#IAmEnterprising 2015 Winner, Kate Johnson of Gallery Cocoa Starts Her Business As 2016 Competition Commences!

With the return of our #IAmEnterprising competition with City of Liverpool College for the second year running, close on the horizon, what better opportunity was there to catch up with last year’s winner; Kate Johnson! Kate went on a roller coaster journey with us last year and was crowned the first ever winner of the #IAmEnterprising competition, receiving a £3,000 prize package which included £1,000 cash from Morecrofts Solicitors to help her get her business underway. We sat down with Kate to find out what she’s been up to and how she found the #IAmEnterprising competition!

Want to win big like Kate? #IAmEnterprising is for all City of Liverpool College students to enter! If you’ve got the seed of a business idea and want to turn it into a reality, then you’ve got to get involved! You could win a £3,000 prize package, including £1,000 cash from our wonderful headline sponsors, Morecrofts. The journey is starting soon, so if you are a student yourself, or know someone who is, be sure to tell them about #IAmEnterprising. They can find out more using the contact details below!

If there is one woman who can wiggle her way into the Pastry Kitchen of The Savoy Hotel in London whilst there for afternoon tea, it’s the talented Kate Johnson! Kate, the winner of our #IAmEnterprising competition with City of Liverpool College and founder of Gallery Cocoa and maker of fine chocolates and patisserie has such a passion and energy for her craft that we weren’t at all surprised that she wiggled her way into the professional pastry kitchens for a look around!

The Women’s Organisation first met Kate back in February of 2014 when we were part of City of Liverpool College’s Enterprise Club and she was completing her NVQ Level 3 in Patisserie and Confectionary. She then found out about the #IAmEnterprising Competition that we were running with the college, giving students the chance to win a massive £3000 prize bundle to help them start up their own businesses. Following Business Bootcamp, Kate worked closely with Melanie Williams from City of Liverpool College's Enterprise Club. Then followed a nerve-wracking pitch in front of judges, business experts and #IAmEnterprising sponsors, Kate was crowned the winner of the competition, and has been working hard all year on her business, Gallery Cocoa. 

We finally got the chance to sit down and have a chat with her about her journey, the #IAmEnterprising experience and the future of Gallery Cocoa.As well as running her business, Kate also works in museum and gallery education and has done for the past 15 years, at the moment she is splitting her time between this and developing her own business. 

But how did it all start? Where did her passion come from? ‘It started with me just experimenting at home, using cookbooks and TV programmes and I started to do more and more. At that time it was mostly baking, and then I found out about a 6 week course at City of Liverpool College, run by Claire Lara, the winner of MasterChef. I took her 6 week fine dining course, and that’s how my relationship with the college began’. After this she took another 6 week course before signing up to Level 2 ABC Pastry and began thinking about setting up her own business, although she says; ‘The timing was just never right for me to do it at that point.’

Although things began to align when she signed up to complete her Level 3 at City of Liverpool College, a day time session, meaning she dropped one day at her other work and spent one day a week with her tutor; Siobhan Sweet, expanding her knowledge and skills of patisserie and pastry. When Kate saw our signs for the #IAmEnterprising completion, she knew she should just give it a go; ‘The competition just forced me to go and do it. Rather than thinking about it all the time.’ Kate herself admits that she is the type of person who likes to plan and plan rather than dive straight into something. ‘Especially with my own business, I was worried about getting it wrong.’

But she didn’t get it wrong! Kate attended our Business Boot Camp and went away again to develop her business plan further using the templates and guidance from friends and her tutor, Siobhan Sweet who she says; ‘Is an amazing chef and brilliant support.’ Kate then pitched and made chocolates for the judges to try so they could see her work. And what was her reaction when she found out she had won? ‘I was over the moon! It was so reassuring to know that other people thought that my business idea was strong enough and believed I could do it. It was a massive boost! The support from the sponsoring businesses has been brilliant.’

Since the end of the competition, Kate has been working closely with The Women’s Organisation and Senior Business Adviser, Francine Taylor, as well as attending nearly all of Bernie’s Social Media training courses! ‘Francine has been great and the support here has been brilliant.’ As well as this she has been busy developing (and tasting!) her products, sourcing her lovely packaging and starting to think about the brand of Gallery Cocoa. Next year will have even bigger plans in store for Kate as she will soon out-grow the Production Kitchen she’s installed in her own home and will need larger premises to be able to properly store and make her delights! ‘I would also like a retail shop or premises; I think there is a space for that in Liverpool, so that’s something to think about for next year too.’

So is Kate glad that she made the jump and entered the #IAmEnterprising Competition – we think so. She says; ‘The instant support network that it created, of people who are so willing to help, has been brilliant! It’s also made me think about areas that I would not have previously thought about and forced me to actually get on with it and put together my business.’ And getting on, she is! 

We can’t wait to see what the next year holds for Kate and Gallery Cocoa and are delighted that #IAmEnterprising, City of Liverpool College and The Enterprise Club helped to make her plans and ideas into a reality! 

Want to enter #IAmEnterprising?

Email -  iamenterprising@thewo.org.uk

And check out Enterprise Club

And follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - @IAmEnterprising 

Morecrofts Solicitors Announced as Key Sponsor for #IAmEnterprising College Competition

Moercroft’s Solicitors have announced their plan to support a new Student Enterprise initiative to the tune of £1,000.

City of Liverpool College have linked with local enterprise support agency The Women’s Organisation to showcase the entrepreneurial talent lying within their students and staff through an innovative programme culminating in a business pitch competition.

#IAmEnterprising will offer students support to develop their business ideas over a series of events between now and May 2015, competing against one another to win an overall £3,000 prize package of investment.  The prize will include the £1,000 cash sponsorship from Morecroft’s solicitors and £2,000 worth of business services to help the winner to launch and sustain their business. Also contributing to the prize package by way of services to support business start up are Chic Networking, Downtown in Business and Agent Marketing.

Donal Bannon, Head of Commercial at Moercroft’s Solicitors says “We are delighted to be the main sponsor of this innovative competition and to support young entrepreneurs in the local community as they strive to create a viable and successful business.  Moorcroft’s through its annual Merseyside Independent Business Awards have supported established local businesses and view this competition as an excellent opportunity to encourage and identify future business leaders to realise their potential”

Elaine Bowker, Principal at the City of Liverpool College said: "Entrepreneurship is a key engine of growth for the UK economy and it's vital that we support students who want to be the next business owners and leaders of the future.  Our partnership with The Women's Organisation is all about inspiring students and empowering them to develop their own business ideas create their own business opportunities and take control of their future careers."

Students who have a brilliant business idea are encouraged to find out more about the project via www.iamenterprising.blogspot.com

To keep in touch with the developments of the programme follow #IamEnterprising along with @TheWomensOrg and @COLCollege on twitter or visit 

Gemma's Studies at City of Liverpool College Were a Great Starting Point for her Business 'The Button Boutique'

The Button Boutique was launched by textile artist, Gemma Longworth in early 2011 helping others develop the love of all things textile and craft that she has herself. 

Gemma is a highly qualified textile artist, having completed many years of training, building a firm foundation for her eventual unexpected enterprise. Aged 17 she attended the City of Liverpool College, where she completed her AVCE (Advanced Vocational Certificate of Education) in Art & Design, before continuing and completing her Foundation Diploma in Art and Design.

Gemma credits the City of Liverpool College in helping her learn her craft, and decide which direction she wanted to take. The College has a large and varied range of courses, whether these are vocational, educational or apprenticeship based and it was the perfect place for Gemma to learn more about the art and design industry and become accomplished at many different skills. She said:

"I loved being at the Myrtle Street campus studying Art and Design. It was great, because I’d come straight from school but it was a completely different environment and a lot freer, where we were able to explore and discover the different disciplines and see which ones suited us the most."

"The teachers and tutors were all fantastic and you could go to them with any problems or issues that you had, whatever they were."

It was here that Gemma realised that textiles was her favourite discipline and it was this that helped her decide to continue her education and training at University. Following on from the City of Liverpool College, she studied for her BA in Drawing and Applied Arts, in Bristol, and then completed her Masters in Textiles, in Manchester.

After completing all of this training and higher education, Gemma found it hard to find employed work in her field, even though she was a highly talented individual, there wasn’t the work out there for her in the area that she wanted. It was during this time that she began to volunteer and at Alder Hey Hospital, running arts and crafts workshops twice a week.

Gemma attended many of The Women’s Organisation’s free courses which helped her understand the technical side of running a business, and also signed up as a member of 'Business Club', the free women in business network on offer. 

Networking at The Women’s Organisation has been something that Gemma has enjoyed to her surprise "I’ve always hated the idea of ‘networking’, but at The Women’s Organisation it’s a lot more enjoyable because it’s informal and everyone there is in similar situations so it isn’t intimidating."

  

As the interest in her workshops grew and she was working on a freelance basis, she began taking them outside of the hospital, to café’s in city, holding more and more classes. It became clear to Gemma then, that she needed a base. She chose the Baltic Creative to be this base renting out two large sheds in their building and running her workshops from there. She says, even at this time, it wasn’t clear to her that she was ‘starting’ her own business, she was just supplying the demand for her work and the nature of the business growth was organic.

By 2014, Gemma had outgrown her space in the Baltic Creative, and started to look around for larger properties, before finding a building on Brick Street which she describes as a ‘hidden gem’.  The space took a lot of work to get it up to the beautiful standard that it is today, but Gemma says; "I’ve always been used to not having a lot of money, and having to work with what I’ve got, so I didn’t find it too difficult to work with the space." 

The Button Boutique now looks fantastic which Gemma says is down to, white emulsion, lots of fabric and a fair amount of skip diving!

The Button Boutique is doing incredibly well, and the business is growing steadily with every month. Gemma is quick to point out that it is a huge amount of work, and it can sometimes be a struggle to balance her work life with her home and social life.

‘Getting the balance right is very difficult. There are days when I go home, and say to myself that I won’t open my laptop, or check my emails but the temptation is always there. Because it’s ‘my baby’, there is always the pressure to be pushing the business forward and working all the time.’

‘There are good and bad aspects to running your own business and being your own boss. Of course there is more freedom, but at the same time, there is a pressure because you have to depend on yourself to bring an income in. Some days I do wish that I was going to work and being paid for being there, but at the same time, it is worthwhile in the end.’ 

Gemma also found a few difficulties in the business aspects of The Button Boutique. Like many individuals, the idea of understanding tax, registering as a company and working out pay rolls was a daunting one, and something that she found, and still does find difficult.

"I don’t find that this side of the business gets any easier. In fact in gets harder as the business grows, because there is always something else to do, another form to fill out and something new to get my head around. But The Women’s Organisation helped enormously with this, and I would recommend any woman with their own business to seek advice and support from them."

Gemma has put the hard work, determination and effort into starting up her own business. After realising when she had finished her education and degree that the jobs she wanted were not out there, she has managed to create her own lifestyle and business which suits her and is a success. She says; "I am proud of myself, especially when I look back and think about everything that I have put into The Button Boutique, and how I have started it from literally nothing. I’m doing what I set out to do."

If like Gemma you have a skills, passion and ideas you feel you could turn into a business, then find out more about how #IAmEnterprising is working to support City of Liverpool College students to put their ideas into practice.  With help and support you could win £3,000 investment in your business idea.  Check out the details on this site, or email iamenterprising@thewo.org.uk 

Former Student Katie Pennington Says #IAmEnterprising & Proves it with her Beauty Business

Photo by Jo Forrest Photography

Katie Pennington studied her craft at The City of Liverpool College before opening up her own business ‘Katie Diane’s Beauty’. Katie provides beauty and nail treatments in Crosby and the surrounding areas, including manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing, tinting and many other treatments, working as a mobile beautician for part of the week and renting a room in a salon for the rest of the week.

Prior to setting up the business, Kate studied BSc Nutrition at Liverpool John Moores University and worked for the NHS as a Health Trainer, but always had a desire to get involved with the beauty business. Making the tough and brave decision to leave her job she enrolled at The City of Liverpool College to study Level 2 Beauty Therapy in October 2012, studying Level 3 Nail Technology the following year.

City of Liverpool College has a great choice of courses, whether these are apprenticeships, NVQs, A-Levels or GCSES, and fantastic links with employers and universities. Katie says, when studying Level 2 Beauty Therapy; ‘I learnt a lot on this course – it is more than just painting nails! There is a lot of anatomy and physiology that you have to learn, which I think a lot of people are unaware of.’ Katie passed this course with a Distinction and went on to win the Level 2 Beauty Student of the Year Award in 2013

Moving on to study Level 3 Nail Technology she reached even higher heights, passing with a Distinction and winning the Level 3 Nail Technology Special Recognition Award of 2014. Katie says; ‘My time at City of Liverpool College taught me that hard work really does pay off. I have always set high standards for myself and it was thrilling when I passed both courses with such high grades. I have brought this mindset into my business – you get out what you put in.’

Working hard is what Katie does best, and isn’t one to let anything get in her way. Katie suffers from a rare blood condition called ITP, which is characterised by a low platelet count, which can lead to severe fatigue. She says on her condition; ‘I have been determined however not to let this hinder my business goals, in fact it has made me more single minded to make my business a success’.

It was whilst studying at college; Katie decided she wanted to set up her own business, as like many others, she enjoyed the idea of being her own boss, and working in a field that is her passion. She also says: ‘I knew if I was in charge, things would be done correctly and up to my standards. I am very meticulous and organized, so starting out by myself was right up my street!’

Katie, as she says herself, has always set high standards, and works hard to get to what she wants. Whilst she was studying at City of Liverpool College, she also worked in a restaurant, and managed to squeeze in time to do some voluntary work at a salon to; ‘get the feel of how it was to work in that environment.’ For Katie, although she was working, there was still the big issue of her start-up costs. She put in the hours so she could buy all the beauty equipment that she needed and chose to avoid taking loans out for these, wanting to purchase them herself before setting up her business. 

Other issues that Katie faced were her own doubts about setting up the business, she says; ‘I had no idea where to start. You think of all the possible pit falls and worry about making a success of the business. In time confidence increases and it helps when your work is praised and appreciated.’

These doubts are experienced by many beginning their own business. Katie was able to come to The Women’s Organisation for support and advice on all aspects of setting up a business.

She says; ‘I felt I had a lot more confidence and understanding about business after attending these courses’, and built up a great relationship with her business advisor Yan Miao.

So far, ‘Katie Diane’s Beauty’ is going from strength to strength, now renting a room at Zara Jones Hairdressing in Liverpool, as well as still working mobile, and her advice to other women out there who are considering setting up their own business is three simple words; ‘Do your homework!’ as well as seeking out advice and looking into the nature of your business through market research. Katie believes it is important to make sure you have a solid support network and to not expect instant success: ‘It will take time to achieve your goals.’

We think Katie’s attitude towards her business is fantastic and we are thrilled to have helped her on her way to setting up ‘Katie Diane’s Beauty’. Katie says of her own hard work; ‘I hope to be successful and to carry on developing as time goes on. The beauty industry is continually developing and evolving, and there are no limits of barriers to aspiration. Careful planning and attention to detail will always be one of my main priorities as well as continuing to deliver a high level of customer service and standards within my work.’

If you would like to find out more about ‘Katie Diane’s Beauty’, the details are below;

Email: kdbeauty@hotmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kdbeauty11

Twitter: @kdbeauty_1 Instagram: @kdbeauty1

To find out more about how The Women's Organisation will be helping City of Liverpool College Students to pursue their business dreams in 2015, contact hello@thewo.org.uk

City of Liverpool College Join with The Women’s Organisation for an Enterprising New Project

City of Liverpool College have linked with local enterprise support agency The Women’s Organisation to showcase the entrepreneurial talent lying within their students and staff.

The college’s ‘Student Enterprise Ventures Programme’ will run from November 2014 throughout the college year, to inspire students who are bursting with business ideas to take them forward.

Maggie O'Carroll with Elaine Bowker and Angela Cox 

By developing a unique partnership with The Women’s Organisation, City of Liverpool College have designed an innovative programme that will offer students the opportunity to say; ‘I am Enterprising’. The project will build their ideas and culminate in a final business pitch competition where they could win real investment in their business to turn their dreams into reality.

City of Liverpool College’s ‘Student Enterprise Ventures Programme’, will be an exciting and fresh mode of encouraging students and young people to think differently about their choices and options after education. This fantastic programme, established and coordinated by the City of Liverpool College will challenge and excite both the students and staff who are interested in the idea of running a business venture and being self-employed.

City of Liverpool College, which resides in the heart of Liverpool, offers over 500 courses and collaborates with partners of all kinds. They work closely with local training providers and employers in different sectors, to ensure that their students are aware and equipped for the working world. Developing and engaging with the ‘Student Enterprise Ventures Programme’ will encourage and ensure success for their students in many different divisions including self-employment.

City of Liverpool College Students will be able to gather advice and support from The Women’s Organisation team over the coming months. They will be able to research their business ideas and develop a plan at a business boot camp. Students with outstanding ideas will compete against one another to win judges confidence in their business in a Dragon’s Den style competition, where the ‘I am Enterprising’ title will be awarded to one budding entrepreneur.

Former student and role model for the programme Katie Pennington who started her beauty business with help from The Women’s Organisation and training from City of Liverpool College, told us why she wanted to start her own business; “I can choose how to spend my time which is so appealing when compared to the constraints of working for someone else…I am answerable only to myself and the success of the business is my sole responsibility.”

Katie, who was awarded Level 2 Beauty Student of the Year Award in 2013 and Level 3 Nail Technology Special Recognition Award of 2014, credits her success to her tutors at City of Liverpool College. “I had brilliant teachers, Kat Welch and Lisa McKenna who were so encouraging and had a love for nails which was contagious.”

She continues; “My time at City of Liverpool College taught me that hard work really does pay off. I have always set high standards for myself and it was thrilling when I passed both courses with such high grades. I have brought this mind-set into my business – you get out what you put in.”

On the ‘Student Enterprise Ventures Programme’, CEO of The Women’s Organisation Maggie O’Carroll said; “It is great to be working together with City of Liverpool College to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.  It’s important to encourage young people to recognise from an early age that they have options beyond working for someone else and aiming for promotion. Why not start from the top being your own boss?”

“We are pleased to stand alongside City of Liverpool College staff team and highlight their commitment to raising the profile of enterprise as a core passion of the college. We would encourage every student to come and chat to our team when they are around the college over the coming months, no matter how lose you think your idea is.  Sometimes the simplest ideas become the best businesses.”

Elaine Bowker, Principal at the City of Liverpool College said: "Entrepreneurship is a key engine of growth for the UK economy and it's vital that we support students who want to be the next business owners and leaders of the future.  Our partnership with The Women's Organisation is all about inspiring students and empowering them to develop their own business ideas, create their own business opportunities and take control of their future careers."

To keep in touch with the developments of the programme follow #IamEnterprising along with @TheWomensOrg and @COLCollege on twitter.