solent enterprise
DESCRIPTION
Creating the next generation of entrepreneursTRANSCRIPT
Solent Ente
rpris
e
Creating th
e next generatio
n of entre
preneurs
“When you have an idea for abusiness don’t not tell anyone.People who talk about ideas willmake them happen.’’
Simon Woodroffeformer Dragon’s Den star andYo! Sushi founder
1www.solent.ac.uk
ContentsForward 2
Solent Creativest 4
Inovation Hub 6
All round enterprises 10
Emerging talent 11
Business pods @S olent Creatives
Already on the road to success 13
film, media and video start ups 18
From start ups to employment 22
Entrepreneurial graduates 24
Solent Entrepreneurship programme 26
Enterprise and entrepreneurship is
deeply embedded in both the culture
and curriculum at Southampton
Solent University.
This brochure celebrates some of the
students who have started up their
own businesses and social
enterprises with the support of the
University and its specialist Solent
Entrepreneurs Programme.
We applaud their imagination,
innovation and ambition and wish
them every success in the future.
introduction
2 www.solent.ac.uk
A very warm
to Solent Entrepreneurs.Welcome
At Solent, we have developed a distinctive
approach to ensuring that our students become
really effective graduates, entrepreneurial
business owners and rounded citizens. To
achieve this we embed real world experience in
the curriculum, support an extensive
volunteering programme, offer proper paid
graduate internships and actively enable
students to set up their own businesses. This
pamphlet focuses on our exciting and successful
business start up programme.
In 2010 the official survey of higher education showedSolent Graduates amounted to 2% of the sector total ofsustainable businesses for the UK, punching well above ourweight, and reflecting our successful track record. And formany that no longer run their first business, the invaluableexperience and client lists gained have enabled them tomove into excellent professional roles.
The new programme, established in 2011, embedseducational preparation for start-up into the curriculumand links it primarily with the creative and cultureindustries, where freelancing and self employment areimportant and potentially rewarding career paths.
For the best ideas we offer start up ‘seed funding’ and pre-incubation space on campus, with full incubationspace available nearby for those really special businessesto emerge. And this support is available for bothconventional business ideas and social enterprises, aiming to put something more back into the communityand society.
So in this way we, at Solent University, seek to nurture andsupport our students and graduates as they develop their
entrepreneurial talents andbusiness ideas.
The core purpose of thispamphlet is to celebrate andillustrate thosesuccesses through theircase histories. We hopethese examples willinspire futuregenerations ofstudents to follow asimilar path with usand local businessand investmentcommunities to offerfurther support.
3www.solent.ac.uk
Southampton Solent University has been at the
forefront of graduate entrepreneurship for over
10 years. Some 40% of our courses encourage a
career path that will lead to freelancing, self-
employment or a career in a micro business –
one that will employ 10 or less staff. So an
understanding of how to set up and run a small
business is a key skill for our student’s and
graduate’ future careers.
Stephen Brown, Enterprise Manager as SSU has helpedover 70 students turn their ideas into fully-fledgedbusinesses. In 2011 he implemented our new Creative,Entrepreneurial and Freelance Practice unit, a coursedesigned to embed entrepreneurial training and supportwithin the curriculum.
“People benefit from hard advice, in areas like businessplans, contracts, sales calls and protecting ideas, as well asthe ‘softer’ stuff, like confidence- building. About 50% ofviable businesses fail to take off simply because of the fear
of failure. We help them understand that they cansucceed.”
In his 12 years at the University – first through our HEIFfunded Community Enterprise Office and then the HEFCE-funded SPEED (Student Placements for Entrepreneurs inEducation) - Stephen has seen student start-ups acrossthe spectrum develop into viable businesses.
“Success is something that should be judged on how farpeople have developed; not just on how much moneytheir business is making at any one time,” said Stephen.Our eclectic and imaginative cohort of students isreflected in the diverse businesses set up and a number ofthese are highlighted in the following pages.
“We’ve had really good results right across the board.More than 40% of the students we support are stilltrading three years later – that’s a really good statistic andit’s great not only for them, but for the city and regionthat they contribute to. We look forward to helping manymore students join them in the business community.
“Student entrepreneurs starting uptheir own businesses will receiveexpert education and training,mentoring and financial support.This support will continue afterthey graduate”.
40%of businesses started at Southampton Solentniversity are still running three years after commencing trading
Solent Creatives is Southampton University’s
very own creative agency, situated in its own
office space in the Sir John Everett Millais
Building.
Solent Creatives offers exciting opportunities for studentsfrom over 30 disciplines to gain experience of working forreal clients, develop entrepreneurial skills and learn aboutthe ups and downs of being freelance. Solent Creativesalso runs short courses and events, including business startup courses for undergraduates.
The agency links students up with companies, charitiesand organisations that require paid or voluntary work tobe completed on a range of creative jobs. Organisationscan apply for a website to be designed, a new logo to becreated, an article to be written, a social media campaignto be organised or a short film to be made and anystudents registered with Solent Creatives can apply to dothe work.
Students work on a one-to-one basis with clients, fromdesigning and agreeing the brief and working out a fee topresenting the finished project to the client. This enablesthe students to develop a range of business skills that areessential in the world of freelancing or self employment.
The vibrant creative suite gives students a space wherethey can meet with employers on a professional footing,show presentations, obtain advice from Solent Creativesstaff and work on their business assignments. Facilities attheir disposal include seven iMacs equipped with QuarkExpress, Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator,Dreamweaver, Flash Catalyst, Acrobat, Bridge and iMoviesoftware, as well as 20 Macbook laptops, all equipped withAdobe CS5.5.
In an exciting new development, Business Pods@SolentCreatives has also been established, providing space for upto 20 new student start-ups. Space has been allocated tothird year students who completed a business start-upcourse, developed a credible business plan and pitchedsuccessfully for a place in the Pods.
The first seven of these student businesses have alreadymoved in and will receive ongoing support to develop theirbusiness plans into operational businesses. They includefashion design company Poriete Fashion, children’s nicheclothing manufacturer Brit-Kid, games design businessLudophobia, events management company InstinctivelyCreative, media and film editing business NelsonProductions, specialist bra manufacturer SchlamoreLingerie and LD Productions, which deals with music, filmand video production.
4 www.solent.ac.uk
Solent
creatives
6 www.solent.ac.uk
Southampton Solent University’s innovation
hubs are designed to give a welcome boost to
students who wish to start up their own
businesses.
They provide emerging entrepreneurs with much-neededspace and equipment with which to develop their ideasand get their fledging businesses off the ground.
Eventually there will be space for up to 30 studentbusinesses at Solent as part of the Solent EntrepreneursProgramme. The innovation hubs allow students todevelop their enterprises at low cost, in a creative andsupportive environment, and to benefit from the ideas,contacts and know-how of their fellow entrepreneurs.
Among three new locations for innovation hubs at Solentis James Street, which specialises in providing support foremerging social entrepreneurs. James Street has space forup to three social enterprises – organisations that usebusiness principles to address social or environmental need– with the first social enterprises planning to take upresidence in spring 2012.
College Place will have three offices and space for up to sixstudent start ups, while further innovation hubs – BusinessPods@Solent Creatives - have been created within thededicated Solent Creatives suite in the Sir John EverettMillais building.
Solent’s innovation
Hubs
Since 2007 Southampton Solent University has provided formal programmes of mentoring, training and financial support to over 175 student start-upcompanies.
7
The Solent Entrepreneurs Programme is part of
a wide-ranging enterprise and employability
programme at Southampton Solent University
that aims to embed entrepreneurship and
innovation not just in student start ups but also
in other aspects of learning and the curriculum.
It includes business start-up training courses
and surgeries, competitions, one-to-one
mentoring, entrepreneurial guest speakers, work
experience and freelance opportunities as well
as business games and simulations.
To be considered for space within the innovation hubs,students first complete a 12-week course onentrepreneurship, business principles and practice, andthen produce a detailed business plan. Successfulapplicants go on to a panel, where they present theirbusiness plan and pitch their ideas to experts. The bestideas and the most promising students are then offeredfurther support from the Solent Entrepreneurs Programme,
including space in one of the innovation hubs, up to£2000 in start-up funding and a package of furtherbusiness training and mentoring.
“Enterprise opportunities should be available to everyone,not just those ‘destined’ for success,” said SolentEnterprise Manager Stephen Brown.
“About 50% of viable businesses fail to take off simplybecause of the fear of failure. While passion, determinationand energy can determine success, effective training andtailoring can reduce the chances of failure.”
All round
enterprise
“Desire, ambition and the will to win,
coupled with a relevant degree, relevant
work experience and practical support will
give you an edge,”
Theo
In my view
8 www.solent.ac.uk
Lisa Taylor
LLB Law with Criminology
Graduated 2009
Why Dance
07787 411261
Lisa, 25, is one of a new cohort of social entrepreneursstarting out at Southampton Solent University.
Having completed a 12-week course at Solent about thefundamentals of business, Lisa is setting up her socialenterprise in the University’s business innovation hub atJames Street, Southampton.
Social enterprises often combine business principles andpractice with the desire to achieve positive outcomes forcommunities, the environment or deprived groups. In Lisa’s case, a background in dance at ‘A’ level andknowledge of the criminal justice system for her degreeled her to combine the two. Why Dance specialises inhelping young people to engage and to improve their selfesteem through a programme that incorporates dance andother practical activities.
Lisa developed the programme while working withdisadvantaged young people for several youthorganisations, including the YMCA.
“I studied law because I wanted to work with youngoffenders,” said Lisa, who lives in Southampton. “I feltpassionately that young people often go off the railsbecause of their social circumstances. In a lot of casesthey lack confidence and self esteem. At the YMCA Iworked with young children on a transitions projectbetween primary and secondary school and I realised thata lot could be achieved through dance because the youngpeople enjoyed it and engaged with it.”
Lisa already has several potential clients lined up for herprogramme and big ambitions for her enterprise after itsofficial launch in September 2012. She plans to expandthe business to tailor-made dance programmes for olderpeople in care homes and is also working with the sportsdepartment at Southampton Solent University on variouslink projects with schools.
“At the YMCA I was working on a project where I had toorganise many different aspects of the project on my own.It made me realise that I could work for myself and hadthe ability to do it,” she said.
“In the next year I want to recruit between three to fivepeople who I can train to deliver my programmes. I wantto concentrate on the business side of developing moreclients and more projects, as that’s what I enjoy. In severalyears’ time I’d like to recruit more people and have otherprogrammes on the go, such as performances atconferences. I’d like to be selling my training programmearound the country and then maybe work abroad as well,possibly in Brazil. I’m very ambitious.”
Emerging
talent
9www.solent.ac.uk
“ In the next year I want to recruit
between three to five people who I
can train to deliver my programmes. I
want to concentrate on the business
side of developing more clients and
more projects”.
My ambition
Kirsty Lee | Carrie Lee
BA (Hons) Fashion with Photography.
BA (Hons) Fashion Management and Marketing
Carrie graduated in 2011, Kirsty is in her third year
Brit-Kid Ltd
Sisters Kirsty and Carrie lee say theyhave always got on well. Togetherthey are launching Brit-Kid, apremium childrenswear brand for 0-5 year olds, which will offer British-made garments based on the latestfashion trends. The clothing will besold online via an interactive websiteand will target a niche market of highearners. The company will also offer apersonalised service, with each garmentaddressed directly to the child and deliveredin a parcel shaped like a present.
“The idea for Brit-Kid came from the lack offashionable clothes for children, alongside arenewed interest in British manufacturing,”said Kirsty. “When we were shopping for agift we quickly realised that a brand sellingBritish-made, fashionable clothing simply didnot exist. By launching a new, premiumchildrenswear brand with 100% of the garmentsmade in Britain we believe we can help embracethe sheer talent that Britain has to offer.”
The sisters are ambitious for their business.
“Within the next three years we aim to createjobs in Britain and become a brand that Britaincan be proud of. Within five years we aim forBrit-Kid’s well-designed garments to beinternationally recognised. We also envisagean extension of our product offering toensure that a child can be dressed head totoe in the Brit-Kid brand. One day we want
Brit-Kid to be stocked in the world’s most famous luxurydepartment store, Harrods.”
Both Kirsty and Carrie say that help from theSolent Entrepreneurs programme has beeninvaluable. It also gives students otheremployment options in a time of recession.
“The programme leaders have supportedand guided us and they are always there tohelp and answer any questions. We enjoybeing the driving force behind Brit-Kidand we are committed tomaking this businessventure a success.”
10 www.solent.ac.uk
Business pods @
Solent Creatives
11www.solent.ac.uks
Ieva Poriete
BA (Hons) Fashion Design, third year
Poriete Fashion
07852 780982
Ieva has already set herself up in the Business Pods atSolent Creatives with a sewing machine, ironing board andfabrics. She’s busy working on designs for her firstcollection and doing research, at the same time asworking on her final coursework.
“It’s early days, but my plan is to design a light andattractive holiday collection,” she said. “My garments willbe made from a light material, compact and with severalways to wear them. The aim is for the clothes to take upless space and to make it easier to choose what to wearand to pack for holidays, especially where luggageallowances are restricted. I’m sure there’s a market for thistype of collection and so I’m prepared to give it a try.”
Ieva has always enjoyed fashion and working withdifferent fabrics and designs.
“Running my own business appeals to me,” she said. “Ihave my own ideas and want to design things the way Iwould like them to be. Winning space in the Business Pods@ Solent Creatives is a great help, because it gives me theequipment I need as well as advice and the motivation tostart up my own business.”
“It’s early days, but my plan is to design
a light and attractive holiday collection.
The aim is for the clothes to take up less
space and to make it easier to choose
what to wear and to pack for holidays,
especially where luggage allowances
are restricted”.
Project
Arran Langmead | Adrian Gordon
BA (Hons) Computer and Video Games
BA (Hons) Computer Games Development
Both third year
LudoPhobia
07502 229696
www.ludophobia.com
Arran and Adrian got the idea for Ludophobia when theyvisited a computer games conference and watched atraining seminar on selling ideas. Both enjoyed designingtheir own computer games and decided they couldcombine this with running their own business.
Ludophobia creates bespoke games or interactive mediafor clients as well as its own games for public release.
As well as employing themselves, Arran and Adrian alsowant to provide opportunities for others.
“We wanted to help give students a taste of working in acompany,” said Arran. “If we are successful we want toexpand and take on more people over time. We also wantto make bigger and better games in the future.”
Arran and Adrian say it has been useful to have people totalk to in the Business Pods when they need advice.
“The Solent Entrepreneurs Programme has been reallygood in helping us get our business plan together,” saidArran.
“Having our own work space in Solent Creatives has beenreally helpful, especially as we needed a private workspaceto develop our projects. It has also been good to talk toother people starting up a company. We talk to each otherabout different things we have done and give each otheradvice.”
Sophia Rolfe
BA (Hons) Television and Video Production, third year
Instinctively Creative Events
www.instinctively-creative.co.uk
Sophia Rolfe has wanted to set up her own business for aslong as she can remember. So moving into the BusinessPods @ Solent Creatives is a great opportunity for her.
Instinctively Creative Events is an events managementcompany based in the south, catering for all kinds ofevents, from small birthday parties to large corporatefundraisers.
“I always knew that I would do best in a job where I amconstantly working with new people in a high energy andhigh pressure environment,” said Sophia. “I have produceda lot of television programmes during my degree so Iknow that I have the relevant organisation and peopleskills to make this business a success. When I heard aboutthis course I applied for it instantly. I thought it wouldhelp me get my first business off of the ground.”
“I want it to be the number one event managementcompany in the south of England in the next three years,”she said. “After that I want to expand into the rest of thecountry and into Europe.
“Solent Entrepreneurs has been a fantastic help to mewhile I have been setting up my own business. Thelecturers have so much experience and are always sowilling to help you in any way that they can. I wouldrecommend everyone to think about starting about theirown business. There is so little security in any job thesedays that it seems to me to be the perfect time to do it.
“I am looking forward to the summer when I have finishedmy degree and can focus all my energy on working onInstinctively Creative Events. I’m interested in seeing whathappens with the other businesses in the Business Pods asI’m sure that they will all be brilliantly successful.”
12 www.solent.ac.uk
13www.solent.ac.uk
Bereka Sintayehu
BA (Hons) International Business Management
Graduated 2009
Ebenezer Cleaning Service
02380 230838
www.ebenezercleaningservice.co.uk
Bereka had already worked as a self-employed cleanerwhen she arrived at Southampton Solent University. Nowshe’s gone from one client and a vacuum cleaner to acleaning business that employs seven people part-time.
Ebenezer Cleaning Service offers high quality cleaningservices at a cost-effective rate to both commercial anddomestic properties in the Southampton area. It begantrading in 2006 and now has around 15 occasional clientsand 12 regulars.
“An attribute that sets us above other local cleaningcompanies is the close relationships that all my staff
members share with their clients and each other,” saidBereka.
“We have a strong sense of community and have startedcleaning the houses of people with mental healthproblems. We provide high standards of service regardlessof the state of the property.”
Bereka’s skills have expanded as the business has grown.She is now responsible for human resources, companymanagement, accountancy, finance, administration, bookkeeping, stock rotation, marketing and advertising. As wellas moving into property maintenance she is also settingup an employment agency for cleaning staff, so she cancontrol this side of the business too.
Bereka believes that staff training is a key element ofsuccess.
“Team building is a very important part of the work. Ipersonally ensure that my staff members are all trained tovery high professional levels. In the long term this createsfar fewer problems for clients and the business alike,” shesaid.
Already on the road to business success
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Support from the Student Entrepreneurship Programme atSolent was invaluable.
Bereka built her business alongside her full-time studies atSolent and the programme gave her the skills and financialfreedom to allow Ebenezer Cleaning Service to expand.Access to ongoing business information and training wasalso useful.
“I am still in contact with Stephen Brown at Solent when Ineed advice. If every student had access to that level ofsupport there would be no limits to what you could applyyourself to,” she said
Khamisi McKenzie | Jermaine Addo-Yeobah
MA Media and Public relations/ BA (Hons) Advertising
and Media Communications. Graduated in 2011
Red Mountain Advertising and PR Ltd
020 8355 3057 | 07504 622902
www.redmountainpr.co.uk/
Red Mountain Advertising and PR is based in south-eastLondon and covers a whole range of PR and advertisingcampaigns, from social media to design.
Khamisi and Jermaine have known each other sincesecondary school, where they teamed up to sell CDs. Theystarted a fledgling PR agency together while still atUniversity and while it is still early days they now haveseveral clients on their books. Their clients range frommen’s online clothing company My Edo to music artistParris Wright and construction company Liverty Buildings.
The pair admit that it can be hard to persuade new clientsof their abilities, since they are still young, but they aremaking a good job of it so far.
“Some people underestimate what you are capable ofwhen you are just out of University,” said Khamisi. “Butyou have to prove to them that you have what it takes todeliver. All the people we have come into contact withhave said how professional we are in our approach. We arepleased that we are creating a good impression.”
In the future they would like to expand Red Mountain intodifferent sectors, such as lifestyle and sport. They also aimto attract many more clients in future, but for the timebeing are concentrating on doing as good a job as theycan for the people they currently represent.
“We aim to be at the top of our game and to be one ofthe top 50 PR agencies in the next six years,” said Khamisi.“We’re prepared to work hard to get there.”
Khamisi says the Solent Entrepreneurship Programme gavethem a welcome advantage. “We didn’t know much about business when we started.We learnt a lot about managing finances, securing clients,general business advice and the legal requirements. Theprogramme also gave us the confidence to start up ourown business and prepared us for what was ahead.”
15www.solent.ac.uk
Jourdan Lamontagne
BA (Hons) Marketing and Advertising, third year
Hotspot UK
07837 969783
Jourdan is excited about his new venture, Hotspot UK. It’sa smart phone app that he’s currently working on, withsome investors already interested. Hotspot will tell peoplewhere to go for nights out in clubs and bars and willenable them to buy discounted tickets and to gain accessto privileged guest lists. As someone who has alreadydeveloped his business interests in the entertainmentindustry, Jourdan is keen to branch out.
Jourdan developed his holding company,Students4Students, while on the Solent EntrepreneurshipProgramme. The company deals in events managementand Jourdan has organised numerous boat parties andother events while at University, with sponsorship fromlocal businesses. But he feels that Hotspot is where thefuture lies and he plans to launch it in Leicester andSouthampton in September.
“The Solent programme helped me with businessmanagement, legal issues, sales tips and finance and wasextremely useful,” he said. “I had one-to-one mentoringand group training and made lots of useful contacts. Youhad to produce a business plan and go through aninterview and panel so it felt like a privilege to be chosenfor the programme.
“I had business ideas beforehand but no experience. TheSolent Entrepreneur Programme helped me to put myplans into practice and to get the ball rolling. It was toughtrying to develop the business at the same time as mystudies but it worked.”
Jourdan feels that the programme gives young people ahead start.
“At that stage you are still young enough to learn fromthe mistakes you make, but you have no bigresponsibilities. The programme has helped me to becomeambitious and to feel like a real entrepreneur. I feelconfident that I can do it and that I have the knowledgeto make my business succeed.”
“I had business ideas beforehand but no
experience. The Solent Entrepreneur
Programme helped me to put my plans
into practice and to get the ball rolling.”.
16 www.solent.ac.uk
James Headspeath
BA (Hons) Marketing with Entrepreneurship
third year
iChallengeU
07817 453164
www.ichallengeu.co.uk
Despite only being in his third year atSouthampton Solent University, James iswell on the way to expanding hiscompany, iChallengeU.
iChallengeU provides motivationalspeakers for mentoring, guest talks andteam building. The company was originallyset up to inspire and challenge youngaudiences but recently James has started tomove the business in another direction. Thenew direction involves technology, theinternet and a possible investor, but for themoment James is keeping that under wraps.In the meantime he not only doesmotivational speaking himself, but also actsas an agent, employing other speakers forevents that he manages.
“Most of the people I employ are all underage 30,” said James, who comes fromGloucestershire. “They cover areas such asadventure, athletics and business, motivationand politics. There are plenty of peopleunder 30 who have achieved a lot – mybusiness shows other young people thatyou don’t have to have years of wisdomto do amazing things.”
The range of clients is wide – thecompany has worked for the Scouts, aprison, schools, and a private eventorganiser so far. James originally cameup with the idea for iChallengeU whilerunning the Solent Sparks EntrepreneursClub in his second year at Solent.
“We were getting some great keynote speakers in, a lot ofwhom were young, and I thought young speakers were arefreshing change from the more mature and experiencedkind of guest speakers you usually see,” he said.
“I always had in my mind that I wanted to be my ownboss, because I like making my own decisions. I got twoGCSEs and not very good A levels and every job I appliedfor I was rejected. I knew that even if my business didn’t
work out, I would have loads of knowledge andexperience that would be good for my CV.”
James said support from the University has beenfantastic.
“I’ve received mentoring as well as financialsupport from the Solent EntrepreneurshipProgramme and have made valuable contacts,some of whom have become involved inworking through my business. None of thatwould have happened if I had not come tothe University. My aim is to be a full-timeentrepreneur and businessman and if mynew plans work out I’ll be well on the wayto achieving that.”
17www.solent.ac.uk
Emily Curson-Baker
BA (Hons) Business Management, Graduated 2011
Food@One
07710 132539
Emily started her business while she was in her final yearat University. Food@One began as a specialist provider ofintolerance-friendly foods, and as someone who isintolerant to wheat, yeast, dairy and sugar, Emily knowswhat she’s talking about.
Since she left Southampton Solent University in July 2011,Emily has been taking the business in a new direction. Sheplans to develop a website with bespoke recipes forpeople with various types of food intolerance and to writee-books around the subject. In the longer term she’d liketo be a qualified nutritionist and to help educate peoplewho require specialist diets by producing useful videos andphone apps.
With little finance but lots of ideas, Emily has beenworking full-time as a financial consultant in London tosupport herself and develop the funds to take the businessin the direction she wants.
“The competition is very fierce for food products and I was too small to compete as a supplier of specialistfoods,” said Emily. “But I have been working hard todevelop my ideas so that I can help other people withfood intolerances and make use of all the knowledge Ihave accumulated.
“I know what it’s like trying to find things to cook and eat when you have intolerances to certain foods. Over the years I have developed a wide range of recipes and I’msure there is a market for this type of information. Arounda third of the population have food intolerances and Iwant to help expand people’s knowledge and awareness of these. ”
Emily is training to be a qualified nutritionist in her sparetime, so that she will have the qualifications and expertise
to back up her experience. It’s a struggle to find the timeto both develop the business and study while working full-time, but she is determined.
“Sometimes it is hard to motivate myself in the eveningswhen I’m tired, but I know I have to keep going,” she said.“I feel passionate about the subject and I know that in thelong term this is definitely what I want to do.”
“I have been working hard to develop
my ideas so that I can help other people
with food intolerances and make use of
all the knowledge I have accumulated.”
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Film video andmedia start ups
Andy Gray | Will Beare
BA (Hons) Film and BA (Hons) Digital Media.
Graduated 2007
Echo Video
01273 911345
www.echovideo.co.uk
Andy and Will have just rebranded their company, EchoVideo, a film company based in Brighton. Echo Videomakes high quality corporate videos, training films andpromotional videos and also does live recordings of musicevents and other aspects of film production. Their clientsare very varied, and include Henley Business School,Brightwell (soap) Dispensers, Elsevier publishers and manyothers.
Andy and Will met at University and soon realised theyboth had a passion for all aspects of film production.
“Will made a short film about violence in the media and Iwas brought on board to do the sound,” said Andy. “Wecreated our business half way through the final year.”
Andy was reluctant to go the traditional route into theindustry, which was to start at the bottom and work hisway up. “I wanted to go freelance to have control over my hoursand how I worked,” said Andy. “Will had similar ideas sowe set up business together. We knew there werefreelance opportunities in TV and film.”
The pair had no business experience, however, so they gota lot of help from their tutors at Solent.
“We did the Solent Entrepreneurship programme withseveral other young entrepreneurs,” said Andy. “We got asmall amount of start up capital and a lot of support. Itwas what we needed. It was a good time to start abusiness, as we had no commitments. We had everythingto gain and nothing to lose.”
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1919www.solent.ac.uk
Echo Video got off to a good start, and hit the groundrunning. But then things slowed down during therecession of 2008/09. That came as a shock, and bothAndy and Will considered packing in the business andlooking for employment, but they stuck it out. Luckilythings picked up again and 2011 was a good year.
“People were very reluctant to spend money during therecession but now things are better,” said Andy. “We havebeen doing the job long enough and have a lot ofexperience, so we had built up a lot of contacts. We wereable to rely on those contacts for work and we had goodenough relationships with them to be able to pick up thephone and say we had some spare capacity. We also choseour projects more carefully and were cautious aboutwhere to spend time pitching for work.”
Andy has no regrets about starting his own business.“It’s wicked. I would not change anything. You have to beprofessional but you can do it on your own terms,” he said.
20 www.solent.ac.uk
Chris Clements
MA Film 2011
Clearcut Productions
Film, photography and editing services
07763 459313
www.clearcut-productions.co.uk
From Glastonbury to gorillas, Media Culture andProduction graduate Chris Clements is ready for anythingin his new business venture.
Chris established his media enterprise - ClearcutProductions – while still an undergraduate and receivedmentoring and support through the University’s studententrepreneurship scheme. He went on to study for an MAin Media at the same time as expanding his business
“I made some good contacts while I was studying anddecided to take up the opportunity to set up my ownbusiness,” said Chris.
“At the moment, the challenges of being a modernentrepreneur are mainly financial. Everyone’s feeling therecession and it’s a tough climate. Running my ownbusiness is unpredictable. I never know what I’m going tobe working on next.”
Chris has produced photography and video work for arange of clients, including Skandia, Southampton CityCouncil and Hampshire Constabulary.
“It’s a real range. I’ve gone from filming for GlastonburyTV at the Glastonbury Festival to working on the BBCshow, Real Rescues, and filming for Go Ape, which includedthe Great Gorilla Run in London,” said Chris.
“I filmed the Great Gorilla Run in 2009 and The FourthPlinth at Trafalgar square as part of my work with Go Ape.It was a challenge to run a marathon and film at the sametime; keeping up was tricky. Effectively, I had to run themarathon myself. I was given one of the competitors’medals at the end as I crossed the finish line camera in hand.”
Chris was part of the crew for two documentaries forGlastonbury Festival through the University’s Solent
Productions. He has also filmed a mock public orderincident and in-car filming with emergency crews on bluelights and has had an increasing number of his picturespublished in the Daily Mail.
“With the growing demand for high quality videoproduction, editing and photographic services, I’ll beexpanding into providing more broadcast for Film and TV,as well as getting my own ideas commissioned,” said Chris
2121www.solent.ac.uk
Cameron Wheels
BA (Hons) Television and Video Production. 2010
On Grapevine
0207 096 1172 | 07701 029291
www.on-grapevine.com
Cameron graduated from Solent in 2010. While buildingup his own business – On Grapevine – he’s working as afreelance cameraman for a video marketing company. Heis helping to producing online advertising films for a widerange of companies, including Ogilvy, TBWA, GoldenGoose PR, Chris Holland Foto and McCann HealthcareWorldwide. Once On Grapevine has grown, Cameronwants run his own video production company full time.
“I’m busy most of the time as a freelance and most of mywork is obtained by word of mouth, so that’s a goodposition to be in only one year out of university,” he said.“But it’s a transitional phase for me. Eventually I want tohave my own business with full time in-house editors andproduction facilities.”
Cameron decided to go freelance because he thought hecould progress more rapidly in his career and because he isentrepreneurial in his outlook. He feels that the course atSolent really helped to nurture this approach.
“Solent gave me all the skills I need to succeed inbusiness, like writing business plans, budgeting, pitchingideas and dealing with clients. I could develop my
technical skills as a cameraman and editor throughworking with Solent Productions but on the producingside I was able to benefit from the years of experience andknowledge of the tutors. It gave me confidence in dealingwith things like pitching for jobs, pricing work and sellingideas. It has helped me to be professional in my freelancework and with my developing business.”
Cameron worked with Solent Productions while on thecourse at events such as the Glastonbury Festival and inthe third year also produced a 30-minute drama and aseries of three, 30-minute shows that were streamed liveonline. He feels that the tutors at Solent encouragedstudents to think big.
“The tutors supported us in our ambition and alwaysencouraged us to go further and to do better,” he said. “Itgave me confidence in my own abilities.” .
Nick Seruwagi
BA (Hons) Human Resource Management
Graduated 2007
07886 644911
Nick Seruwagi feels that young entrepreneurs need to learnabout failure before they can go on to succeed.
“I’m not saying that you should set people up to fail,” saidNick, who started his own business, Unimum Limited, whilehe was still a student at Southampton Solent University.
“It’s just that many new businesses don’t succeed, and it’sreally good to be able to make mistakes and learn fromthem while you are still young and when you are not indanger of losing of lot of your own or someone else’smoney. The good thing about the Solent EntrepreneursProgramme is that it allows young entrepreneurs to explorenew ideas without some of the risk, and with a lot ofsupport.”Nick’s business traded in electronics and other goods for
22
From start ups to employment
www.solent.ac.uk
students. In the long term it didn’t work out, as his studiesand other commitments meant he could not invest all thetime and money that it needed. But it was a great startingpoint for his career.
“It definitely helped me get my first job and other jobs,” hesaid. “As an entrepreneur you take risks and are aninnovative thinker. It gave me the confidence to move toanother country and to apply for certain jobs. In interviewsit gave me a lot to talk about.”
While visiting a friend in Dubai, after working in London fora while, Nick applied for an HR job with Jabbar InternetGroup in Dubai and was successful. He has been in Dubaifor three and a half years and in that time has helped todevelop several new businesses for the group. He iscurrently HR Manager for one of the businesses, Joob.com,an online Arabic travel company.
But Nick has always wanted to be his own boss, and isalready planning his next start up, which involves the malehair grooming industry. Nick has spotted a gap in themarket in Dubai and plans to launch the new business injust over a year.
“Some people view entrepreneurial success as financial, andsome start their own businesses because they want thestatus. For me it’s a challenge and a chance to prove myself.I know I have the potential to run a successful business andbeing entrepreneurial gives me a sense of achievement,” he said.
“I know I’ll be able to make a success of my new business,partly because of all the things I learnt at Solent, and partlybecause I was given the chance to have a go. Next time Iwill know what not to do, and how to do business properly,because I’ve already had experience of being anentrepreneur.”
Ed Vinicombe
BA (Hons) Digital Media. Graduated 2008
07818 627089
www.edvinicombe.com
After some early success selling CDs, Ed formed his graphicdesign business Meca Graphics in 2008 and completed theSolent Entrepreneurs Programme in his third year. Initially, the idea of being his own boss and having creativefreedom appealed to him. The course gave him essentialbusiness advice and enabled him to get started with hisown Macbook and design software.
After working freelance for a time, Ed eventually secured afull-time post with an internet marketing company close tohis home in Worthing. The aim was to build his businesswithout taking full financial risk and to enable Ed to develophis industry skills and experience within a full-timemarketing company.
Ed has now moved on to another full-time design post withvouchercodes.co.uk.
“It is hard to devote enough time to developing a businesswhile working full time,” he said. “Selling, getting clientsand making sure you have enough money coming in as aself-employed person is tough, so for the time being I’mmore comfortable being employed. But starting my ownbusiness definitely helped me to get my first job and gaveme some useful skills. It also showed that I had someexperience.”
Ed is grateful for what he learned on the SolentEntrepreneurs Programme.
“The programme is a great way to encourage students toenter the world of business and develop as enterprisingpeople. In my opinion success will always be easier to find ifyou create a niche for yourself within business. This givesyou the chance to move forward quicker and to be moreinnovative.”
Victoria Armstrong-Evans
BA (Hons) in Antiques (History and Collecting)
Graduated 2007
Stockbridge Gallery Dogs in Art
01264 810142
www.dogsinart.com/
Solent University alumnus Victoria Armstrong-Evans hasalways had a penchant for a pooch, so a gallery cateringfor all things canine was a perfect business choice for her.
The former army officer opened the specialist gallery inHampshire’s Stockbridge after turning 50, in a bid to makea success of her ‘twilight career’.
“I took my degree as a part-time course more than fiveyears ago as a prelude to a career change. I knew I wouldbe 50 by the time I graduated and it was time to considera twilight career after an early career as an Army officer,followed by 25 years running an event managementcompany.
“I learnt a great deal at Solent University. It gave me abrilliant grounding in disciplines ranging from painting andsculpture through to ceramics, glass, precious metals andjewellery.
“I also made a lot of contacts in the auction and valuation
24 www.solent.ac.uk
Entrepreneurialalumni
business and I gained the confidence to open the gallery.”
Victoria decided she needed a specialism to make asuccess of her own gallery. Doing dogs ticked the boxes.
“It made sense to focus on a part of the art market which Ireally knew well - my dissertation was Cave Canem:TheDog in Art from the Renaissance to the Present Day – andsomething that I really love. Dogs are loyal, steadfast andfun. They make the most joyful companions.”
As it turned out, it was the right call.“We opened in 2009. It was a tough economicenvironment in which to open a gallery. Discretionaryspending was at an all time low but our niche subject areawas a great bonus. We’ve developed a strong following ofcustomers. We do well. We’re very fortunate to survive inthe current climate.”
Victoria’s gallery attracts buyers of all ranges from all overthe world.
“We have everything from 19th century classic pieces tovery abstract contemporary work and they all have theirparticular charm. Because our theme is so narrow wehave to ensure that we can cater to all tastes.”
Kimberley Langstone
BA (Hons) Fashion with Photography
While Kimberley Langstone had an obvious flair forfashion, she was also someone with an ability to keepthings real. It was a combination that kick-started asuccessful career as a freelance fashion photographer.
“Right from the start I had my heart set on studyingfashion photography rather than pure photography,”explained the BA (Hons) Fashion with Photographygraduate.
“The one-to-one teaching at Solent University helped meto make progress in the area I was passionate about, whilethe unit briefs, relating to industry practises, gave me agood understanding of what would be expected in the'real' world.”
“I felt that getting my name out would help me to buildup some recognition, so I set up a website showcasing myportfolio of work during my first year of study. “It was hard work designing, setting up and pushing thewebsite, but I had the best time doing it. Every day I getemails from creatives and clients asking me to work onprojects. It was a little daunting, but I treated everychallenge as a learning curve.”
Kimberley also gained valuable work experience at ThirdFloor Publication, where she learnt the importance ofteam work and trust in one other people’s ideas within thecreative sector. Communicating with outside creatives,agencies and designers became second nature, giving heressential practice for her future career.
“Once I’d graduated, going freelance seemed like anobvious way to put my skills to good use.”
Kimberley is hoping to become a household name infashion photography.
“I love what I do and I work very hard at it. But I'm stilllearning. Fashion photography is always moving; you needto be prepared to tweak the way you work in order to stayrelevant. You don’t want to be stale or stuck in your ways,”she said.
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Sam Hailes - Journalist Khamisi McKenzie - Public RelationsJermaine Addo-Yeobah - Public RelationsDino Zudjelovic - RestaurantKevin Ackermann - Jewellery ImportingChris Clement - Media and Production CompanyJon Sowden - Tree SurgeonNeil Gibb - Drama and Performance CompanyJo Felts - Children’s IllustrationsIan Attard - Multimedia ProductionCronan Shanks – Photography Mark Boulas – Film ProductionDavid Munn – Film ProductionJonathon Hughes – Music / Guitar Instruction WebsiteEdward Vinicombe – Record Label
Michelle Hyatt – Children’s Educational SoftwareWill Beare – Production CompanyAndy Gray – Production CompanyCatherine Binden-Blood – Production Company Liza Henshaw – Production Company Ratna Bibi - ArtistSimon Renshaw – Media ProductionMichael Le Marachel – Media ProductionLouise Owen – Media ProductionLiam Pearce – Media ProductionSam Clements – Media ProductionEloise Juryeff – Drama Production CompanyAdam Oliver - AnimationGerald Sagoe – Film MakerStephen Burford - Student Merchandise Website Jonathan Boxall – Video ProductionLouise Hilliard – Music Video ProductionMartyn Hedges – Music Video Production
26 www.solent.ac.uk
SolentEntrepreneurshipprogramme
The following students have received the Solent Entrepreneurs Programme
(SEP) of training, mentoring and financial support while studying at
Southampton Solent University
Faculty of the Creative Industries
and Society
Dave Rowett – Record / Band PromotionChris Stemp – Record / Band PromotionBen Poore - CD Production
James Headspeath – Motivational CompanyClinton Fisher – Transport & Analytics)Faye Satchell – Equine BehaviouristVictoria Cristea – Transporting CompanyEmily Curson Baker – Non-allergenic FoodGloria Bogere – Coffee ShopEric Cheung – Events Management CompanyNick Chacksfield – Night Club PromotionSerkan Ceylan – Below the Line MediaJuuso Santti – Importing and Exporting Mobile PhonesCharles Grain – Online Estate AgencyMichelle Turner – Children’s Nursery Jordan Lamontagne – Events & Sponsor PromotionNick Seruwagi – Student Text Book DistributionMichael McCourt – TV Installation Louise Drake – Social Enterprise Geudrius Arlauskas - ConstructionCadine West – Multi Racial Greeting CardsStuart Gerret – T Shirt/ Pixel ConceptSamuel Serra – Toy Company Elizabeth Hamminger - ProgrammingJiri Pernicky – Polish Language SchoolAndy Maiejczyk – Polish Language SchoolEdgar Aizbalts – Importing/ Exporting Latvian LargerHenry Oblie – Ghana Travel AgencyAntonio Vinha - ConsultancyCarlos Barrosso - ConsultancyKenichi Okoye – Children’s Merchandise Luthful Tohid – Computer ConceptYoussef Boutayeb – Music / Club PromotionFlorian Pers – Below Line MediaBareka Sintayehu – Cleaning Company Peter Mols – Marketing and Promotion Abdullah Osman – Application DeveloperVictoria Guseva – Furniture DesignAquibou Kaloga – Guinean Chicken Farm Jurgita Palavinskaite – Nursing HomeAmanda Woodford – Fitness for Women CompanyAlex McIntosh – Fish Restaurant
Christopher Jinks - Website DesignDaniel James – Yacht DesignSteve Ollington – Search Engine OptimisationHelen Miller – Architectural ServicesIfeany Isitor – Computer Programming
Tom Holmes – Design StudioBen Burns – Graphic DesignDavid King – Portable Convenience Concept Henrik Brun – Maritime Transport Logistics Mark Fox – Portable Restaurant/BarAlex Betteridge - Portable Restaurant/BarJessica Cripps – Dance CompanyMichaela Zhenova – Bulgarian Wedding Dress DesignerVallerio Dellanna – Yacht FurnishingJude Burns – Computer Games Design Michael Scrivener – Multi platform Web DesignAli Zain – 3D ConsultancyJordan Charters – Novelty Travel Photo WebsiteLaura Dawrant – Graphic Design
27www.solent.ac.uks
Faculty of Business, Sport
and Society
Maritime and Technology Faculty
28 www.solent.ac.uk
“Southampton Solent Universityis strong in entrepreneurship,which is where jobs are going tocome from in the future; wehope that will lead to morestart-ups in the city and thatstudents can start businesses”
Jimmy Chestnutt, Director of Hampshire Chamberof Commerce
Contact details
Southampton Solent University East Park Terrace Southampton SO14 0RN Tel: +44 (0)23 8031 9461/9637 Fax: +44 (0)23 8031 9523 Email: [email protected]
www.solent.ac.uk/accommodation
While every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this booklet is accurate, unforeseen circumstancesmay make alterations necessary. The University reserves the right to make such changes without prior notification.
Former SouthamptonSolent Universitystudent Sean Yazbak,2009 winner of theAmerican Apprenticeseries with Donald Trump
East Park Terrace, Southampton SO14 0YNTel: +44 (0)23 8031 9000 | Fax: +44 (0)23 8022 2259 | www.solent.ac.uk