Nick Boyle, founder of one of the UK and Ireland’s fastest-growing renewable energy companies, told delegates at a Belfast Chamber entrepreneurship event about how some of the biggest opportunities in business can be found in turbulent situations.
Speaking at the ‘Go Big or Go Home’ entrepreneurship event, delivered in partnership with Belfast City Council, Clarendon Fund Managers, and Ulster Bank, Mr Boyle urged business leaders to embrace uncertainty and see setbacks as potential turning points.
The event, held at Ulster Bank’s Belfast city centre headquarters, brought together leading founders, investors and innovation figures from across Belfast’s business community for a programme of keynote sessions and panel discussions exploring entrepreneurship, scaling businesses, and navigating the evolving funding landscape.
Boyle, who co-founded Lightsource and scaled it into one of the world’s leading solar energy developers before completing a multi-million-pound full acquisition with BP in 2024, gave delegates a candid account of the realities behind high-growth entrepreneurship.
He said:
“An important lesson is that not all learning comes from success. A lot of learning comes from watching what doesn’t work. What initially looked like a disaster became our biggest opportunity. That’s probably entrepreneurship in a nutshell.
“The two most important things I did in my career were waiting until the right time before becoming CEO and surrounding myself with good people. My job wasn’t to be the smartest person in the room – my job was to surround myself with smart people in their particular field and sure they worked together effectively.
“I genuinely enjoy helping founders. Experience creates unconscious competence. Many business leaders will have seen situations before, even if they don’t consciously realise it. People may come to you with a problem and you instinctively know where it’s likely to end up because you’ve either done it correctly before or done it wrong before. I find navigating that for entrepreneurs and start-ups hugely rewarding.”
The event also featured keynote addresses and panel discussions showcasing a cross-section of Belfast’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, with representatives from local businesses including Datactics, HALO Technologies, Load a Balls, Lowe, Macc Hair, OatCo Superfuel, Team FeePay, Truffleupagus Vegan Yums, and Vikela, alongside contributions from venture capital fund managers, 57 Stars and Clarendon Fund Managers.
The sessions highlighted real-world experiences of startups, scale-ups and successful exits, while exploring access to investment and international growth opportunities.
Darragh McCarthy, President of Belfast Chamber, highlighted how entrepreneurship remains central to the strength and resilience of the local economy.
He said:
“It was great to hear from Nick and our event panelists who provided valuable real-world insight into what it actually takes to start, scale and sustain a business.
“Entrepreneurship is integral to Belfast’s economy, and events like this are about encouraging ambition, sharing experience and helping people take that next step. We want to create an environment in which people feel empowered to take risks, learn from others and ultimately just go for it.”
John Ferris, Accelerator Community Manager at Ulster Bank, added:
“Supporting entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey is hugely important to us at Ulster Bank, and events like ‘Go Big or Go Home’ provide an invaluable opportunity to connect with and inspire local founders and growing businesses.
“We were pleased to partner with Belfast Chamber, Clarendon Fund Managers, and Belfast City Council in delivering this important platform, which brought together insight, experience and ambition in a practical way that helps turn ideas into action.”
The ‘Go Big or Go Home’ event forms part of Belfast Chamber’s ongoing programme of activity aimed at supporting enterprise, fostering innovation and strengthening the city’s position as a leading hub for business growth and investment.
Further information can be found via: www.belfastchamber.com/events