TBEC Guide
Latest Tollbar BEC News
Youngsters at Tollbar Business and Enterprise College took part in an ...
NQTs PresentationTraining at Tollbar has proved successful for the 2008/9 group of Ne...
Young Enterprise Businesses At Tollbar BEC
July 9th, 2009
Young Enterprise businesses at Tollbar BEC have this year amassed no fewer than 10 awards in various categories.
Seven teams formed their own companies for the 2008/09 competition, the most successful being Jam Hot Jewellery who were named the Best North Lincolnshire Company and Outstanding Northern Lincolnshire Company while Seren picked up the Customer Experience Award.
Both companies represented Tollbar at the regional final at Forest Pines near Scunthorpe having gone through the previous rounds where they had to make presentations, prepare business plans and set up sales stands.
Seren had already won an award for Best Trade Stand in Freshney Place where they were selling their environmentally friendly candles in wine glasses.
Seren Managing Director Steven Daly explained. "We bought the glasses from discontinued stock". "We throught it was a good idea to re-cycle the wax to make candles then we came up with the idea of making them in glasses. We had a few problems early on, but we solved those and we sold a lot of candles in Freshney Place and also through NB Crafts in Brereton Avenue."
The founders of Jam Hot Jewellery settled on funky, retro-style jewellery for their product, sourcing stock from wholesale websites.
"We did a lot of market research, including visiting Camden Market," said Company Secretary Charlotte Rendall. "Marketing and sales got together to choose the products and we had a lot of interest."
"We priced the jewellery realistically. We aimed for a 100 per cent mark up but we had sales and special offers if something wasn't selling."
One of the more unusual companies was Image, whose founders set up an on-line magazine. But first, to fund the set-up costs, they made and sold bookmarks.
"We called the magazine Hooked and it was free to view," Financial Director Ben Grainger explained. "We sold advertising to local shops and businesses and we all contributed to the editorial."
"We had gossip, reviews, tips and a variety of articles and we updated it whenever new stuff was available."
All of the companies had advisers - Seren's was Mr Newton, Jam Hot Jewellery had Miss Harrison and Mr Leeman advised Image. Miss Walker and Miss Knevett were also involved with a group Soul Edge who printed T-Shirts and outside advisers came in from NISA, Anderby Driving School and HBP Systems.
Initially, the companies had to present their business plans at an event at Hull Truck Theatre and it was the quality of these plans that helped the Tollbar teams through to the next stage. Of the 42 teams at Hull Truck, 21 made it through, including the seven from Tollbar.
"They have all been very professional in what they have done," said Mr French who was in overall charge of YE. "We had our first meeting in October and between then and the event in Freshney Place, the progress is amazing. One of the main things was the increase in confidence among the students."
Although all of the companies have to shut down at the end of the year, the directors of Jam Hot Jewellery would like to continue on their own and several of the participants in the latest round of YE said they would now consider running their own business.
