Fortuitously, yesterday just happened to be the day on which Frome Jelly falls, and here is an artist’s impression of a couple of the attendees in a (rare?) moment of concentration between laughter and cake eating. The artist is Sarah Godsill, who is usually to be found capturing much grander events like weddings.

Jelly brings together random groups of people from many industries and professions. As well as Sarah, yesterday’s Frome Jelly at The Old Church School consisted of a trainer and coach, two IT specialists, a legal consultant, a PR expert, and an international development and human rights professional. Wow! I highly recommend Jelly as a unique way of:

• getting out of the house
• meeting new people you’d otherwise never run into
• picking up bits of advice, particularly on those aggravating IT glitches that can hold you up
• helping out other people and realising that they respect and value the experience and knowledge you possess, which you probably normally dismiss as obvious and commonplace
• clearing up some boring old jobs that have been pushed down the to do list for weeks
• catching up on local gossip
• having a good laugh
• gaining a whole new perspective on your life and work
• eating cake (often homemade, yum)

All this with no requirement to stand up and talk about your business or listen to other people boring on about theirs. I’m pleased to see there’s lots of buzz on Twitter about new groups starting up in places all over the UK. To find out more and for help in setting up your own Jelly, check out my Jelly guide.

I know lots of readers are already committed Jelly-goers. Have I missed out any other Jelly benefits?

I’d like to say a big thank you to Jan for all of her tireless work for Jelly, both in Shropshire, which she has made the most vibrant Jelly county in the UK, and also in helping people set up Jellys all over the UK and in France.

The BIG Jelly was Jan’s idea and although as a co-organiser I’m entirely biased, I know I’m not alone in thinking it the most extraordinary business event I’ve ever been to, not only in terms of efficient organisation and high quality content, but in its welcome for every attendee and dedication to giving them a good day.

Jan built the UK Jelly website out of her enthusiasm for Jelly and her determination that every home worker and freelancer in the UK should have a free local coworking group within reach. She has kept the Jelly map up to date with all the new groups setting up, organisers in touch with each other through starting the UK Jelly Linkedin group, and the Jelly message going round the world with the UKJelly Twitter account. All this on a voluntary basis and in her own time while also growing her social media business and looking after her young family.

Many home workers and small business owners have benefited directly from Jan’s efforts, and I’m sure many more will do so now that Jim has taken over. I hope that those who may be wondering about taking on the role of Jelly organiser will recognise how effectively Jelly spreads good PR with no need for selling or self-promotion, and be encouraged to take part!

In fact the more I get out and about, the more I’m meeting people involved in those fields, such as Richard Leyland of WorkSnug, the app that lets you find not only your nearest place to work, but now also places where you can do printing. Clare Flynn Levy, flexible working champion, was our special guest at How to Work from Home at Central last week.

And I’m thrilled to have just secured two more guests for future How to Work from Home meetups. San Sharma, Community Manager for both Bitsy and WorkSnug, will be leading a discussion on the Top 10 Tech Tools to Save Time on Thursday 29 September.

On Thursday 27 October, Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation and Bitsy, and the person the Government consults about home business, will be the guest at our session on organisation. I’m still working on details of the event for 25 August, but that should be finalised very soon!

All the Jelly information will be freely available on my site, and I’ll continue to post articles on my Work from Home Wisdom Facebook page and to retweet details of new Jellys. (I stopped RTing existing Jellys some time ago, as there are now so many and UK Jelly does an excellent job of that!) I’m happy to keep answering enquiries, like the two emails I’ve received this week about setting up new Jellys, and I’ll be continuing to spread the word about Jelly at my own and other events and to whoever I meet.

Oh, and I’ve just had a tweet about Fiona no longer organising Jelly at Monk’s Yard near Ilminster in Somerset, so perhaps a piece about finding a replacement organiser is called for – Jelly never sleeps!

I now find myself in the same position, having organised Frome Jelly for over 18 months, and I’m looking for someone to take over the voluntary organisation and hosting duties from August. Who might it suit?

Well, a start-up business or anyone wishing to make widespread contacts with forward-thinking people across all industries. Here in Frome we are very fortunate in not only having a workhub of superb quality like The Old Church School, but also its owner, Gavin Eddy, who instantly understood the concept of Jelly and offered a monthly space before I even had to ask! He and Rebecca Krzyzosiak, the Office Manager, are very keen for Jelly to continue uninterrupted after the August Jelly, which is a week earlier than usual in order to be part of Old School Start-ups, the small business festival being hosted by The Old Church School.

Already having a venue and the systems I’ve put in place for organising each Jelly means you’ll have much less to do than the 70 or so other organisers who have set up Jelly from scratch!

You’ll need to appreciate that Jelly is not about selling, but about likeminded people getting together to work for a day away from their usual surroundings, to exchange help and advice and catch up on the local news. Because nobody is required to pitch their business, Jelly has a uniquely laidback and friendly atmosphere.

You’ll not only meet local home workers and freelancers, but through Twitter immediately be in touch with many Jelly organisers and attendees from all over the UK and further afield, who are a rich source of friendly help and information.

Who knows what opportunities might arise? I was lucky enough to be asked to help organise The BIG Jelly in March this year. Working with Jan Minihane, founder of Shropshire Jelly, and Fay Easton of Enterprise HQ taught me so much, and has definitely helped me to develop my business to the point where it demands all my commitment and energy. I’m organising monthly meet-ups for home workers in London and planning a programme to launch in the autumn to support women who want to start their own business from home, and of course I’ll keep in touch with all my Jelly friends through Twitter.

So it’s time to pass Frome Jelly over to someone who can benefit as I have from the positive connections it brings. Do get in touch if you find the prospect intriguing and would like to know more.

Blue sky and sunshine at 7.30 am, what a start, hope it’s an omen. Jelly green banners going up, badges to sort, muffins laid out next to coffee for arrivals, trade stands to explore.

The doors open to the soundtrack of the Shropshire Jelly video filmed last week at Enterprise HQ – ‘It ain’t about the money, money..we just want to make the world dance…’

Jelly beans to munch, Emma Jones in a great pair of boots, down-to-earth and inspirational at the same time.

Louise Findlay-Wilson, aptly named PrPro, that new haircut and colour fooled us completely, we were expecting a longhaired blonde, how shameful not to recognise your own speaker. People scribbling notes with fat green BIG Jelly pens.

‘Move in together. Bit more. A bit to the left. Big smile please.’

12 o’clock and Brown Bags lined up, actually I’m hungry, ploughmans sounds just the job. You’ve got a banana, I’ve got a pear, mm, chocolate roll, nice.

The Jelly session, oh my goodness that’s Caroline from Wales and…Verity from Edinburgh, lovely to meet you at last. And Judy, all the way from Normandy to pick up tips on starting Jelly en France.

And here’s Daniel, our third speaker, here despite train strikes and late taxis, better feed the man and find him a quiet place to work before his talk.

Back to the Main Hall for the Q&A, Gavin chairs it with his usual humour and aplomb. Introducing Daniel, stealing one of his own introductions – ‘He’ll share his knowledge in direct proportion to the applause he receives’ – much clapping.

Daniel has the audience in the palm of his hand. I’ve heard the content of the talk several times before, but I’m still gripped and realise he’s down walking about in front of the tables and I’d never even noticed him leave the stage.

But better close it down now, only 5 minutes after the schedule, although people seem happy to keep asking questions and he to answer them. After Fay’s closing remarks she comes down from the stage and gives us both a hug. We’ve done it and it was great!

‘Big smile please.’

Happy, excited people clutching Key Person of Influence books and a bag of jelly beans to fuel the journey home. ‘What a fantastic day. When’s the next one?’

Packing of boxes and cloths taken off tables. Poor Rob, the AV man is the first to arrive and the last to leave. A large glass of white wine in the bar – thanks, Jan!

Maybe not the world, but today we made part of Shropshire dance and that’s good enough for me

The Jelly team are very grateful for all the help we’re being given in so many practical ways. We’re now only five weeks away from the day, so any blogs, newsletters, events listings etc you can include us in will really add to the buzz. There is plenty of information on the UK Jelly site and do let me know if you’d like a copy of the press release or our lovely green eflyers.

Twice a day we’re adding to The BIG Jelly Facebook page tips and snippets of interest to small business, so pop over for a look and to like us! Or the tips come straight to you if you follow @UKJelly on Twitter.

I’ve just been told by A that I can post events on both Linkedin and Facebook, so I need to investigate how to do that. I find both sites a bit mystifying so this is the push I need to explore them further.

I’m looking forward to putting faces to names when The BIG Jelly rolls around at the end of March!

The BIG Jelly was the idea of Jan Minihane, my Jelly friend and the founder of Shropshire Jelly, who was so thrilled at the collaborations that came out of her local Jellys that she wondered what wonderful things might happen if home workers, freelancers and micro business owners from all over the UK met up for the day.

She also wanted to tell more people about Jelly and how simple it is to start, with the ultimate aim of a Jelly within reach of every home worker in the UK.

But obviously nobody would bother to travel to a central point for a national Jelly when they’ve got one much closer, so the day had to be really special. The Jelly team (me, Jan and Fay Easton of Enterprise HQ in Coalport, which hosts Jan’s Jelly) have planned a day for all small businesses that is not only Jelly, a space with free wi fi where you can catch up with work and emails, but also all of the following:

3 inspirational speakers – Louise Findlay-Wilson of PR Pro
Emma Jones of Enterprise Nation & Bitsy
Daniel Priestley of Triumphant Events – all well-known champions of small business

A choice of breakout sessions run by experts:
Home Working Wisdom
The Money Go Round
Demystifying Social Media
Marketing for Micro Businesses
Setting up & Running a Jelly
Website/SEO Clinic

And:
Mini expo
Refreshments provided throughout the day from coffee and Danish on arrival to brown bag lunch and cookies, and tea and coffee all day
Event bag with useful content to take away
Special rates for overnight accommodation at host venue, 4* QHotels Telford
Plenty of time for meeting new people in the uniquely friendly Jelly atmosphere

The BIG Jelly is for all micro and small business owners, freelancers, home workers, coworkers, new start-ups, business advisers, workhub operators, business support agencies, government ministers and anyone interested in the future of small and home business, whether you have heard of Jelly or not!

Some people have asked why The BIG Jelly isn’t free, when one of the main principles of Jelly is that it’s free to attend. Well, we’d have loved to bring you all this for nothing, but with the economy the way it is, it simply isn’t possible to cover the costs of a national event through goodwill and sponsorship alone. Even the big blue chip companies have tightened their belts. The people and organisations supporting us have been extremely generous and that’s how we’ve been able to keep the ticket price to £50 + VAT if you book before 28th February 2010, and £75 + VAT thereafter.

The BIG Jelly is a not-for-profit event and so we don’t have a big marketing and PR budget. You will soon be reading about the day in the press, but it would be a huge help if home workers and small businesses can create a strong word-of-mouth buzz through Twitter, Facebook and your personal contacts.

Wherever you are in the UK or the world, whether you can come to The BIG Jelly or not, we would be so grateful if you can start talking about the day both on and offline. The hashtag is #BIGJelly, and more information and booking is at www.uk-jelly.org.uk

Thank you so much if you can support us in making this day a huge success and helping to spread the many benefits of Jelly throughout the UK. I really hope to see you there!

Best wishes
Judy

It’s early days yet in the planning of The Big Jelly, but the level of enthusiasm, goodwill and generosity we’ve encountered so far is a very positive start. We have some really inspiring people lined up to take part, with different kinds of expertise to share.

What we’re aiming for is a day that reflects the spirit of Jelly – particularly its friendliness, quirkiness, and new way of doing things! Jelly organisers will be the first to receive details of our plans, we hope in the very near future.

So on this Thankful Thursday I’m feeling grateful to be involved with such a great bunch of home workers and to be meeting experts who quickly understand the spirit of Jelly and are eager to come along to help us move our businesses forward. Can’t wait for March!

Technology can cut us off from other people, if that’s the way we choose to use it, but it can also connect us in ways that would have seemed miraculous not so long ago. I discovered Jelly through Twitter only a year ago, and the idea has caught on all over the UK through people tweeting and sharing information like my How to start your own Jelly guide. Jelly brings people together who otherwise wouldn’t have met, despite living very close to each other, and gives them the opportunity to help each other and collaborate.

The other day I had a Skype call with Jan Minihane, business adviser and social media trainer, who runs Shropshire Jelly and Fay Easton of Enterprise HQ, the workhub in Coalport, to discuss Jan’s idea of a national Jelly event next year. I’m a strongly visual person, so being able to see the people I’m speaking to is very powerful, and the call was very motivating for all of us.

Watch this space for more details as we crystallise ideas and start planning. We’ll be able to share updates by using cloud content management, a concept presently as woolly to me as its name, but which will no doubt soon become as clear as a blue sky!

So this Thursday I’m very grateful for what technology enables me to do, and very excited about its human end product, a roomful of likeminded people sharing ideas, enjoying each other’s company and making leaps forward with their businesses.

It happened to me recently when planning this month’s Frome Jelly and realising it fell on the day before my much-anticipated trip to London. I knew I would probably be busy with things in my home office that day, but I didn’t want to cancel Jelly. I can’t even remember the course of events now, but gradually it dawned on me that it wasn’t an either/or situation – someone else could act as host instead of me. Seems so obvious now.

So another Thankful Thursday rolls around and today I’m wondering what lightbulb moments or breakthroughs you’ve had recently. Maybe you opened a book and the information you’d been looking for was staring you in the face, or maybe you found something you’d been searching high and low for when doing something else entirely. Or perhaps you were thinking of quite another subject when you had an amazing revelation.

Tell us about the times the lightbulb came on for you!