Excellence in Enterprise

The Young Enterprise scheme has launched several successful student businesses in recent years, with Liverpool Hope teams not only making it all the way to the finals, but some even receiving investment interest.

All of our second year Business Management students take part in the competitive business programme, which sees them learn first-hand how to establish and run a company.

8 | PULSE Magazine Students are assigned teams on a random basis and guided through a programme that aims to help them develop essential skills and attitudes, which not only enrich their academic learning, but also provide a strong foundation for the future.

Professional Tutor in Business Tony Bradley, who coordinates the Young Enterprise programme at Hope, said: “Every group learns what it means to engage in business development – from the first idea, through to product creation.”

In the last three academic years, three teams have sailed through the regional events making it all the way to the national finals. In 2017/18, MealMate picked up the Strategic Marketing Award for its mission to provide students with healthy and cheap meal ideas, and went on to secure business from both Liverpool Hope and Loughborough College’s accommodation and student welfare departments.

MealMate Managing Director Robyn Harrison-Reid discussed what she got out of the experience: “I’ve enjoyed developing as a business woman and becoming more educated and gaining the skills I needed to take this business forward. I was keen to gain experience in being in management and taking responsibility for a company and its assets.”

I’ve enjoyed developing as a business woman and becoming more educated and gaining the skills I needed to take this business forward.

A year later, a student business centred on selling dissolvable drinking straws made from sugar saw the team Sweet Sips win an award for best ‘marketing performance’. The concept, inspired by the global response to plastic pollution, also won the Young Enterprise National Business Sustainability Award, sponsored by Lyreco; a global office supplies firm who are committed to sustainability.

The most recent team to achieve great success at Young Enterprise is Seedlings, which is led by Managing Director Katie Moore.

She said: “Young Enterprise has been invaluable in teaching our team that if there’s determination and positivity, then you can create something fantastic from nothing.

“Young Enterprise presented challenges and triumphs throughout the first stage, which reflected a real-life experience of running a business, which added so much value to our degrees. Winning the Young Enterprise Liverpool Hope Finals was an amazing experience, and gave us the motivation we needed to continue the hard work to build Seedlings.”

With the 2020 national finals still to come in May, the Business School may soon have yet more Young Enterprise successes to celebrate – watch this space.

Sweet Sips Managing Director Hannah Houghton was recently invited to be the first-ever alumni member to co-host the Young Enterprise North West Start-up Final. Here she tells Pulse how it felt to be given the prestigious opportunity.

How does it feel to be co-hosting the event? I was delighted and honoured to be asked to co-host this year’s regional finals. I loved experiencing the Young Enterprise (YE) programme last year, as it really helped me flourish and I wanted to continue my journey with them, but this time as an alumnus. I asked Andy Firr how I could be more involved, and he offered me the chance to co-host. YE are keen to express their alumni voice more, showing off previous success and talent that they have helped flourish in the past. I jumped at the opportunity as presenting has never been a strong skill of mine, and I’m always looking for opportunities to challenge myself.

What have you enjoyed most about being involved in YE and how does it feel to have launched a successful business? The experience that YE gave me is one I’ll never forget, it was a surreal experience presenting my business last year at Chessington World of Adventures, and to top it off, we came second! Young Enterprise has not only helped me develop my skills professionally, but personally too. I feel so much more confident and have learnt to challenge myself after being able to get up in front of large groups of people, which is something I’ve always dreaded doing in the past.

How do you think the skills you have learnt and experience of being part of YE will help you as you move forward in your career? They already have. When I was put forward for my summer internship with Active Profile last year, I was amazed how well I was able to apply my experience with YE to the interview questions and how much it helped my confidence during my time in a professional environment.

Do you have any tips or advice for other students thinking about getting involved? DO IT! I know the experience isn’t for everyone and that’s perfectly fine. For some of you this may be a kickstarter for your future career in entrepreneurship that you never knew was an option for you. Others will find out that entrepreneurship isn’t for them, but that’s ok, its still an experience you can apply to job interviews when they talk about your skills, such as working in a team, leadership and presenting etc.