THE NEXT GENERATION OF BUSINESS BRAINS

THE MOST PROMISING YOUNG TALENT IN THE EAST MIDLANDS WAS CELEBRATED IN THE FIRST EVER GENERATION NEXT AWARDS IN THE SUMMER. SEVEN AWARDS WERE PRESENTED AT THE EVENT, WHICH IS PART OF EAST MIDLANDS CHAMBER’S NEW GENERATION NEXT NETWORK FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS AND BUSINESS LEADERS AGED UNDER 35 AND HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH HEADLINE PARTNER THE UNIVERSITY OF DERBY. REAL ENTREPRENEURS SPEAKS TO TWO OF THE BIG WINNERS

Generation Next Future Leader winner (sponsored by Futures Housing Group): Kate Walker, founder of ExpHand Prosthetics in Loughborough

Tell us about your journey to Generation Next Future Leader?

I was inspired to start ExpHand Prosthetics after meeting a young girl who was born with an upper limb difference. After chatting with her parents, I found there was a real need for change in children’s prosthetics as devices were hard to access and kids would grow out of them really quickly. I then spent the next year developing a 3D printable prosthetic arm that could be adjusted to grow with a child as my dissertation project. After that was a success, I formally set up the company. Since then, it has really evolved and developed with two patents pending, four interns and prototype devices currently being tested across the country.

What has been the secret to the company’s success?

I think the secret to ExpHand’s success has been getting involved with new opportunities whenever they’ve presented themselves and growing our network. We’ve been able to connect with a wide variety of people who have been able to offer advice or connect us to other organisations that have been able to help us as we’ve developed over the past few years.

What tips would you have for any young person considering setting up their own business?

Get involved and get connected. Link up with other new businesses and find out about enterprise opportunities near you. I’ve been part of incubators and business accelerators, which have allowed me to surround myself with other founders and earlystage companies. They’re great ways to gain and share knowledge with others and you get to learn from other people’s experiences.

How does it feel to be recognised as a Generation Next Future Leader?

It’s great to be recognised by Generation Next as a Future Leader and a real encouragement to know others have faith in not just my company, but also in me as its founder. Particularly as a young founder, it’s common to experience imposter syndrome and feel like you don’t know enough to run your own company, so this is a fantastic confidence boost to have someone recognise my potential and validate my leadership skills.

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY FRASER STRETTON ESTATE AGENTS): PROJECT D CO-FOUNDERS MAX POYNTON, JACOB WATTS AND MATTHEW BOND

Generation Next Awards Winners

Breakthrough Award (sponsored by Nottingham University Business School):

Daniel Jones, Professional Heating Solutions

Excellence in Innovation & Technology Award (sponsored by GBS Apprenticeships):

Tony Buck, EyeSiteView (Division of Oasis Studio)

The Community Award (sponsored by Hardy Signs): Charlotte Robey Turner, Leicestershire Cares

Apprentice of the Year (sponsored by Loughborough College):

Coral Guard, GBS Limited

Entrepreneur of the Year (sponsored by Fraser Stretton Estate Agents):

Max Poynton, Jacob Watts and Matthew Bond, Project D

Customer Service Award (sponsored by East Midlands Chamber):

Jenna Hadfield, Banner Jones Solicitors

Generation Next Future Leader Award (sponsored by the University of Derby):

Kate Walker, ExpHand Prosthetics

What’s been the company’s journey to reach this point?

Jacob Watts (strategic director): I ran a gardening and landscape business before the three of us got together and decided we wanted to set up something related to food. We’d never made a doughnut previously but spent hours researching different ways to make them before we found the perfect one.

The pandemic hit us really hard to begin with because we had three shops that closed. It took us about a week to work out what to do with our time and the staff we had. For a while, we were selling eggs and flour as there were shortages, before we decided to set up a delivery service and the pop-up stalls we now have.

You’ve been a real hit on social media – how have you used these platforms to grow the business?

Max Poynton (operations director): Our whole business is built on social media. We started with about 12,000 followers on Instagram and now have 135,000, while there’s about 100,000 people following us on Facebook.

Our customers love new flavours and combinations, so combining that with new content we’ve put a lot of thought into has been key to the success of our business. We’re now trying to build a TikTok presence and recently launched a YouTube channel because the important thing is to evolve with everything else that’s happening.

What does the future hold for the business?

Matthew Bond (creative director): Having started with the humble doughnut, it’s taken us on an incredible journey. We’re always looking to improve on that and we’re currently testing a new recipe we think people will love.

Project D will also expand into protein doughnuts and potentially other products like cake truffles and doughnut ice cream cones. It’s about continuing to develop fresh new products that people might not be expecting.

How did it feel to win the Generation Next Entrepreneur of the Year title?

Jacob: It’s the best award I’ve personally ever won so it’s amazing. Max: The same for all of us – and off the back of this, we’ve met some great people we can work with.