The Enterprise Centre
I've been part of the lovely Enterprise Centre for quite a while now and I have to say it's a pretty sweet set-up they're getting going! You may remember me mentioning it a numerous other times on this blog but this time I want to give it due credit.
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| Leeds Trinity University have established the Enterprise Center for it's entrepreneurial students! |
What the Centre can do for you
I still remember being giving a tour by Phil Williams around the place on my first day there, including being introduced to the Legendary Craig Anderson, who was at the time the man running the E-Centre show. Nice, relaxed and friendly introduction which helped me understand how exactly they could help me and my business, and this included:
- Workspace: Spacious with numerous areas to work, suitable for either solo or group work. More importantly though they have those comfy 'spinny' chairs we all used to mess around with in high school. An important privilege not to be abused!
- Equipment: While there is only currently 3 PCs to work with they pack some pretty serious gear. With the standard Microsoft software they also pack all the Adobe firepower you need! It's practically heaven for geeks of any profession. If you're like me though and find this gear to be too complex to use (I'm more fond of GIMP over photoshop for it's simplicity) then of course it's handy to bring your own laptop!
- Mentors: Experienced business-people on hand to provide you with advise and troubleshoot your problems? Yes sir! This is one of my favourite aspects of the E-centre. If you are struggling to start-up/run your business as I so often did then these people are here to help. This is one great asset for you to use which you would normally have to pay for. If not it would be something that money can't buy.
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| The building may be plain but inside is where all the goodness is at! |
The People!
Of course the equipment and such isn't the only good things about this place. We've barely talked about the people!
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| Enter the Enterprise Centre Champions, Danny and Lorna! |
Danny and Lorna have now taken over the building after Craig's leave and are some of the friendliest people you'll ever meet! This pair run the company, Pixel Pair, a business designed to help other businesses develop their online presence. So while they run the Centre and tender to all your entrepreneurial needs they can also share their expertise with you to establishing your online presence! You see these people, give them love (I hear their fond of digestives and bourbons!) because while they're the most smiley people you meet, they're also going to be very helpful to you :)
And here are some other honorable mentions!
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| Craig Anderson and Heather Whiston. Two wonderful eggs with bright futures ahead of them! Both are doing incredibly well doing exactly what they love, one is a wrestling referee, the other is a photographer! Can you guess which is which? |
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| This handsome swine is known as Joe Edge! A rad upcoming artist with a proclivity to create instantly memorable artwork! Feel free to check out his work here!: |
Opportunities
Being a part of the Enterprise Centre group unlocks numerous opportunities to you and these opportunities spread from everything you can think of. For me these opportunities included funding, pitching experience, huge competitions and free networking! The doors that begin to open once you are a part are so varied there's no telling on how far you can go! But I'll tell you this, when I began I had a business that wasn't even ready. Now, thanks to the help of the E-Centre, we are now one of the greatest small-businesses in the UK!
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| The E-Centre can also keep you up-to-date on upcoming opportunities, like The Grad Factor Bus! |
To finish off this post, I'd like to talk about one person in particular who's part of the E-Centre who can't get enough credit. Phil. Phil is easily the unsung hero of the Enterprise Center. If you are a student considering joining the Enterprise Centre I absolutely recommend you get to know Philip. I've got nothing but respect for him for all he's done for me and my business. For instance he got a space to exhibit my business for the first time, got me into free networking events, just last month he told me of an opportunity which has now led me to becoming a regional finalist in The Grad Factor. So I say again, get to know this legend, this is someone who's truly got your best interests at heart, let him know your entrepreneurial problems and he'll undoubtedly help in any way he can!
To get in touch with the Enterprise Centre, just follow the details below!
+44 (0) 113 283 7151 or enterprise@leedstrinity.ac.uk.
