Think Enterprise Issue 17

Think Enterprise Publication | March Edition

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SARAH TROUTEN, IOEE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Welcome to our very first Spring edition of Think Enterprise, and it finally feels as though the warmer weather is on its way!

This month, I’m delighted to feature our new Academy, NatWest, and in this issue we catch up with Gordon Merrylees, Managing Director, Entrepreneurship at NatWest, to find out about their programme and how embracing entrepreneurial thinking has brought about great transformation.

We also shine our spotlight on a Lloyds Bank Mentor who is supporting an extremely talented knitwear designer and we hear first hand about the power mentoring and the impact the support has had on the success and growth of the business.

We also catch up with The Chocolate Cottage who we supported a couple of years ago to get their business started and it’s fantastic to hear how much the business has grown and also their ambitious plans for the future.

Our work within prisons was recently highlighted at our Unlocking Potential event held in Westminster which explored the impact of enterprise education within prisons and launched research in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University. Read the amazing article about one of our speakers from the event, Gary who completed three of our programmes whilst in prison and has gone on to achieve great things. I’m sure his inspirational mindset will be able to help others do the same.

Finally, we’re on our countdown to our annual Celebrating Enterprise awards at the Houses of Parliament and we’ve announced our shortlist this week. We were absolutely inundated this year with entries and I’d like to say a huge thank you to all those who entered and congratulations to those of you who have secured a shortlisted place, I look forward to welcoming you on the 2nd May. That’s it from me, Happy Easter to you, enjoy the break and enjoy this month’s Enterprisingly Me x

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Content 06 A Matter of Mindset: How NatWest Harnesses Entrepreneurial Skills for Growth, Performance and Fantastic Company Culture

08 Celebrating Enterprise Announcing our Award Sponsors!

10 Spotlight On...

Gary Rockcliffe

12 Making a difference through being enterprising: Migrants and refugees and starting a new business

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14 The Small Business Commissioner (SBC)

16 Enterprisingly Me x

18 Life is Sweet in the Lake District: Local Chocolate Shop Conquers the Luxury Market

20 Fashion with a Conscience: How Facing Fears and Flying Solo Were the Fabric of Success

22 International Entrepreneurship Educators Conferenece (IEEC)

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A Matter of Mindset: How NatWest Harnesses Entrepreneurial Skills for Growth, Performance and Fantastic Company Culture Gordon Merrylees is the Managing Director, Entrepreneurship for NatWest. Within his role, Gordon leads the bank’s Entrepreneurship Strategy and Entrepreneurial Development Academy; designed to harness the entrepreneurial potential of businesses and colleagues through its unique academy which is grounded using the principles of having a growth mindset or growth culture.

This customer-led Academy has recently been awarded its IOEE status, and this month we chatted to Gordon to find out why this innovative approach of looking at a true growth culture focuses on how people feel, and how they behave can help organisations develop a sustainable learning experience.

In 2015, the Academy was launched to harness the right mindset, to help entrepreneurs grow their business and from this experience felt compelled to share insight on the growth mindset traits from successful entrepreneurs that can be transferred to a large corporate like NatWest. Gordon says: “Within my job I’m responsible for embedding the entrepreneurship strategy and capabilities across the accelerator hubs and our organisation. I’m looking to build capability through an entrepreneurial mindset fit for the digital age. We have the view that even if we don’t have all the capabilities that we want right at this moment in time, if we have a willingness to learn and step out of our comfort zone, then there’s absolutely nothing that we can’t achieve.

“The Academy is aligned to a range of development programmes called Critical People Capabilities, Our Standards and Determined to Lead, all designed to lift the performance of the organisation in a unique and inspiring manner.

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“You can have someone who’s incredibly intelligent, extremely capable and exceptionally experienced, but then you have to ask - why do they not achieve more? Why is what they’re doing not even bigger? Even better? What’s stopping them from doing it and what’s holding them back? And the answer is – mindset. Every time.

If you’re in that growth mindset, you’re thinking, ‘what if I look at this differently, or I do it this way, or turn it completely on its head’.

It’s about pushing the possibilities, and that’s a powerful place to be. For example, the organisation is passionate about embedding an innovative mindset taking existing or new ideas to help our customers achieve more of their goals. To do this we need our colleagues to be more innovative in creating solutions for customers and at the same time build knowledge in areas that are new or activated differently. ” This unique outlook with businesses and employees’ potential is in part a proactive response to the fast-paced and continually evolving world of digital technology. Gordon says: “What sets us apart is how much we value having a growth mindset first, coupled with building capability, which helps our organisation to be nimble, agile and innovative. You just have to look at the context of the world we’re living in. Technology is changing exponentially and evolving all the time, so the next five years are unknown in some respects, which means that future capability is evolving and demanding a new skill set. We need generations of people with grit and a strong sense of resolve, who adapt to change, who have an open mind and a willingness to learn and accept feedback, who will feel uncomfortable and take calculated risks. Anything else that person needs, we’ll provide – all the training and development to give them the skills they need – but they need that growth mindset.

If they have that, then there are endless possibilities.”

“What sets us apart is how much we

value having a growth mindset, coupled with building capacity, which helps our organisation to be nimble, agile and innovative.”

However, this growth mindset is not just a means of employing the right people moving forward, it is about accepting that disruption is all around and how we develop employee’s professional thinking and their approach to the bigger picture of business will be key to how we respond to the technological changes. As part of the bank’s entrepreneurship strategy, the Academy has designed a programme that encapsulates the behaviours and mindset of successful entrepreneurs and enhances their already evident entrepreneurial streak. Gordon says: “The programme comprises of various elements, such as online modules, live events, and visits to the business accelerator hubs – we have 12 of these hubs all across the UK, where people can become a part of a connected community. The course is completely voluntary and currently has over 7,000 members being proactive in building their capability on top of a really busy day job. It’s incredible to see the movement we’ve created having a lasting impact on our culture and a real impact in future-proofing our colleagues’ capabilities.”

This impact is not just exclusive to the NatWest internal workings, but is then further passed on to its customers. NatWest Accelerator Hubs are the world’s largest fully funded business accelerator supporting SMEs, and Gordon explains how this growth mindset is positively affecting the bank’s relationship with its small business customers:

“I find it really inspiring connecting with small businesses. When small businesses do well, that helps our economy and therefore our society and culture, and we’re passionate about supporting SMEs. Our latest impact report demonstrates our success, and we have helped to secure £255m investment raised, created over 8000 jobs in three years, and achieved 87% business survival rates.

By developing our employees’ entrepreneurial skills, they come away being better at such things as networking, they develop the confidence to communicate with greater impact, and can solve problems differently and land creative ideas with real zeal. Our 12 hubs across the UK that are fully funded for SMEs to use, and this level of support really enables them to start, grow and succeed.”

The Entrepreneurship Academy has recently been awarded its status as an IOEE Enterprise Academy, and Gordon explains what this means to him and the bank: “Being accredited by the IOEE is a huge turning point for us as an Academy. It gives us an incredible kitemark of approval that provides credibility and properly validates what we’re doing, but also the positive impact we are having. This is shown in part by the improvement of employee engagement scores, which are at a 10year high in 2017. It gives us the assurance that what we’re doing is being seen and rated as being of a high quality, and becoming an IOEE Enterprise Academy is a great achievement for us.”

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Spotlight On...

Gary Rockcliffe Gary Rockcliffe has always had the desire and hunger that an entrepreneur needs to power them to success. He’s had a rich and varied work life, setting up various business ideas and projects over the years, but one bad decision resulted in Gary having to serve a 16.5 month-long prison sentence, being released in 2017.

However, Gary’s drive and ambition saw him throw himself into studying whilst inside, where he acquired three SFEDI qualifications, and he is now excelling in his professional life and beginning a brand career as a motivational speaker too. Here, we find out more about Gary’s inspiring story.

Gary Rockcliffe is a self-confessed dreamer with a boundless enthusiasm and ambition for getting the most out of life. From an early age, he knew he wanted to achieve big things, even if it meant going against the grain and enduring the judgement of other people along the way. Gary says: “I grew up on a rough council estate in Leeds and I was very close to getting caught up in the negative ‘dole culture’ I was surrounded by, but I wanted to break away from that. I knew that you don’t just have to go along with things, you can choose to break the mould, but it wasn’t easy and people would give you grief for wanting to do something with your life. I got my first job while I was still at school, working as a cleaner when I was 15-16. I made £70 every two weeks, and at that age I felt like a millionaire! I’d be in school in the week and then clean on a Tuesday and Thursday night. I think I always had a taste for money, but I was never afraid of hard work, and I think pushing myself to work back then was probably the first sign of having an entrepreneurial streak.”

Gary worked in printing for a number of years, but that creative entrepreneurial streak meant that he always had business ideas simmering under the surface, setting up side projects and businesses outside of work to generate extra income and feed his hunger for success. However, his entrepreneurial attitude was often deemed a negative instead of a positive, posing challenges along the way: “I found myself in really difficult situations, in particular losing my job because of it. I was trying to set up my own business on the side

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of my day job and my employer found out and basically sacked me on the spot. I was a few weeks from moving house with a second baby on the way, but I refused to give up. I put on my suit and went out looking for work the next day, and that’s ultimately how I ended up working in recruitment.”

Gary now works as a Divisional Manager for The Works Recruitment, a successful recruitment agency in Yorkshire, and has been with them since 2015. However, in 2014 he made some ‘bad decisions’ with one of his money-making side projects, and everything changed for him. Gary says: “I’d never been in trouble with the law before, but I basically got greedy and impatient and decided to get involved in growing cannabis. I remember the moment where I made the decision, in my front room, justifying it to myself that I could use the money to invest in a legitimate business and support my family, but it was the wrong decision – one single stupid decision that I never even made any money from anyway, but I made it, and there was no going back.”

Gary was arrested in 2014 and sentenced in November 2015 to three years in prison, for which he served 16.5 months before being released in March 2017. Whilst the experience could understandably drive somebody’s downfall, for Gary it was quite the opposite. His ambition and determination to make something of himself were his tools for getting through his time inside, and he now cites his time in prison as responsible for feeling ‘reincarnated’. Gary says: “It was hard; believe me, it was hard. For the first nine days I completely lost myself and my way and didn’t know who I was, but on day nine I changed. I decided that I had to be myself, no matter what. Some people didn’t like that, but other people respected me for it. it was the only way I was going to survive. I’d always been spinning plates on the outside, juggling different businesses and working under pressure, so I decided I needed to create that environment on the inside too. I’d be at the gym seven days a week and reading constantly – about 55 books whilst I was in there, most of them read more than once to really absorb everything. I was

Gary speaking at the SFEDI and IOEE Unlocking Potential event at Westminster last month.

doing cell workouts, yoga, meditation, and started studying and making plans for when I got back out inside the outside world.”

Gary got funding through the Prisoners’ Education Trust and undertook three SFEDI qualifications: A Level 1 Award in Understanding Enterprise, a Level 2 Diploma in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, and Creating and Starting a Digital Business. The knowledge he gained through his studies inspired and assisted him in designing business plans that he could use to achieve success upon his release. His dedication and determination was noticed, and Gary even progressed to officially mentoring the Business class in prison, as well as informally mentoring other inmates, and both of these experiences helped to guide Gary to his current pursuit of being an entrepreneurial motivator and life coach. Gary says: “Studying for the SFEDI qualifications saved me in a way - you can get caught up in so much in there, so I did everything I could do stay focused and positive and just keep myself to myself. It was frustrating at first, my GCSE records weren’t available and so I had to do English and Maths courses for eight weeks with people who couldn’t do 1 + 1 before I could start studying in-depth, but then I threw myself into it. At one point you would have come into my cell and it was just filled with paper and diagrams and books and business plans and ideas. Since my release, I’ve done something with them all, but one in particular is thriving and I’m in the process of securing funding at the moment. I ended up mentoring the Business class, but I was doing informal mentoring off my own back too – lending out books to people and having positive conversations. I really believed, and still do, that anything is possible and you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it.”

Upon his release in 2017, Gary went back to work for The Works Recruitment, and has thrived in this last year – he’s already had two

promotions, won two awards, and is the company’s highest biller.

It’s testament to Gary’s strength of character and determination that he sees his time in prison as a positive experience that will serve him going forward with the rest of his life: “When people ask me about my time in prison now, I tell them I wouldn’t change it. I feel almost reincarnated by the experience, and I’m motivated and inspired to make a difference, and help other people achieve their goals. You need the power of positivity, as negativity pulls you down, especially in prison, but I’ve learnt that attitude is everything. You could have every qualification in the world, but you won’t get anywhere without desire, discipline, and harnessing your entrepreneurial side.”

At the beginning of March, Gary attended SFEDI and the IOEE’s Unlocking Potential event at Westminster, taking to the stage to share his story. Gary says: “It was an amazing experience, and being able to share my story and the things I’ve learned is something I want to do more of, giving motivational talks and pushing people out of their comfort zone.

I learnt about something inside called ‘the unwavering faith’, and I channel this every day, reminding myself in the morning about the importance of believing in yourself and your journey. I want to inspire other people to do this too, to empower people to make positive changes, because I know first-hand what it means to turn your life around.”

You can follow Gary’s journey on his blog, Memoirs of a Lawbreaker: https://offendermemoirs.wordpress.com/

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Making a difference through being enterprising: Migrants and refugees and starting a new business Written by Leigh Sear, Chief Executive, SFEDI Solutions.

The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, reflected that change is only the constant. The level of change and dynamism that we are currently experiencing in the economy and society can lead to differences between perception and reality. A good example here is immigration to the UK. With the impact of the Brexit decision and tighter visa regulations for certain groups of migrants, there has been a recent slowdown in migration to the UK. Recent statistics from the Office for National Statistics shows that net migration levels are now similar to those levels in 2014 and lower than rates witnessed in 2015 and 2016, with EU net migration falling over the last year1.

Despite this slowdown, there is evidence to demonstrate that people believe that immigration rates are higher than they are and that these perceptions are shaping policies and practices designed to support migrants and refugees in integrating into local communities and making a positive difference. For example, in a report on the economic contribution of migrants and refugees, the Centre for Entrepreneurs comment that ‘Despite a warm welcome, bureaucracy, discrimination in the labour market, and a lack of support has left too many new arrivals languishing’2.

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However, a number of recent reports have highlighted that there are opportunities for migrants and refugees to make a positive economic and social contribution, particularly through being enterprising and entrepreneurial. Research shows that migrants and refugees start a higher than average number of businesses but face additional challenges in starting and running their businesses. These challenges include access to mainstream finance, awareness of available business support and access to appropriate learning and skills provision.

In terms of the access to learning and skills provision, SFEDI are part of an Erasmus Plus Project (ONDGO) which will provide a route by which migrant entrepreneurs can receive a tailored programme of learning and skills development that will help support them in the start-up process.

Led by Meath Partnership in Ireland, the overall aim of ONDGO is to support the economic integration of displaced people through the creation of a tailored migrant entrepreneurship training programme, along with a suite of flexible and adaptable training resources that will assist vocational education and training professionals to enhance their understanding

ONDGO ENTERPRISE IN MOTION

ONDGO

ONDGO

MOBILE ENTERPRISE

ENTERPRISE IN MOTION

and skills to effectively support displaced people in managing the journey from idea to action.

If you are interested in learning more about the project please visit http://learnonthego.eu/about.

Over the next two years, the project will be developing:

If you are working with displaced people to support them into enterprising and entrepreneurial outcomes and you would like to explore ways of adding value to the ONDGO project, please contact Leigh Sear at leigh.sear@sfedi.co.uk.

•

An enterprise learning curriculum and resource toolbox for displaced people interested in starting a business

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A new in-service professional development training programme for vocational education and training professionals working with displaced people interested in starting a business

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An e-learning portal to support learning ‘on the go’ for both displaced people and VET professionals

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A policy paper which will examine the experiences of supporting displaced people into enterprising and entrepreneurial outcomes in the seven partner member states and the associated implications for policy

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Case studies profiling how enterprising learning and skills development has assisted migrants and refugees to effectively integrate into host communities and the labour market.

https://www.ons.gov.ukpeoplepopulationandcommunity/ populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/ migrationstatisticsquarterlyreport/february2018

1

https://centreforentrepreneurs.org/cfe-research/startingafresh-how-entrepreneurship-is-transforming-the-lives-ofresettled-refugees/

2

Photograph sourced from https://www.catholicbishops. ie/2013/09/24/popes-message-word-day-migrantsrefugees/

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“Any form of late or unfair payment practice can seriously affect the effective running and potential for growth among small businesses and is simply not acceptable!”

Paul Uppal, Small Business Commissioner

About us The Small Business Commissioner (SBC) is a non-departmental public body, which is operationally independent of Government and a partner organisation of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The need for change Britain has 5.5 million small businesses across England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and removing barriers to their growth will be essential if we are to maintain a dynamic, market economy.

It is estimated there is in the region of 50,000 ‘business deaths’ each year, many in part due to late or unfair payment practices. As part of a package of measures introduced by Government the Small Business Commissioner was appointed in October 2017 to tackle the late payment culture that exists among some businesses.

Research shows that: 

A third of payments to small businesses are late.

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20% of small businesses have run in to cash flow problems due to late payments.

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If small businesses were paid on time, this could boost the economy by an estimated £2.5 billion annually.

The Commissioner will support small businesses to resolve payment disputes, tackle the unfair payment practices of larger businesses that adversely affect many small businesses, and help bring about a culture change.

The role of Small Business Commissioner was established under the Enterprise Act 2016 as part of a package of measures to tackle the late and unfair payment practices that so often stifle the development of small businesses in terms of their growth and ability to innovate.

The Commissioner will have responsibility for advising, signposting and dealing with complaints from those small businesses across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland who employ up to fifty staff.

We will provide general information and advice about payment issues, direct small businesses to existing services which may help them resolve payment issues, and handle their payment related complaints.

The Commissioner will make non-binding determinations in response to complaints submitted by small businesses about the payment practices of a larger business. Although these determinations are non-binding, the Commissioner will have the ability to report about an enquiry into a complaint and “name and shame” those larger businesses that have not followed fair and reasonable payment practices.

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How we can help you The Small Business Commissioner will: 





provide general advice and information to small businesses on matters such as resolving disputes; signpost small businesses to existing support and resolution dispute services through the Commissioner’s own website; and, consider complaints about payment issues between small business suppliers and their larger business customers making recommendations on how the parties should resolve the disputes.

Where appropriate the Commissioner will publish reports to highlight findings and remedies that may be of help and interest to other businesses.

Companies that are experiencing issues will find useful help and advice on our website, and find guidance for small businesses on payment issues including how to take action if a payment is overdue.

Contact us To find out more about how you can avoid late payments or if you are a small business who wish to make a complaint you can visit us at: www.smallbusinesscommissioner.gov.uk.

Enquiries about how we could help, offer advice or signpost you to other services that could help your business should be directed to: enquiries@smallbusinesscommissioner.gov.uk.

If you’re a small business that is affected by a payment-related issue you can submit your complaint to us at: complaints@smallbusinesscommissioner.gov.uk .

Enquiries should be made to the Commissioner directly by an authorised individual working for the businesses affected and not via a third party such as a trade body, local MP or Councillor or an individual or body not directly involved.

Office of the Small Business Commissioner Victoria Square House, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B2 4AJ Tel: 0121 695 7770

Email: enquiries@smallbusinesscommissioner.gov.uk www. smallbusiness commissioner.gov.uk

www.smallbusinesscommissioner.gov.uk

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‘Enterprisingly Me’ is a monthly feature where you can follow my entrepreneurial adventures. Names have been changed to protect the innocent but everything you read really happened.

I hope my story inspires you to take your first steps, or if you already have, then it lets you know you’re not on your own. Starting and running a successful business isn’t about being perfect. It’s about loving what you’re doing, learning from your mistakes and keeping the faith!

Things are really hotting up on the business front with new customers and new opportunities flying through the door – well not literally obviously.

We have now viewed our new office suite and are all excited about having our own entrance and being able to spread out in a much bigger space. Agreeing to terms for the new premises has been quite straightforward and giving notice on our existing office space will coincide nicely with moving into our new space – it really helps that the new space is owned by the same landlord as the office we currently occupy.

The landlord has agreed to some changes and decoration of our new office suite – suite sounds much posher than just offices don’t you think? We’re all excited about the upcoming move and have commissioned a new reception desk which will be specially made to suit our new reception area.

It is being made locally by one of the small business owners who came along on one of our courses. We have found lots of advantages in using small local suppliers including:

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• • •

Reputation is everything for them particularly when their business is relatively new which should mean we receive the very best service We get one to one advice and support helping us to choose the correct layout and materials In this case, • His workshop is close to our business which means he is near at hand if anything should go wrong • His overheads are relatively low so we have agreed a very cost effective price • We are getting something bespoke to us which will be fit for purpose and help us to present our business in the best possible way • We can continue to help him grow his business by providing feedback on our experience of buying from him • This particular supplier is a bit of a cutie… I keep saying I need to get out more!

You remember I mentioned a few problems I was having with my mentor – well I decided to have a word with my contact at the agency. I’ve been putting it off as she’s a lovely girl, but I just don’t feel like I’m getting what I need from our mentoring relationship.I requested a face-

to-face meeting with both the agency and my mentor to discuss progress and to provide some feedback on my experiences so far. They have agreed to organise a meeting for next week and I have started to prepare for what could be a difficult meeting. I really wouldn’t bother but I feel that as the business grows I need someone to help me face challenges I have no real experience of. Even being responsible for staff is proving a bit of a nightmare as although we are still operating as a very small team it’s looking like I might need to recruit someone else to support the business growth opportunities that are coming our way.

My meeting is looming and I’m trying to find the best way of explaining how I’m feeling. What do I say? I realise I have some choices: 1. I tell it how it is in that I am not really interested in her private life and I have enough problems of my own thank you very much – probably not the best way to make friends and influence people, however I’m not really looking for a friend am I? What I think I need is a mentor…

2. I tell them I’ve decided that I don’t need a mentor at the moment – not true but easier than having to be completely truthful about the situation 3. I have an open and frank discussion with them both being clear about what I need and expect from this mentoring relationship and checking how realistic I’m being. This should help us all decide whether mentoring is going to work for me and whether this is the right mentor, as I appreciate that like any relationship it may not work for everyone.

All I do know is that I feel very alone and would appreciate an external perspective on both me and my business as

I continue to take on more and more responsibility in areas of business that are all new to me.

I pride myself with having common sense but is that all I need to grow my business?

To try and relax a little and enjoy the fact that things are going really well, we’ve organised a get together for the staff – we’ve all been so busy that I’d forgotten how important it is to spend quality time with them as well as working time.

As the business grows there are so many things I need to think about. I once worked with someone who blocked time out in her diary and titled it ‘Thinking Time’ and although we laughed at the thought of someone having enough spare time to allocate to ‘Thinking Time’ I’m beginning to see where they were coming from. I don’t feel at the moment that I have time to do anything except work and the only real thinking time I have is either in the shower or in bed. Things I’m thinking about include: • • • • • •

Am I trying to grow too quickly and if so how do I slow it down?

How to recruit the right staff to help us grow How to finance that growth in the right way How to make time for other things apart from work Whether my speculate to accumulate policy is working How this is all affecting my family and my own wellbeing…

Scary stuff when you think about it – maybe I should add trying not to over think everything. What do you think?

Me x

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Life is Sweet in the Lake District: Local Chocolate Shop Conquers the Luxury Market

then I literally sat on a wall outside it for three days to count the footfall. So, we knew there was a lot of passing trade, and we had these empty premises, but then we had to decide what to put in it! Angela had always been interested in confectionery and catering and is very creative, and we thought it was the perfect place for a chocolate shop, with the Lake District attracting so many tourists and holidaymakers.”

“ The IOEE last met Richard and Angela Barker, founders of Grasmere Chocolate Cottage, back in 2015, when they’d only just reached the end of their first year of trading, supported through the IOEE’s mentoring programme. Fast forward to today and the business has skyrocketed; still staying true to its idyllic rural charm whilst also becoming suppliers for the likes of luxury hotels and retailers. We chatted to Richard to find out about their journey so far, and their exciting confectionery plans for the year ahead.

Richard and Angela both worked in education before they ventured into chocolate making, with their jobs taking them over to Germany and Richard setting up a number of educational training programmes for the Ministry of Defence. When they returned to England they were located in Somerset, but wanted a change of pace and to begin a new chapter in their native Cumbria. They looked for businesses for about a year before finding the empty premises that would be their new venture. At the end of 2013, Grasmere Chocolate Cottage was born. Richard says: “We’d looked at various shops and pubs, but nothing felt quite right. We spotted the potential of these empty premises, and

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People keep telling us that we are living the rural dream, and we are - but it’s hard work! We want to continue to grow and expand, but we don’t want to lose the essence of the shop.”

Richard and Angela went to train in their new craft in Manchester, undertaking a variety of courses where they learnt all about the art of chocolate making. When they opened Grasmere Chocolate Cottage, Richard and Angela were the sole employers, initially creating eight unique flavours and selling around 500 chocolates per week, but the last few years has seen the business flourish and evolve, with sales soaring and new staff being employed. Richard says: “We weren’t quite sure exactly what to stock in that first year, but we’ve grown so much. We now have 28 unique flavours and are making over 5,000 chocolates per week. We’ve got three part-time staff and are taking on a couple of full-time staff soon too. We’ve developed a website and sell our products online, and we’re now also stocked in a couple of luxury retailers and several high-end hotels. With sales and production rapidly increasing, we may even be looking at developing into larger production premises soon. It’s been a very busy few years!”

Despite the success of Grasmere Chocolate Cottage, Richard explains that setting up a new business hasn’t been without its challenges: “I think our teaching background has actually helped with aspects such as being on your feet all the time and being customer-focused, but yes - it’s quite a different career to the educational industry we were in before! Getting used to the Lake District has been an adjustment too, as it can be very quiet, and we’ve had to learn the high and low points of the tourist seasons.”

Looking to the future, Grasmere Chocolate Cottage is showing no signs of slowing down, and 2018 will see the business create more partnerships and develop its range of chocolates even further.

Richard says: “We’ve been working with Lancaster University over last few months whilst its business students have been putting together a marketing strategy for us – this is due to come off soon, so it will be amazing to see what they’ve produced. We already know that we want to enhance our online presence and overhaul the website this year - our website has slowly developed already, our online sales have increased five-fold since we began, and one area of real surprise has been the popularity of our vegan chocolates, which we send as far afield as the USA and Sweden.

“We’re looking to add a variety of new luxury products to our range too, and so we’re enhancing our branding and packaging to align with that, and will hopefully move into another couple of highend retailers and hotels. We also have a project in the pipeline

to develop a range of chocolates alongside someone opening an upmarket alcohol shop this year, so we’re looking to launch some specialist alcohol-flavoured chocolates later in 2018.”

Richard says that one of the biggest challenges in the business has been ‘sticking to their guns’, and for all of the growth and expansion of Grasmere Chocolate Cottage, he and Angela are passionate about staying close to the business’ roots and not veer too far from their countryside community spirit: “It’s difficult to get the right balance when it comes to price point for a luxury product, because ingredients can be expensive and all of the chocolates are handmade, so it does take time. We use Belgian chocolate alongside local produce wherever possible, such as cream from local farms, so we have to charge for what we make, but we don’t want to go into mass production; our ethos has always been quality over quantity. People keep telling us we’re living the rural dream, and we are – but it’s hard work! We want to continue to grow and expand, but we don’t want to be so exclusive that we lose the essence of the shop. We live only a few minutes’ walk from the shop and the new premises, and that idyllic rural charm is what drew us here in the first place, so we’re going to hold onto that.”

To find out more about Grasmere Chocolate Cottage, visit: http://www.chocolatecottage.co.uk/

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Fashion with a Conscience: How Facing Fears and Flying Solo Were the Fabric of Success Nic Corrigan, pictured above, is a talented knitwear designer who founded her own company in 2014. After feeling conflicted about elements of her previous career in the fashion industry, Nic wanted to pursue something more fulfilling and ethically and environmentally conscious, creating Whitehall Studio in West Yorkshire. The IOEE paired Nic up with mentor Lisa Moore, a Senior Marketing Manager at Lloyds Banking Group, to help guide Nic in the throes of setting up a new business. This month we chatted to Nic and Lisa about their journey of facing fears, building confidence, and finding the right work-life balance.

Nic’s Story Nic loved fashion and knitting from an early age. She has fond memories of making clothes for the school fashion show and can’t remember a time when she couldn’t knit, but she went on to pursue a more academic career before a niggling voice at the back of her mind told her she was missing something. Nic says:

with a host of High Street retailers. And for those first few years it felt really glamorous; you’re jetting off to the Far East four times a year to visit factories producing your garments, and everything is fast-paced and exciting. But after the newness wore off and the financial crash hit, it all felt different. As a designer, you’re working for a supplier between a factory and a retailer, and everything had just become about pricing and cost rather than design and creativity.

“The fashion industry is a notoriously harsh environment and I grew increasingly worried about the cycle and pressures of oversees production, and it felt so far away from the creative process I had trained in. During those last couple of years of work, I didn’t necessarily believe in everything I was doing. When I got made redundant from my final position, I realised I felt disillusioned with that side of industry, and I didn’t want to look for any other similar jobs. So this was going to be my time to get back to the elements of fashion and design that I loved when I was at uni, and do something for myself.”

“I decided to go back to university to study Fashion Design, graduating in 2007 and beginning my career working in the industry

Nic created Whitehall Studio, a luxury knitwear brand in Hebden Bridge, where she produces her own garments and accessories. The

20 | Think Enterprise

company values quality materials, sustainability, craftsmanship and original design, and Nic’s work is flourishing in a business she really believes in. However, Nic says she that was lacking confidence in those early days, which is something that her mentor, Lisa, really helped her to find. Nic says: “There are a hundred and one amazing benefits of having a mentor, but I think the biggest thing for me was the opportunity to get a fresh pair of eyes on the business, an outside perspective from someone who’s not involved, as it’s hard to see everything clearly when you’re in it. The fact that Lisa’s from a completely different industry is helpful, and she’ll explain the way they do things at her work, and you learn that the same principles are usually carried over, no matter what sector or industry you’re working in.

“We talk regularly, but meet in person every couple of months too, and I really value Lisa’s advice. She doesn’t tell me what to do, but asks me the right questions and then I’ll hear these big revelations!

This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but Lisa’s been so supportive, and meeting up with her always boosts my confidence. I think there’s a natural progression from mentor to mentee too – you have that understanding of what you struggled with yourself, and I have so much goodwill for the people who’ve helped me along the way that I now want to pass that on to other artists who are starting out, and encourage and help them to succeed. I’ve recently launched a shop alongside the studio. It’s early days, but this is one way of being able to support artists and the local community.”

Lisa’s Story When Lisa was first introduced to Nic, she saw there were two main areas that were holding Nic back – confidence and that elusive work-life balance. Lisa says: “When I first met Nic she was working non-stop, knitting all of her garments at home, selling through Etsy and at local fairs, and was trying to promote herself that way – basically trying to do everything all at once! The first thing I encouraged her to do was to separate work and home, as they were both blurring into one chaotic time, which can be overwhelming. I encouraged her to reach out to an art venue to chat about possibility of renting a desk with them, so she could separate that time to be creative from her home life, and I think that discipline of setting boundaries was really helpful for Nic.” Lisa says that Nic’s biggest challenge was her confidence, and that Nic had a lot of self-doubt about her abilities and the turnaround time for her garments, but one negative experience actually turned into a positive experience, that helped to give Nic the confidence boost she needed. Lisa says:

“A wool and knitwear company got in touch with Nic, wanting to give her some of their yarn, and asked her to knit three unique pieces for them to take to international fairs. Nic was amazing and did it all and took pieces to the company – who told her they weren’t right for them or what they were expecting. This really knocked Nic’s confidence and she came away quite bruised, feeling like there wasn’t much point in pursuing this any more. But I said to her, ‘you’ve told me for ages that you haven’t had time to knit, and here you’ve designed and knitted three jumpers from scratch in a week!’. Something clicked then. It was a negative experience, but it showed Nic that, actually, she absolutely could do this.”

Lisa would set Nic challenges, such as hanging up one of her new jumper designs at a fair to get feedback from people - “she would do this very begrudgingly, scared that people would judge her, but everyone just said how lovely they were!” - and Nic slowly but surely began to overcome the fear that was holding her back, even expanding Whitehall Studio to add another element to the business. Lisa says: “We were starting one mentoring session and Nic suddenly said she was going to open a shop – I was like, where did that come from?!

It’s only just launched, but it’s selling some of Nic’s designs, but also those from other local artists and designers that she likes, so she can showcase their work and support them too. It’s really all come together, there’s been a whole transformation and it’s so lovely to see – she’s even hanging up garments on a railing in the shop to show prototypes and her work in progress so she can get feedback.

It all came down to confidence, no one was pushing her. The next part of the journey is going to be really interesting for Nic – she’ll still be the lovely and wonderful lovely person that she is, but I think she’s got a more shrewd business head on her shoulders now.”

Lisa’s day job with Lloyds Banking Group is busy and fast-paced, and she tells us how she manages to include mentoring in her already full working life: “Some days I think, ‘oh, I haven’t got time for anything’, but every time I go and talk to Nic I feel better and more inspired, like I’ve really accomplished something. Mentoring gives you a chance to break away from that familiar day job into new territory and share your value, and it’s so rewarding. I’d encourage anybody to go and do this, because you don’t have to be an expert in somebody else’s business to help them, you have more to bring to the table than you realise, and I’m definitely planning to do more.”

To find out more about Whitehall Studio, please visit the website www.whitehallstudio.co.uk/my-story/ You can also find Whitehall Studio on Instagram and Facebook.

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Enterprise Educators UK and conference host and sponsor, Leeds Beckett University, are delighted to invite you to join them and contribute to the leading global three day forum for enterprise and entrepreneurship educators and practitioners – the International Entrepreneurship Educators Conference (IEEC) #IEEC2018.

The ‘I’ in IEEC will be elevated this year – there are already three international keynotes confirmed and international bursaries are available for the first time to attract more delegates from beyond the UK than ever before. The aim is to truly put Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Education on a Global Stage.

Confirmed keynotes: • • •

Jing Zhang, China Chief Representative of the UK Higher Education Academy (Advance HE) and an enterprise educator Dr Martin Lackéus, Researcher in Entrepreneurial Education, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden Professor Hideyuki Horii, Executive Director, i.school and Emeritus Professor, University of Tokyo

Contribute to IEEC2018 2018 track themes are: 1. Enterprise within the curriculum 2. Co-curricular enterprise education 3. Supporting start-ups and established businesses 4. Enterprise education beyond graduation 5. Partnering for enterprise and entrepreneurship 6. Social enterprise and innovation The call is open for you to submit: • An interactive 50 minute parallel session or • A PechaKucha-style 20x20 presentation

IEEC is highly regarded for its participatory style with a wide range of educator and practitioner led interactive sessions and Pecha Kucha presentations – you could be leading one of these sessions - find out more here. The deadline for submissions is Friday 1 June.

International bursaries If you have contacts around the world who would benefit from IEEC but are unable to fund attendance, please tell them about the International Bursaries. Bursaries are open to enterprise and entrepreneurship educators from non-UK universities or colleges who would like to attend IEEC for the first time.

Registration and discounts Standard fees and the early bird discount are at the same level as last year.

Register NOW to be sure to obtain the 15% Early Bird discount (deadline Friday 29 June).

To find out more about the Conference, including how to register for the event, please visit http://ieec.co.uk/ 22 | Think Enterprise

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