solent entrepreneurs guide

8/22/2019 Solent Entrepreneurs Guide

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Solent

Enterp

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Creatin

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nextg

enera

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repren

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When you have an idea for a

business dont not tell anyone.People who talk about ideas will

make them happen.

Simon Woodroffeformer Dragons Den star and

Yo! Sushi founder


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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 socialenterprises 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


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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, entrepreneurialbusiness 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 andpre-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 community

and 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 thispamphletis to celebrate andillustrate thosesuccesses through theircase histories. We hopethese examples willinspire futuregenerations ofstudents to follow asimilar path with us

and local businessand investmentcommunities to offerfurther support.


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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 students 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 far

people 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.

Weve had really good results right across the board.More than 40% of the students we support are stilltrading three years later thats a really good statistic andits 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 aftercommencing trading


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Solent Creatives is Southampton Universitys

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 where

they 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 up

to 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, childrens 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


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6 www.solent.ac.uk

Southampton Solent Universitys 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 for

up 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.

Solents innovation

Hubs

Since 2007Southampton Solent University hasprovided formal programmes of

mentoring, training and financialsupport to over 175 student start-upcompanies.


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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. Successful

applicants 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 to2000 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 willgive you an edge,

Theo

In my view


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8 www.solent.ac.uk

Lisa Taylor

LLB Law with Criminology

Graduated 2009Why Dance

07787 411261

[email protected]

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 social

enterprise in the Universitys 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 Lisas 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 project

between 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 had

the 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 thats what I enjoy. In several

years time Id like to recruit more people and have otherprogrammes on the go, such as performances atconferences. Id like to be selling my training programmearound the country and then maybe work abroad as well,possibly in Brazil. Im very ambitious.

Emerging

talent


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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


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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

[email protected]@hotmail.com

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 website

and 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-Kids well-designed garments to be

internationally 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 worlds 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


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11www.solent.ac.uks

Ieva Poriete

BA (Hons) Fashion Design, third year

Poriete Fashion

07852 780982

[email protected]

Ieva has already set herself up in the Business Pods atSolent Creatives with a sewing machine, ironing board andfabrics. Shes busy working on designs for her firstcollection and doing research, at the same time asworking on her final coursework.

Its 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 several

ways 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. Im sure theres a market for thistype of collection and so Im 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 I

would 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.

Its 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


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Arran Langmead | Adrian Gordon

BA (Hons) Computer and Video Games

BA (Hons) Computer Games Development

Both third year

LudoPhobia

07502 229696

[email protected]

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 media

for 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 other

advice.

Sophia Rolfe

BA (Hons) Television and Video Production, third year

Instinctively Creative Events

[email protected]

[email protected]

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 and

high 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. Im interested in seeing what

happens with the other businesses in the Business Pods asIm sure that they will all be brilliantly successful.

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13www.solent.ac.uk

Bereka Sintayehu

BA (Hons) International Business Management

Graduated 2009

Ebenezer Cleaning Service

02380 230838

[email protected]

www.ebenezercleaningservice.co.uk

Bereka had already worked as a self-employed cleanerwhen she arrived at Southampton Solent University. Nowshes 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 clients

and 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.

Berekas 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. I

personally 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 tobusiness success


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14 www.solent.ac.uk

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 I

need advice. If every student had access to that level ofsupport there would be no limits to what you could apply

yourself 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

[email protected]

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 frommens 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. But

you 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.Were prepared to work hard to get there.

Khamisi says the Solent Entrepreneurship Programme gave

them a welcome advantage.We didnt 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.


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15www.solent.ac.uk

Jourdan Lamontagne

BA (Hons) Marketing and Advertising, third year

Hotspot UK

07837 969783

[email protected]

Jourdan is excited about his new venture, Hotspot UK. Itsa smart phone app that hes currently working on, with

some 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 from

local 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..


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16 www.solent.ac.uk

James Headspeath

BA (Hons) Marketing with Entrepreneurship

third year

iChallengeU

07817 453164

[email protected]

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. The

new 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 that

you dont 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 while

running 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 experienced

kind 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 two

GCSEs and not very good A levels and every job I appliedfor I was rejected. I knew that even if my business didnt

work out, I would have loads of knowledge and

experience that would be good for my CV.

James said support from the University has beenfantastic.

Ive 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 to

the University. My aim is to be a full-timeentrepreneur and businessman and if mynew plans work out Ill be well on the wayto achieving that.


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17www.solent.ac.uk

Emily Curson-Baker

BA (Hons) Business Management, Graduated 2011

Food@One

07710 132539

[email protected]

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 is

intolerant to wheat, yeast, dairy and sugar, Emily knowswhat shes 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 shed 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 Iwas 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 its like trying to find things to cook andeat when you have intolerances to certain foods. Overthe years I have developed a wide range of recipes and Imsure there is a market for this type of information. Arounda third of the population have food intolerances and Iwant to help expand peoples knowledge and awarenessof 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. Its 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 Im 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 developmy 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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18

Film video andmedia start ups

Andy Gray | Will Beare

BA (Hons) Film and BA (Hons) Digital Media.

Graduated 2007

Echo Video

01273 911345

[email protected]

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 a

business, as we had no commitments. We had everythingto gain and nothing to lose.

18www.solent.ac.uk


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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.Its wicked. I would not change anything. You have to be

professional but you can do it on your own terms,he said.


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20 www.solent.ac.uk

Chris Clements

MA Film 2011

Clearcut Productions

Film, photography and editing services

07763 459313

[email protected]

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 Universitys 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. Everyones feeling therecession and its a tough climate. Running my ownbusiness is unpredictable. I never know what Im going tobe working on next.

Chris has produced photography and video work for arange of clients, including Skandia, Southampton CityCouncil and Hampshire Constabulary.

Its a real range. Ive 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 competitorsmedals 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 Universitys 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 video

production, editing and photographic services, Ill beexpanding into providing more broadcast for Film and TV,as well as getting my own ideas commissioned, said Chris


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2121www.solent.ac.uk

Cameron Wheels

BA (Hons) Television and Video Production. 2010

On Grapevine

[email protected]

0207 096 1172 | 07701 029291

www.on-grapevine.com

Cameron graduated from Solent in 2010. While buildingup his own business On Grapevine hes 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.

Im busy most of the time as a freelance and most of mywork is obtained by word of mouth, so thats a goodposition to be in only one year out of university, he said.But its 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 a

series 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. .


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Nick Seruwagi

BA (Hons) Human Resource Management

Graduated 2007

07886 644911

[email protected]

Nick Seruwagi feels that young entrepreneurs need to learn

about failure before they can go on to succeed.

Im 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.

Its just that many new businesses dont succeed, and itsreally 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 elsesmoney. 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.Nicks business traded in electronics and other goods for

22

From start upsto employment

www.solent.ac.uk


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students. In the long term it didnt 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 in

just over a year.

Some people view entrepreneurial success as financial, andsome start their own businesses because they want thestatus. For me its 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 Ill 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 Ive already had experience of being anentrepreneur.

Ed VinicombeBA (Hons) Digital Media. Graduated 2008

07818 627089

[email protected]

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-time

marketing 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 Immore 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 some

experience.

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 if

you create a niche for yourself within business. This givesyou the chance to move forward quicker and to be moreinnovative.


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Victoria Armstrong-Evans

BA (Hons) in Antiques (History and Collecting)

Graduated 2007

Stockbridge Gallery Dogs in Art

01264 810142

[email protected]

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 inHampshires 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 would

be 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 and

sculpture 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


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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. Weve developed a strong following ofcustomers. We do well. Were very fortunate to survive in

the current climate.

Victorias 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 the

website, 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 peoples ideas within thecreative sector. Communicating with outside creatives,agencies and designers became second nature, giving heressential practice for her future career.

Once Id 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 still

learning. Fashion photography is always moving; you needto be prepared to tweak the way you work in order to stayrelevant. You dont want to be stale or stuck in your ways,she said.

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Sam Hailes - JournalistKhamisi McKenzie - Public Relations

Jermaine Addo-Yeobah - Public RelationsDino Zudjelovic - RestaurantKevin Ackermann - Jewellery ImportingChris Clement - Media and Production Company

Jon Sowden - Tree SurgeonNeil Gibb - Drama and Performance Company

Jo Felts - Childrens IllustrationsIan Attard - Multimedia ProductionCronan Shanks PhotographyMark Boulas Film ProductionDavid Munn Film Production

Jonathon Hughes Music / Guitar Instruction WebsiteEdward Vinicombe Record Label

Michelle Hyatt Childrens Educational SoftwareWill Beare Production CompanyAndy Gray Production Company

Catherine Binden-Blood Production CompanyLiza Henshaw Production CompanyRatna 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 atSouthampton Solent University

Faculty of the Creative Industries

and Society


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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 Media

Juuso Santti Importing and Exporting Mobile Phones

Charles Grain Online Estate AgencyMichelle Turner Childrens Nursery

Jordan Lamontagne Events & Sponsor PromotionNick Seruwagi Student Text Book DistributionMichael McCourt TV InstallationLouise Drake Social EnterpriseGeudrius Arlauskas - ConstructionCadine West Multi Racial Greeting CardsStuart Gerret T Shirt / Pixel ConceptSamuel Serra Toy CompanyElizabeth Hamminger - Programming

Jiri Pernicky Polish Language SchoolAndy Maiejczyk Polish Language SchoolEdgar Aizbalts Importing/ Exporting Latvian LargerHenry Oblie Ghana Travel AgencyAntonio Vinha - ConsultancyCarlos Barrosso - ConsultancyKenichi Okoye Childrens MerchandiseLuthful Tohid Computer ConceptYoussef Boutayeb Music / Club PromotionFlorian Pers Below Line MediaBareka Sintayehu Cleaning CompanyPeter Mols Marketing and PromotionAbdullah 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 Design

Steve Ollington Search Engine OptimisationHelen Miller Architectural ServicesIfeany Isitor Computer Programming

Tom Holmes Design StudioBen Burns Graphic DesignDavid King Portable Convenience ConceptHenrik Brun Maritime Transport LogisticsMark Fox Portable Restaurant/Bar

Alex Betteridge - Portable Restaurant/BarJessica Cripps Dance CompanyMichaela Zhenova Bulgarian Wedding Dress DesignerVallerio Dellanna Yacht Furnishing

Jude Burns Computer Games DesignMichael Scrivener Multi platform Web DesignAli Zain 3D Consultancy

Jordan Charters Novelty Travel Photo WebsiteLaura Dawrant Graphic Design

27www.solent.ac.uks

Faculty of Business, Sport

and Society

Maritime and Technology Faculty


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28 www.solent.ac.uk

Southampton Solent University

is strong in entrepreneurship,which is where jobs are going to

come from in the future; we

hope that will lead to morestart-ups in the city and that

students can start businesses

Jimmy Chestnutt,Director of Hampshire Chamberof Commerce


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Contact details

Southampton Solent UniversityEast Park TerraceSouthamptonSO14 0RNTel: +44 (0)23 8031 9461/9637Fax: +44 (0)23 8031 9523Email: [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 Southampton

Solent Universitystudent Sean Yazbak,

2009 winner of the

American Apprenticeseries with

Donald Trump


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solent entrepreneurs guide

Documents