Tinique Hay is the proud owner of Hay Events, a multi-award-winning event management agency. She specialises in helping corporate, marketing, and communication teams save time, money, and resources by offering bespoke ‘done-for-you’ event management services. Her goal is to ensure that the planning and delivery of events are 100% stress-free, providing a personalised service that goes above and beyond to meet her clients’ specific needs.

I applied for the MSDUK Accelerator because I wanted to attract more corporate clients and better understand procurement processes. I first heard about MSDUK during a public speaking event at my university, where one of the panellists introduced me to the organisation and the programme. When applications opened, I was excited about the learning opportunities and particularly the chance to pitch, which became my ‘no ifs or buts’ end goal. I was determined to be one of the ten businesses on stage, and I’m thrilled to say I achieved that goal, and great outcomes came from it.

Another motivation for joining the programme was the opportunity to meet other diverse business founders and expand my network. I loved my time on the programme – it was structured, organised, and we were given tasks with valuable feedback. Being part of this community was truly enjoyable.

Learning and Growth: Key Takeaways from the MSDUK Accelerator

Module 1: Customer Discovery and Validation was also incredibly insightful. The facilitators set high expectations right from the start with their masterclasses on planning customer discovery calls. They covered everything from what questions to ask to what to look out for, which was very helpful.

I also appreciated the Procurement Workshops delivered by the MSDUK Team, an area I was keen to understand better. On a more personal level, I enjoyed the Peer Mastermind sessions where we checked in on how we were feeling, celebrated wins, and discussed any struggles. Two other workshops that deserve recognition are the guest sessions on PR strategy and guerilla marketing, which I also enjoyed.

I appreciated how the programme emphasised the importance of applying what we learned through module tasks rather than just passively listening. I can now revisit these tasks and recorded sessions anytime. I particularly enjoyed the task of creating our customer discovery plan which I now use in discovery calls to dive deeper into clients’ pain points and ensure my services meet their needs. Additionally, putting together my pitch deck based on what I’ve learned from previous modules was very rewarding.

My cold outreach on LinkedIn has improved as I now ask conscious, targeted questions, leading to more successful calls. The programme has boosted my confidence in offering my services to corporate clients. Hearing from facilitators and guest speakers, I realised that if they can succeed, I most definitely can too.

Demo Day: Showcasing Hay Events

Pitching on Demo Day was incredibly exciting. It allowed me to build my confidence in public speaking and assert myself, so people understand what I offer. The feedback was amazing, with many compliments and some great follow-up conversations leading to discovery calls. I didn’t let fear or overthinking take over; I had the goal of being on that stage and I achieved it, presenting my authentic self.

Tinique’s Biggest Takeaway

If there are founders looking for something with structure and a clear, organised curriculum, then the MSDUK programmes can offer that. The learnings from the facilitators and guest speakers enhanced my knowledge in areas I was either not aware of or if I was aware of them, it only enhanced my knowledge further.