contributions.

Example of insights surfacing include:

The Power of Networks – Many entrepreneurial activities rely on individual brokers rather than structured support, making the system fragile rather than sustainably embedded.

The Need for Stronger Coordination – A clear call emerged for better mechanisms to connect schools, businesses, and community groups, ensuring more equitable access to entrepreneurial opportunities.

Once we had a clearer picture of the ecosystem, sector groups worked on practical solutions to strengthen support, reduce duplication, and create new collaborative opportunities.

A snapshop of the priorities emerging include Stronger Business-School-Community Partnerships – Moving beyond one-off initiatives to create sustained, meaningful engagement, and A More Connected Local Network – Establishing a directory or shared hub to streamline collaboration across sectors.

During the cross-sector collaboration session, participants pitched and explored new partnerships—from co-working spaces for young entrepreneurs to mentoring schemes linking businesses and education. As the session drew to a close, attendees were invited to commit to one action—whether that was following up with a new contact, championing entrepreneurial education within their organisation, or engaging in a town-wide initiative.

Looking Ahead: A Call to Action

This event was never intended as a one-off conversation. The insights gathered will directly inform my LSW research—shaping future funding applications, policy discussions, and collaborative projects, while also facilitating new relationships. But beyond that, this workshop was a testament to Llanelli’s entrepreneurial potential—not just as a place of business, but as a town of problem-solvers, innovators, and changemakers. We are not starting from scratch—this event built upon a strong foundation of resilient change agents already driving impact in Llanelli. What became even clearer, however, was the immense opportunity to connect, strengthen, and amplify these efforts for even greater reach and sustainability

I have yet to fully analyse and report on all the findings, but I already have a strong feeling that something special took place. The energy in the room was electric, the conversations rich, and the seeds of collaboration already taking root. It was a privilege to witness new partnerships forming and fresh ideas emerging—many of which will continue to evolve far beyond this single event.

A Final Thank You

A huge thank you to my co-facilitators, Nick Pearce and David Timbrell-Hill, for ensuring an extra breadth of voices were represented. Deep gratitude also goes to The Learned Society of Wales (LSW) for their workshop support through my application to their grant fund in making this research possible, and to Carmarthenshire County Council for their hospitality assistance. But most importantly, thank you to everyone who attended, contributed, and gave their time today—your insights, passion, and commitment have made a real difference.

This is just the beginning, and I look forward to seeing what we can build together.

Felicity

Want to know more? Drop me a line:
healeybenson-education@outlook.com