Kent Foundation News

French work experience student supports Kent’s young business owners

by digitalbeans

Tell us about yourself:
Work Experience student Cyntia
Name: Cyntia Correia
Age: 19
Hobbies: I like dancing, shopping, laughing, watching movies, listening to music, going out with my friends or family, sometimes I like staying home by myself and relaxing…

Tell us more about where you are from in France…
I’m from Marseille a city in the South of France. About 1.7 million people live in the metropolitan area and about 850,000 in the city itself. This makes it the second largest city in France by number of people. It is the third largest by size. Marseille is in the South, just at the Mediterranean Sea. It has the biggest commercial port in France. The port is one of the most important ones in the Mediterranean. In Marseille we have very hot weather with beautiful beaches…

Why did you come to England for your work experience?
I’ve always loved English, learning new languages and new cultures, and I’ve always had a good level in English, so when I went to College on the first year they made us pass a test to decide if we had the right education to be in the European Section, and I passed the test (I had my best friend with me so it was great) 🙂
The European Section has a project called Erasmus and every year students travel to England for work experience.
That’s why I was interested in entering the European Section, because I was so excited to know that I could have the chance to travel to England.
It has been an incredible experience for me that I will take with me for the rest of my life.


French Work Experience StudentsWhat does The Kent Foundation do and what was your role? 
Kent Foundation helps young people open up their own businesses. They train “Mentors” that are men or women that have experience in business and can help young business people. To decide which Mentor goes with which Mentee they have a “Matching” step which consists in interviewing the Mentee to know what their business plans are for the future, their ideas, their experiences, their skills and based on that they match the right Mentor and the Mentee hoping that everything will go just fine. My role at Kent Foundation was to support Liam and Paul with both office based tasks such as administration, preparing for events and managing/inputting data right through to external events such as meeting people at workshops, events and exhibitions.

Where did you go and what did you see in England?
During my stay England I went to London on the first week, me and my friends went to Camden Town and Oxford Street, it was very nice, but the most important thing was all the people I met during my work experience, English people are so nice, I participated in so many events and meetings. Everywhere I went people started talking to me without knowing me and asking me questions about my life and that for me, was so lovelyyyyy.

What have you learnt from your experience?
During my stay in England I’ve learned so much about myself and my motivations in life.
Kent Foundation Work ExperienceOnce, in the office I had a conversation with Liam and Paul and they told me that everything that happens in your life it’s based on the choices you make, you got to know what you want, fight for it and work for it, not just wait for something to happen. That conversation made me think so much about what I want for my future, I’ve got to be more motivated in what I do so I can get what I want, they told me that if I’m not happy with something in my life I need to change it or just leave it like that.

I’m only 19 and it would be hard to continue with something that I don’t like for the rest of my life. I just want to say thank you to Paul, Liam, Stuart, Rob, Camellia and every other person that I met, I can’t remember the names of everyone because my memory is horrible, but I will never forget them. This work experience made me grow up so much.

Merci Beaucoup, Muito Obrigada, Gracias

Cyntia

Star Business of the Month

Day One Wellness – Star Business of the Month – April 2016

by digitalbeans

Day One Wellness is a holistic personal training company. We create and deliver programmes that make it as easy as possible for busy people to restore their health and transform their bodies naturally.

Day One Wellness - Be More BootcampsI started the company in October 2014 because like everyone, I absolutely hate seeing people suffer, so I wanted to create something that provided a real solution to all the problems I was regularly getting asked about. It seemed like no matter who I spoke to, people were complaining of low energy, low self-esteem, health problems or battles with their weight that was making them unhappy.

At the time I was working on a public health contract helping obese children and their families embrace a healthy lifestyle. A large part of my role was collaborating with dietitians and psychologists where I was exposed to a variety of different nutrition principles and behavioural change theories, from there I emerged myself in anything I could get my hands on to do with these topics. I’ve never been to university (apart from a brief soccer scholarship in the states – but that’s another story) but I’ve probably paid Amazon a similar amount to tuition fees in the amount of audio-books and paperbacks I’ve purchased!

The ‘Ah-Ha’ Moment for Day One Wellness

Day One Wellness Personal Training & Nutrition CoachingLike most business ideas, my ‘ah-ha’ moment for Day One Wellness was less of a light bulb and more of a combination of life experiences. I think particularly in customer facing roles you have to serve your time in the trenches first to discover and develop your own unique style. For me it was the combination of personal training in both the public and private sectors as well as the numerous life lessons, cultures and environments I experienced whilst travelling through Asia, living in New Zealand and experiencing my most physically demanding job to date; being what my mum liked to call a ‘Chalet Bitch’ for 5 months in Austria.

I eventually decided to take the entrepreneurial plunge after about 6 months of living with a nagging feeling that I should be doing something more. The first goal I set myself was to be 100% self employed within a year of starting which I’m pleased to say, not only did I achieve but by the time the year was up I was paying myself more than my last job too!

Day One Wellness As I’m writing this the business is still in its infancy – just 19 months old, and I’d never of predicted where we are now from where I started. We’ve recently moved into a new base at Southcote Chiropractic Clinic, working alongside some exceptionally experienced and educated health professionals. Our team of trainers are growing by the month to keep up with client demands, both for our 1 to 1 coaching programme and group coaching services, plus I’m doing a lot more ’empower workshops’ in the corporate sector to meet the wellness demand on the County’s workforce.

The vision for Day One Wellness is to be Kent’s most influential well-being company by 2020, providing inspirational outdoor venues and exercise referral schemes that make ‘healthy’ affordable, accessible and most importantly enjoyable for as many people as possible. It may seem like a big goal but if there’s one thing I’ve learnt in the last 19 months, it’s to keep faith and focus on one step at a time!

Business Tip

“My advice to any young entrepreneur, as cliché as it is coming from me is to invest in yourself first, you are the driving force behind your business so reserve some of your energy for you! Provide your body with real foods that fuel you, move hourly to stimulate more blood to your brain, switch technology off when you are socialising with friends and family (trust me you’ll need them) and prioritise your sleep because you are much more productive at 5am if you’ve got to bed by 10pm rather than attempting to pull an all nighter!”

Kent Foundation News

Kent Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 – Is this you?

by digitalbeans

Enter the Kent Excellence in Business Awards to apply to see if you are the next Kent Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Kent Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 Kent Excellence in Business AwardsKent Young Entrepreneur of the Year criteria:

This Kent Excellence in Business award category is open to any individual aged 30 or under that has been instrumental in the success of one or more businesses/organisations, irrespective of size or sector. This individual must demonstrate they have achieved commercial success, have clear plans and strategies for the growth of their business and a strong track record of innovation. Judges will be looking for evidence of how this individual stands out from the crowd through their unique and entrepreneurial approach to business. Entrants must have been trading in one or more businesses for more than one year as of March 31, 2016.

Why apply?

This is a great opportunity to demonstrate how your company has successfully overcome the challenges of the last 12 months. Awards are one of the most powerful and cost-effective marketing tools. Winning a prestigious KEiBA award will help your organisation to stand out from the crowd, send a positive message to your existing customers, attract new business and boost staff morale. A chance to recognise your business success!

Click below to find out more and enter…

DEADLINE EXTENDED

Kent Excellence in Business Awards

 

The Kent Foundation appoints New Chairman

by digitalbeans

New Chairman for Kent’s Leading Business Charity

The Kent Foundation, a Kent business support charity that helps young people starting out in business has a new Chairman. Elected at the Kent Foundation Board Meeting in January 2016, Julian Kirkness from Canterbury was delighted with his new role:

“Since discovering the Foundation in 2013 I have been keen to help drive it forwards in any way I can. I am honoured to become Chairman! AlthoughKent Business Support Charity Appoints Julian Kirkness as New Chairman Allan’s Chairmanship will be a very tough act to follow, I am confident that together with the team we have in place – both Trustees and Full Time Staff – we are in great shape to improve our service and continue to support and encourage young Kentish entrepreneurs. ”

Julian Kirkness is a successful businessman in the Digital Sector, specialising in software development. He has been a supporter of the Foundation since 2013 when he voluntarily attended an induction course to become a volunteer business mentor, he became Vice Chairman in 2015 and now actively mentors two Kent businesses.

The Kent Foundation recently celebrated 30 years of success in supporting young business people. With a flag-ship service that includes over 100 trained Volunteer Business Mentors it’s clear that the Foundation is an established and essential component for Kent’s Businesses. Equally, it is always looking to be relevant and contemporary, recently launching its own Kent Foundation Business Award as an accolade to successful young entrepreneurs of the County.

Retiring Chairman of 20 years, Allan Mowatt has left the Charity in good hand, in his final remarks Allan stated:
“I am convinced that we have a Board of all the necessary background and talents to carry on and develop further our work. I am also convinced that we have a Chairman in Julian who can lead that work forward.”

Free Business advice and support for Kent's young people

Business Advice

Business Networking…What’s the Point?

by digitalbeans

Business Networking…What’s the Point?

So you’ve decided to bring your ideas to life, you’ve started a business and taken that first step in to a whole new world, so now what…business networking?

What is all this talk about business networking and what use is it to you. You’ve been researching a few events online, none of them seem to make much sense. Plus you have this niggling voice in the back of your head: “What exactly is the point?” “What am I going to get out of it?” “I could be doing something way more productive than chatting to a load of random people”
Well here’s where you might be wrong!

We’ve had a chat with a few successful young entrepreneurs from across Kent and how they have used business networking as a tool on their road to business success:

 Alex Auger – Think Press

I started my business THINK Press from the kitchen at home by myself, I had little to no idea about what networking entailed. Being only 23 my knowledge and access to the right contacts was extremely limited. With no friends or family working in the industry I was starting up in, taking the first steps towards getting the business going was quite daunting.

THINK Press - Cold Pressed JuiceI decided to look locally for some support in starting up, and came across the Kent Foundation ‘A Blast!’ business networking event. It looked like the perfect first step so I signed up. I remember the evening before the event suddenly having that sinking feeling. I had absolutely no idea what ‘networking’ events were like. I quickly printed some business cards onto some card I found at home (cut out by hand!) which made me feel a little more professional, and spent a bit of time Googling. Alas, this wasn’t overly helpful so the next morning I found myself standing outside the event feeling unbelievably nervous about what I was even going to say to people.

These nerves were completely unnecessary as the structure and atmosphere of the event was fantastic. I quickly found I had things in common with lots of the young entrepreneurs that I met. The more experienced business people were also more than willing to give me advice and point me in the direction. I met Paul and Liam who subsequently matched me with my business mentor Matt who has been instrumental to the development of the business, and made lots of other contacts who I have kept in touch with since. This also gave me the confidence to start networking, which was crucial to the start-up phase of the business.

Oliver Trailor, Runway Training

The age old adage of “it’s not what you know but who you know” is of key importance to all businesses and networking gives organisations opportunities to expand their connections, raise brand awareness and generate referrals; all leading to increased opportunities.

Runway Training and ApprenticeshipsAt Runway Training we enjoy business networking at traditional Breakfast events, B2B Exhibitions and after-hours clubs. In addition to this, other events can provide an opportunity to network, show off your products or services and expand knowledge on sector developments. Presence on social media can also help create new connections as well as provide an opportunity for offering advice and your professional opinion on matters, all helping to raise your company profile.

Runway Training utilise networking as an opportunity to reinforce the positives of apprenticeship recruitment and staff development. With many organisations expanding in both business and team members, Runway Training are keen to spread the message about this cost effective way of growing all areas of business.

Amy McManus, AM Marketing

AM Marketing KentBusiness networking is a great tool for any business, but particularly for startups. Budget is often an issue for a new business and networking is a very effective (and inexpensive) type of marketing that gets your brand out there. When I started AM Marketing two years ago, I went to every networking event in the area, and still do! It’s a fantastic way to meet other local business owners and introduce yourself, but most importantly LISTEN. There are so many different people and industries who have a wealth of experience and knowledge to learn from. They can give you a real insight into your own business and potential avenues or products you hadn’t considered.
The beauty of business networking is that it can happen at any point; it’s not always set to a specific time and place. If you talk to someone at a bus stop about your business? That’s networking. When you get into a conversation about your products at a dinner party? That’s networking. Always take business cards out with you; you never know who you’re going to meet!

Star Business of the Month

Towers Design – Star Business of the Month – September 2015

by digitalbeans

Towers DesignBen Towers and Towers Design: What’s the Story?

I recently had my 17th Birthday and life is good.  It’s good because I’ve recently finished secondary school and received my GCSE results which I was really pleased with.  It’s also Kent Excellence in Business Awards KEiBAgood because I now get to spend all my time working on my two businesses, Towers Design and Social Marley, rather than juggling them with school work as I have been doing for the past 5 years!  Don’t get me wrong, I loved school but now I can focus 100% on what I’m truly passionate about – business.

I always enjoyed using computers and when I was 11 a family friend asked if I could build her a simple website.  So I learnt the basics of web design, mainly by watching YouTube videos, and did the job for the princely sum of £50.  I realised that I could do this over and over again, so I joined a freelancing website called People Per Hour.  Within a year, I had already secured 25 customers and so decided it was time to set up a business – Towers Design.

Social Marley - Social Media ManagementTowers Design continues to grow and I now have a great team of 15 people working for the business and hundreds of business clients on the books.  We have expanded our range of services to a full serviced digital agency offering design, printing, website development and hosting.  For the past year I have spent a lot of time on my latest venture, Social Marley, a new platform for businesses to manage their social media accounts.  We are currently seeking investment and looking to launch in 2016.

I am breaking down the barriers facing young entrepreneurs…

Ben Towers - Towers Design Social MarleyAlthough I enjoyed creating the websites for my clients, I found my young age created problems for the business.  For example accepting payments online was difficult, because you have to be 18 to have a merchant account. To get around this, I had to make an online merchant account in my dad’s name, even though he had nothing to do with the company.

Also because of my age, I was unable to get a business bank account which meant we couldn’t accept cheques.  Then one day when my bank found out that I was using a child account for business they froze the account.  I had to ask the Federation of Small Businesses to get involved and fortunately it was resolved.

Another issue with being a young business owner is credibility.  Some people just don’t believe that you can do a great job and deliver the goods.  Fortunately I met plenty of people who did believe in me enough to give me that chance and prove myself.

Last year I was really honoured to be awarded the ‘NatWest Young Entrepreneur Of The Year – Special Merit’ at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2014 and to be a finalist in the prestigious Startup Awards 2014.  This year I was awarded ‘Young Entrepreneur Of The Year In Kent 2015’ at the Kent Invicta Awards and was a Finalist at the Kent Excellence in Business Awards.

I’m now an ambassador for several organisations, including The Federation of Small Businesses, Young Start-Up Talent, The National Enterprise Challenge and Young Entrepreneur Networking Association.  Together we will hopefully tackle the unnecessary barriers and obstacles young business owners face.  I also talk at various business and youth events all around the world.  I’m happy to share my experiences and if it helps to inspire other teenagers to start their own businesses then that’s good too!

Business Tip

“Start now, do not wait for your business to start itself or for you to leave school. You will learn loads from running your own company so make sure that you actually take the leap and give it a go.”