Kent Foundation News

Digital Beans Donates £500 to Support Future Entrepreneurs in Kent

by digitalbeans

Digital Beans donates £500 to business support charity The Kent Foundation. Piperis Filippaios, who started his first business at an early age, received help from The Kent Foundation at a vital time.

While studying at Kent University, Piperis set his sights on becoming a successful entrepreneur. At the end of his third year as an undergraduate and the start of his Masters degree at the University, he started a new website called uFlog.

The website was targeted at students to help them buy and sell items on campus for free, with any income coming from advertising. Like any university student, finance was tight and Piperis approached The Kent Foundation for help.

They agreed to give him a grant of £150 to help him purchase some advertising to increase awareness of the site. However, although uFlog was being used by students, he struggled to get businesses to advertise.

A bi-product of this relationship with the businesses though, meant that he started receiving requests to help them with their digital marketing instead.

Digital Beans Donates £500 charity supporting Kent's Young Entrepreneurs

Piperis said: “Like any start-up, it was tough getting it going and The Kent Foundation gave me the boost I needed. Setting uFlog up led me in a direction I had not expected. Getting businesses to advertise was hard, but I started to receive requests to help with their digital marketing instead. This set me on the journey I am on today. Because of this, it led me to evolve my business into uTargeting, which was the start of my current digital marketing agency – DigitalBeans. So that £150 grant has led me to where I am today.”

Digital Beans, which is located in Canterbury, now employs three staff and has a number of clients helping them with organic and paid search and social media strategies including Search Engine Optimisation, Google AdWords, Paid Social Media Advertising and Retargeting.

Piperis added: “The business has been steadily growing and I am fortunate to be able to now offer something back as a thank you for the help The Kent Foundation gave me when I needed it. This is why I am donating £500 to them, so that they can help other young people in their business journey as well.”

Stuart Tanton, the Operations Manager at the charity, said: “The Kent Foundation, over the last ten years, has grown into the number one charity for supporting young people under the age of 30 in business. It is great to know that Piperis benefited and valued our support, and has created a successful business. It is essential our charity continues to offer the next generation the same opportunities Piperis had. His generous donation will go directly towards our volunteer business mentoring service which will support other aspiring young people to achieve success in their businesses.”

Kent Foundation News

Accounting Workshop raise £1500 for Kent Charity

by digitalbeans

Kent firm of accountants, Accounting Workshop, selected The Kent Foundation as their charity of the year for 2016.

Accounting Workshop LogoJulian Kirkness, Chairman of The Kent Foundation was delighted to accept a donation of £1,500 from the philanthropic team from Accounting Workshop, Ashford. The adventurous team, comprising Senior Partner, Lisa Brown and colleagues Georgina King and Lawry Vorster trekked 50 kilometres around the Peak District National Park. At their highest point, Kinder Scout, they reached over 2,000 feet in altitude. Lisa and Georgie met The Kent Foundation at a business seminar early this year, Lisa said:

Accounting Workshop raise money for Kent Charity “We immediately realised we had found the perfect charity for us. We like to support new businesses as much as we can and this charity helps young people to achieve their ambitions with practical, easy to access business advice and mentoring. We enjoyed the challenge and are so pleased we have been able to raise funds to help keep these vital services free”

Julian Kirkness, Chairman of The Kent Foundation said:

“We rely on Kent’s businesses to support our charity. Kent businesses, supporting potential new Kent businesses has obvious synergy and we are constantly interested to promote anyone who wants to get behind our fantastic cause. Thanks to Lisa and her team we are now able to further develop our business mentoring services around the County of Kent. Kent Foundation supports young people who are the future of the Kent economy.”

 

Accountants in Ashford Kent raise funds for Kent charity

Kent Foundation News

Accounting Workshop Trekking 50km to support Kent’s young people

by digitalbeans

Accounting Workshop based in Ashford to complete 50km trek across the Peak District to raise money for The Kent Foundation, a charity providing free business support for young people in Kent.

The accounting firm have chosen The Kent Foundation as their charity of the year after hearing charity Director, Paul Barron speak at a seminar. He described the importance of investing in future business leaders and the direct impact this has upon the growth of Kent’s economy.

Lisa Brown, Senior Partner of Accounting Workshop said:

“At Accounting Workshop we like to support a specific charity each year. This year we had decided on the event to challenge us but not the charity we would like to support. When my colleague Georgie and I attended a networking event at which Paul from The Kent Foundation was speaking, we immediately looked at each other and realised we had found the perfect charity for us. We like to support new businesses as much as we can and this charity helps young entrepreneurs to achieve their ambitions with mentoring and practical advice.”

Accounting Workshop Ashford
The Accounting Angels Left to Right: Lisa Brown – Senior Partner, Louwrens Vorster – Accounting Assistant and Georgina King – Accounting Assistant

Intrigued by the charity’s free business support on offer to Kent’s young people and being in business themselves meant that they could really relate and see the benefits the charity provides to a young person.

Paul Barron, Director of The Kent Foundation said:

“We are extremely fortunate to be supported by Accounting Workshop who provide accounting solutions for entrepreneurs. I met their Senior Partner, Lisa, at a business event in the spring and there was immediate recognition of the synergy between our two organisations. I’ve been to their offices in Ashford and there is a fabulous buzz. They are a vibrant and determined group of people to work with. I’d like to thank them for their support”

Accounting Workshop aim to raise £1,500 in support of The Kent Foundation. If you would like to donate please use the link below: www.charitychoice.co.uk/fundraiser/accountingangels/my-events

Kent Foundation News

Charity Golf Day Boosts the future of Kent’s young people

by digitalbeans

Golf DayA charity golf day sponsored and hosted by by SLA Partnership and Woodfall Wealth Consultancy raised vital funds to boost the future career prospects of Kent’s young people. The event held on 2nd June to raise funds and awareness for Kent Foundation and Medway Youth Trust saw a mass of positive golfers and fundraisers brave the wet and windy weather at the prestigious London Golf Club.

Why young people?

Sarah Landry, Managing Director of SLA Partnership, Trustee Director at Medway Youth Trust and Volunteer Business Mentor for Kent Foundation enthusiastically addressed the audience about her involvement with both charities:

Kent Charity Golf Day 3“Charity pays a large part in my life, I understand how difficult forming a career or building a business can be and I genuinely believe that all young people should be given a helping hand to reach their full potential. Today has not just been about golf, but about your generosity and engagement with the aims of these two charities who deliver indispensable support services to young people to give them the support, belief and encouragement to succeed.”

James Woodfall, Managing Director of Woodfall Wealth Consultancy and headline sponsor was quoted:

“Kent’s young business owners play a huge part in the development of the future economy of the County. They are the business leaders of the future who will create future employment and business opportunities. Business success comes when we provide the correct support to help those young businesses to realise their potential. ”

A chat with the charities…

Two prominent Kent youth charities Kent Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs and Medway Youth Trust were the beneficiaries of the awareness and fundraising event. Here’s what they had to say about the importance of their work.

Paul Barron, Director of Kent Foundation a business support charity whose flagship service is Business Mentoring said:

Kent Charity Golf Day 2“We meet with a wide range of young people, all with one thing in common – they want to start a business. They come to us with their enthusiasm to bring those ideas to life. One way in which we do this is through our flagship Business Mentoring Service. Our network of trained Volunteer Business Mentors support young business owners by creating a platform for them to make informed decisions about the future of their business. Having someone to listen, respond and engage to their ideas on a regular basis has been proven to increase the chances of business success.”

Graham Clewes CEO of Medway Youth Trust which delivers specialist employment, young carer and parent support:

“Picture in your minds a cliff much as we have along the Kent coast. Now imagine young people falling over the edge. Too many children and young people are making this fall in their lives and in the UK we tend seem to prefer to build services and institutions – for example prisons and hospitals – to treat them when they land at the bottom. But what we need are more fences at the top to prevent them from falling in the first place; they are cheaper and prevent long term difficulties. Our work at Medway Youth Trust is designed to build those metaphorical fences through early intervention, support, information and guidance, study programmes and encouraging young people to undertake social action. Today, as participants in our golf event, you have helped us to build more of these necessary fences for young people”

The day was polished off with a 3 course meal, a charity auction to win some incredible prizes and an inspiring yet humorous Q&A session in to the world of Rugby with ex Welsh Rugby legend Steve Moore.

The weather may not have been quite up to scratch however this did not deter from the positivity of the day with many asking us how they can book their place for next year. It couldn’t be easier, just press below…

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Print SLA Partnership

Kent Foundation News

Kent Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs a proud Finalist at Kent Charity Awards

by digitalbeans

Kent Charity Awards Finalist:

Community Charity of the Year Award

We are pleased to announce that we were crowned a Finalist in the first ever Kent Charity Awards. The awards received almost 160 entries, so we were mightily pleased to be one of the final three to be short-listed in the Community Category.

Kent Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs Finalist Kent Charity AwardsKent Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs Finalist Kent Charity AwardsKCA14_15_FinalistKent Charity Awards

Kent Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs Finalist Kent Charity Awards

About us and our work:

The Kent Foundation is a business support charity that is dedicated to promoting, encouraging and supporting business start-up and growth amongst Kent’s young people.  We actively engage with all your people who seek business support and specifically target young people in the area of Kent with the highest levels of youth unemployment.

All of our business support services are provided free of charge to Kent’s young people. We are privileged that the business community of Kent is so willing to invest their time in to the future development of Kent’s young business people through volunteering, networking and sponsoring. In the past 4 years we have gained the support of over 100 Volunteers who have completed our training to become Business Mentors.

Support us:

To donate, just click below, and don’t forget to include Gift-Aid, it gives us that little bit extra 😉
Donate Now Button

To sponsor us head over to our Contact Us page to send us a message

To become a Volunteer Business Mentor, check this out…

Kent Foundation News

A Blast! creates a real buzz about business start-up in Kent

by digitalbeans

On Tuesday 10th June Kent Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs in partnership with The Enterprise Foundation hosted a whole day of business support activities in Maidstone under the working title ‘A Blast!’.

Wilkins Kennedy

The sequence of events kicked off with the Maidstone Business Breakfast, followed by two business start-up workshops all topped off with a large business networking evening to celebrate business in Kent.

The Breakfast was kicked off by guest speaker Paul Nixon, Wilkins Kennedy who told the audience:

“The most enjoyable clients I work with have to be business start-ups. I get a lot of satisfaction from seeing a seemingly small idea transformed in to something much bigger. Being a part of that process on the way is highly rewarding.”

More than 30 people who were looking at creating their own employment through starting a business attended workshops. A range of people attended from the unemployed right through to students from Mid Kent College who were considering their career options after their studies.

Amy McManus AM Marketing

To conclude the day young entrepreneurs, business start ups, established businesses and professionals from all across Kent joined a celebration of business at A Blast! The room was a real hive of activity with 10 young entrepreneurs exhibiting and three of them being interviewed on stage. Gemma Blacker – This Art of Mine kindly took charge of the stage to interview Amy McManus (below) and Lucy Hall of Kent Social Media.

Young entrepreneur, Amy McManus of AM Marketing expressed her gratitude on Facebook saying:

“What a great evening with some fantastic Kent businesses exhibiting! A fabulous event with the gang from Kent Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs. Some great businesses and people showing off their products and services!”

Philip Gearing of Foster Gearing the guest speaker for the evening spoke about his journey in business and how the support from Kent Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs back in 1990 spurred him on to never give up.

Philip Gearing Guest Speaker “It all started off at a small market one day where my business partner and I had sold next to nothing. But we learnt something special that day; never to be beaten. To always get back up again, never say no, try again and you will succeed”

Philip who is the man behind the WW1 memorial arch being opened by Prince Harry in Folkestone on 4thAugust this year went on to say:

 “Don’t be scared. I don’t think anyone is ever completely ready, so the moment to do it is now. If you don’t ask you don’t get. I remember calling up my first potential large client with a proposal to rebrand their business and what did they say – YES” 

None of these events would have been possible without the funding and support from Community First, Golding Homes, Wilkins Kennedy, Let’s Do Business Group, Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council.

 A picture says a thousand words…Click here to watch the event unfold in pictures thanks to Photographer Tom Phillips. 

Check out the young entrepreneurs that exhibited:

All of our services are provided free of charge to Kent’s young entrepreneurs, so if you would like to support our work please donate through Charity Choice.

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Post by Kent Foundation for young entrepreneurs.