Posted by president on July 29, 2011 under News | 
Hi All, 
I’d like to introduce myself as the new Retail Director of Royal Holloway Entrepreneurs. In September we have an exciting project launching for students who want to sell products/services on campus. I am looking for people who either have a business already (with products/services ready for purchase) or who have had the idea of a retail business and want some advice.
I set up my own designer shoe company last September focusing mainly on selling online. I wanted to expand to selling at university as there is a huge market on campus but wasn’t sure how to go about it. I got bogged down with insurance, stall fees, trade standards and much more as well as trying to fit in marketing around my degree timetable at the right times.
The system that I have created resolves all of these problems in ONE as well as having loads of extra advantages and opportunities! It’s essentially a unit in the Students Union where students can showcase their products/services, without having to physically stand next to it constantly and sell!
If you are interested in getting involved, don’t hesitate to send me an email, even if it’s just for a bit of advice or to learn a little more about the system and how it works.
I hope to hear from you soon and look forward to seeing you in September, retaildirector@royalhollowayentrepreneurs.com
Posted by John King on July 26, 2011 under News |
Lucy Caslon, a Royal Holloway alumna and founder of Msizi Africa, writes:
“Most of you will know a famine has been declared in Somalia. 3.5 million people risk starving to death (many are children). Islamists who control most of Somalia have banned the World Food Programme from working there. As a result, tens of thousands of Somalis are fleeing to Kenya to find food. They walk for weeks to reach the Dadaab refugee camp but often in vain – children arrive so weak they have less than a 40% chance of survival. We’ve all seen disturbing images of starving children for years and now most recently coming out of Dadaab – these children are a long way from our healthy, happy children in South Africa and Lesotho.
“When children arrive in Dadaab they are given Plumpy Nut, a peanut based food for use in famine relief, formulated by a paediatric nutritionist. I am liaising with Save the Children who source food from a UNICEF cleared supplier in Nairobi. I am going to buy Plumpy Nut from this supplier DIRECTLY and Save the Children will drive it straight to Dadaab and distribute it. Whilst we must safeguard funds for our own children, we have a responsibility to help others when the disaster is on such a huge scale. Depending on the child’s level of need, it costs in the region of £2 to give a child the Plumpy Nut they need each day.
“We’re donating £1,330 to buy Plumpy Nut for 50 children for 2 weeks – the same number of children in our orphanage. You now have a chance to donate DIRECTLY to this crisis in the knowledge that 100% of your donation will be spent on Plumpy Nut which will be driven into Dadaab and given to the neediest children immediately. There are NO admin costs so this is your best way to donate if you haven’t done already. We will keep our appeal open until Sunday 31st July and submit an order based on our donation and yours on Monday 1st August. Next week we will contact donors to tell you know how much Plumpy Nut we ordered collectively and when it has been delivered.
“Join us and donate at – www.bmycharity.com/eastafricacrisis – let’s all try and help!”
Posted by president on July 24, 2011 under News |
A small business owner turned down for investment by banks has managed to raise £75,000 through a crow
dfunding website.
Sue Acton,founder of Bubble & Balm, sought growth finance through CrowdCube in return for 15% equity in the business. A total of 82 investors contributed between £10 and £7,500 to meet the funding target.
The Fairtrade bodycare business required investment to expand its award-winning product range, increase marketing activity and to meet increasing demand from retailers such as Waitrose, Oxfam, Planet Organic and a growing number of independents.
Instead of competing for limited business angel or venture capital funding, businesses can use Crowdcube as a platform to connect with small investors or ‘armchair dragons’, instead of one or two high net worth individuals.
‘I am absolutely delighted we have achieved our target. Raising finance is incredibly tough for any small business and I was really excited when I first heard about CrowdCude,’ Acton said. ‘The idea of pitching our business to a wide range of people, ranging from armchair dragons looking to invest £10 through to a more traditional investors with thousands to invest, was really appealing. Some of our new shareholders have already offered their skills as well as their cash to support our growth, and this is another huge benefit of crowdfunding- not only do we now have the investment we need to deliver against our plans, we also have a diverse team of supporters (and customers!) too.’
Check out www.crowdcube.com
Posted by president on July 20, 2011 under News, People |
Last Thursday, NACUE’s Founder Victoria Lennox became the first Canadian and on
e of the youngest ever recipients of the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion. The award was presented by Business Secretary Vince Cable and Business Minister, Mark Prisk MP at a ceremony at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Victoria and one of her Nominators, Matt Smith – a NACUE Founding Member and current Policy Director – then attended a reception at Buckingham Palace where they met the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.
This is a tremendous achievement for Victoria and for NACUE that recognises and rewards the effort that has gone into building a national and international grassroots network over the past two years. It is also a wonderful recognition of the valuable work that enterprise societies and young entrepreneurs within theNACUE networks are delivering across the country.
Congratulatations to Victoria on her amazing achievement and we hope that she is the first of many NACUE’ers to go on and win the Award in the coming years. To read Victoria’s account of the past week visit: www.victorialennox.com
Posted by hilary on July 19, 2011 under News, People, Royal Holloway Businesses |
Jack Lenox has been commended for his “outstanding entrepreneurial business idea” at the Santander Universities Entrepreneurship Awards. His website, jottify.com which he dubs the “flickr for writers”, enables budding authors to post their work online where members can add comments and rate it and publishing companies can sign up to scout for new talent.
A total prize fund of £44,000 was on offer for undergraduate and postgraduate students who submitted the strongest entrepreneurial propositions, providing them with the means to develop their ideas further.
Jack impressed judges with his online community for budding writers, beating 47 entries from universities across the UK to first prize and earning him a £5,000 grant.
Posted by president on July 11, 2011 under News |
The AMMT Fellowship: Win £1000 and work experience at Enternships.com
In association with The Anjool Maldé Memorial Trust (AMMT), Enternships.com are on the search for the UK’
s rising student stars who will be awarded the inaugural AMMT Fellowship. They are looking for University students/recent graduates who can demonstrate one (or more) of the following attributes:
- Strong entrepreneurial/creative/innovative flair: are you a member of an enterprise society? Have you run a business alongside your studies? Do you have a creative/innovative streak which you’ve done something amazing with at University?
- Passion for running events: do you run events on campus? Are you a social butterfly that’s always bringing people together?
- Interest in Journalism/PR: do you keep a blog? Write for your student newspaper?
In order to become the inaugural AMMT Fellow all you need to do is submit your CV and a cover letter outlining how you have best utilised your time at University and demonstrate the characteristics outlined above. The Fellow will win £1000 and a month’s work experience in London with Enternships.com this Summer.
Entries for the AMMT Fellowship are open from 1st July and deadline for applicants is Friday 15th July. For details and to apply go to:
http://www.enternships.com/AMMTFellowship
