From denim workshops to lessons on mending household items, Westfield’s Europe-wide festival gives visitors the chance to transform their wardrobes and reduce waste

As consumers, we’ve all come to appreciate that individual changes to our behaviours can have a collective impact on efforts to protect the planet and reduce environmental damage.

The Westfield Good Festival, which is taking place at Westfield shopping centres across Europe this month, aims to help consumers make these kind of changes to their behaviour. The event, in collaboration with brands and with organisations working in the community, will showcase activities and initiatives to inspire people to embrace the circular economy and get creative with repairing and repurposing. “Brands and consumers can share insights, best practice and motivate one another towards adopting eco-friendlier shopping habits,” says Katie Wyle, UK head of shopping centre management for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW).

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© Photograph: Rafal Wojnowski/PR

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© Photograph: Rafal Wojnowski/PR

From knowing your figures to speaking from the heart, three business owners share their secrets for winning investors with a knockout presentation

Motivational speakers and life coaches love to tell us that if we can dream it, we can do it. But coming up with an initial idea for a product, service or business is only the start of the journey; try as you might, simply manifesting the cash to fund your startup just isn’t going to cut it.

What budding tycoons actually need to move them up to the next level is investors. Whether the money might come from a personal contact, venture capitalist, or angel investor, a stand-out marketing deck and killer pitch are required. It’s a tried and tested route that most businesses will have to engage in to achieve their potential.

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© Photograph: Bruce And Rebecca Meissner/Stocksy United

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© Photograph: Bruce And Rebecca Meissner/Stocksy United

Westfield’s new competition could land you a trading spot in one of Europe’s best shopping destinations. But are you ready to rise to the challenge?

For many businesses, launching exclusively online is a safe option, enabling them to start building with lower overheads, fewer commitments and a chance to test the water. But there often comes a time when a more visible, physical presence is required. The Westfield Grand Prix is giving sustainable businesses that very opportunity – the chance to win a free retail space in one of the two London Westfield centres for up to 12 months. Winners will also receive a contribution to pay for design and fit-out, together with personalised guidance and financial support from design and retail experts, as well as in-centre advertising created by the retail media agency Westfield Rise.

Most entrepreneurs would jump at the chance to sell their wares in one of the world’s most iconic malls. But before taking the leap, your readiness should be considered. How do you know when your business is ready?

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© Photograph: Xavier Lorenzo/Getty Images

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© Photograph: Xavier Lorenzo/Getty Images

While the initial knock-back may sting, the insights you gain from an unsuccessful presentation can propel you to success

It’s a big moment for any entrepreneur. The pitch can make all the difference when it comes to securing investment, getting stocked, gaining customers – or being selected as the winner of the Westfield Grand Prix, where the prize is a free retail space in one of the two London Westfield Centres for up to 12 months, along with a contribution to pay for design and fit-out. When it comes to opportunities that could be a gamechanger, a lot is riding on one brief moment that makes up a pitch. But what happens if it goes wrong?

Ask any entrepreneur about their failed pitches, and they’ll have plenty of examples. But most have something else in common too: the firm view that those failed pitches helped them move on to better things.

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© Photograph: Victor Torres/Stocksy United

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© Photograph: Victor Torres/Stocksy United

Since pleading guilty to violating money-laundering rules, Changpeng Zhao, who ran the giant crypto exchange Binance, has networked across the United States to set up his next act.

© Lincoln Agnew

The oil-rich kingdom is plowing money into glitzy events, computing power and artificial intelligence research, putting it in the middle of an escalating U.S.-China struggle for technological influence.

© Iman Al-Dabbagh for The New York Times

The oil-rich kingdom is plowing money into glitzy events, computing power and artificial intelligence research, putting it in the middle of an escalating U.S.-China struggle for technological influence.

© Iman Al-Dabbagh for The New York Times

Lawyers for Changpeng Zhao, the founder of the crypto exchange Binance, countered that he should receive no prison time.

© Ore Huiying for The New York Times

Donald Trump’s social media platform has outdistanced similar conservative sites such as Parler and Gettr, even as it lags far behind X and others.

© John Minchillo/Associated Press

Amira Yahyaoui, a human rights activist, promoted the success of her student aid start-up, Mos. Some of her statements do not add up, according to internal data and people familiar with the company.

© Mandel Nagan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images