More Than A Master Craftsman

After a career in construction work, from building houses to renovating buildings, Tony Stephens went to the Granby Toxteth Development Trust to see if they could help him set up his own construction company. Having already built up a client base from his many years of construction work and through word of mouth, Tony was confident that he had the foundations in place to make a successful and viable business.

When asked why he decided to set up a business, Tony said: “I am a master craftsman and wanted to go back into construction but my doctor advised me from doing any labour, so I wanted to go and set up a business where I would be in charge and ensure that my customers were getting an excellent service”.

Tony first heard about Enterprise Hub when he saw an advertisement for a course in a window. He called in and decided to sign up.

He said: “I found the people at Granby Toxteth Development Trust very helpful. Darren the tutor was fantastic! 10/10 from me”.

Tony was placed in a good position to start his business due to his experience, which included a five-year course in brickwork and a four-year apprenticeship. He said he has faced some challenges along the way, mainly down to his health, having had two hip replacements, surgery on his lungs due to lung cancer and COPD which means he must take his time when walking and doing small tasks. Despite this, he says he now looks forward to getting up each morning and finds being his own boss ‘exciting’.

For other people thinking about starting their own business, Tony said he would give the advice to not go into a partnership, especially with a friend, as it can be very risky.

He added: “Your partner could have different opinions and different ideas on how the business will look like. If you do things yourself then you can do things the way that you want to do them, and your business can be the way you want it to be”.

Tony has a business card for any possible client and they can call him, email him and he is currently in the final stages of creating a website which should be up and running within the next few weeks.

Granby Toxteth Development Trust are a partner of Enterprise Hub and are based in Toxteth, Liverpool. Their main aim is to improve the social and economic standards of residents and businesses locally and in the surrounding areas.  You can contact them directly on their website here.

Turning Your Hobby Into Your Business

Ian Lewis worked as a mechanic before realising what he really wanted to do.

Ian Lewis was able to launch his Events Management business ‘Go Events’ in Wavertree with help from Enterprise Hub partner Granby Toxteth Development Trust. Since dealing with the Trust, he has worked on three major Liverpool events; Liverpool Horse Show, Africa Oye and the Liverpool River Festival.

Go Events provide professional personal address systems, microphones, cables, vintage amplifiers and sound engineering and recording facilities for hire for different occasions. Ian tactfully based the business in Wavertree, so he could be close to all the city’s major parks, which often serve as locations for some of the biggest events in the Liverpool calendar.

Organising events was always Ian’s hobby, but not how he earnt his money. He worked as a mechanic before finally deciding that he wanted to study what he loved; he got a diploma with distinctions and merits in Music Production and Event Management at Knowsley Community College. No doubt this gave him the knowledge and confidence to go forward with his business idea.

Ian said setting up his business wasn’t easy and he got as much advice as possible to help him avoid making mistakes. He prides himself on his hard-working ethic and was motivated by getting everything he needed in place before making his business public. He feels that all his hard work and determination has paid off and he is extremely happy with how his business has played out.

In addition to having a new business Ian is also a father of three and a new grandfather, so with him running his business he also has to care and provide for his family.

Like many business starters, Ian said he was most daunted by the tax and mathematical side of things, which was something he was able to get advice and support on.

He said: “The support from Granby Toxteth Development Trust was really helpful! They made things easier and simpler for me to understand. They made me believe that I can do things myself, giving me the confidence and belief that ordinary people with a limited education can be business-minded and successful.

“They are always willing to go the extra mile to help you out and keep you on track and aiming towards your goal of a rewarding and successful business.”

Since becoming a business owner Ian said he’s been pushed to make himself do better and has discovered skills he didn’t know he had. When pushed for his advice for other would-be business owners, Ian said: “Go for it and get as much professional advice as possible.”

Ian's ambition is to eventually expand Go Events nationally and in Europe. For now, his aim is to gain a good name for his business within the local community.

Granby Toxteth Development Trust are a partner of Enterprise Hub and are based in Toxteth, Liverpool. Their main aim is to improve the social and economic standards of residents and businesses locally and in the surrounding areas.  You can contact them directly on their website here.

Stacy's Business A Cut Above The Rest

Stacy Jones launches new barber shop in Eastham.

Stacy has setup up her own barber shop in Eastham called Prestige Barbers after spending a number of years working as a barber around Wales for other businesses. When Stacy relocated to Wirral, she made the decision to start her own business running her own shop rather than seeking employment.

Stacy is currently in high demand and has recently took on another barber at her shop. In a short space of time she has gained a following of regular clients, not just in her shop but also online. Stacy prides herself on her high quality work and making sure the customer walks away with exactly what they wanted.

Prestige allows its clients to book online for a specific time slot which gives the ability to work around their schedule and it means they don’t have to sit in a lengthy queue for the best cut in town.

Stacy said: “I have found the support that I’ve received through Enterprise Hub to be very beneficial to starting up my business. The advice and guidance has been particularly useful”.

For further details on Prestige Hair visit https://b-m.facebook.com/Prestigebarbers.wirral/ or call 0151 345 0674.

Wirral Chamber is a partner of Enterprise Hub and are helping start-up businesses like Stacy’s to find their feet, ensuring that people’s business ideas are given the support required to become successful companies.  If you’re thinking of starting a business in Wirral, please contact The Enterprise Team on 0151 650 6940.

New IT Company Going From Strength To Strength

IT professional, Pete Murphy hit the ground running with an immediate team of 5.

Pete’s company Orbital was registered on 1^st October 2017 and has recently announced the start of a long-term partnership with The ACC Liverpool Group to develop and enhance its reporting and dashboard solutions. The ACC Liverpool Group consists of a family of world-class venues, including Echo Arena, BT Convention Centre and Exhibition Centre Liverpool.

Orbital are a team of IT professionals based in the North West but with a national reach.  With an experienced track record in creating top quality software systems with particular specialism in reporting/data analysis solutions.  In addition, the team can provide consultancy services to develop, support and enhance new and/or existing data systems.  The team also have extensive experience in the Further Education sector having all previously developed and managed several leading products. 

For more information visit their website www.orbitalgo.com or call 0330 234 111.

Orbital has recently also landed a major contract with Lincoln College, in the first couple of months of trading Orbital have been very successful and the future is looking bright for the software Consultants.

Pete commented on the support that he has received through Wirral Enterprise Hub:“Overall the programme was really helpful and we picked up plenty of useful information along the way.  The staff were a pleasure to deal with and would definitely recommend the programme to other start-ups”.

Wirral Chamber are a partner of Enterprise Hub and are helping start-up businesses like Pete’s to find their feet, ensuring that people’s business ideas are given the support required to become successful companies.  If you’re thinking of starting a business in Wirral, please contact The Enterprise Team on 0151 650 6940.

Sefton Start-Up Conference Proves a Massive Success!

Now in week two, we’re really in the thick of our Enterprise Hub Business Start Up Festival!

We’ve had a jam-packed calendar of informative events, seminars and drop-ins, all with a mission to help you feel more prepared and confident with taking the leap into self-employment.

A full house at our Sefton start-up conference!

We’re taking our Business Start-Up Conference on the road and today (Thursday 1st February) we headed to Sefton! We were at Bootle Town Hall with over fifty local people in attendance, all wanting to hear more about the support available through Enterprise Hub.

And guests heard it straight from the horse’s mouth! We had three business-owners on hand, all who turned their business dream into a reality with the support of Enterprise Hub.

Richard Medley set up a consultancy business with the support of Alt Valley Community Trust, Shane and Sue set up a home-made chocolatier business called ‘Chocolatism’ (combining both ‘chocolate’ and ‘autism’ with a mission to raise awareness on autism), and lastly Baiba, who started his coffee venture inspired by the idea of bringing a taste of African coffee to the UK!

We had many local organisations in the room including AltValley Community Trust, The Women’s Organisation, Invest Sefton, SAFERegeneration and Liverpool Central Library, all working underneath the Enterprise Hub umbrella to support local people with entrepreneurship.

Kris and Sharon from Invest Sefton.

Following this, Bernie from The Women’s Organisation led an interactive and insightful session on working out if self-employment is the right choice for you.

We also had a surprise visit from local Sefton councillor and special guest, Cllr. Marion Atkinson, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Skills!

From left to right: Richard Medley, Cllr. Marion Atkinson, Sue & Shane of ChocolatismUk. 

As always, we finished with tea, coffee and networking and our guests left feeling informed with the impetus to pursue their business dream. Check out what they said:

“Very well organised”

“Such a supportive environment, looking forward to seeing where it takes me”

“I feel reassured knowing that there IS help available”

“This has helped me a lot, I plan to attend more events”

“I feel ready to take my business from the present to the future”

“Loved hearing what the speakers had to say”

Thanks to everyone who attended the event today! If you were unable to attend, we have two more start-up conferences taking place in Wirral and Knowsley – you can book your FREE place now!

You can view our full calendar of events taking place on the last week of our Enterprise Business Start Up Festival here.

Students attending our Sefton start-up conference!

Alternatively, you can contact our Enterprise Hub team on enterprisehub@thewo.org.uk or 0151 706 8113 for more information on how we can support you.

Enterprise Hub is the Liverpool City Regions gateway service to accessing FREE business advice and support. Our team of expert business ideas will guide you through the process of setting up your own business and demystify all the worries you have around starting your own business.