LJMU students to represent university at National Start Up Final

A group of enterprising students from the School of Business & Law have been selected to represent LJMU and Young Enterprise North West at the Young Enterprise Start Up National Final in May at the prestigious Guildhall in Central London.

Just Jogging is a city centre based jogging club aimed at getting the student community up and running! Their aim is to combine getting fit with the chance to socialise, meet others and see some of the scenic sights and highlights of Liverpool City Centre whilst out on a run. Their club also has a charitable element as they give a percentage of their proceeds to the British Heart Foundation.

 Just Jogging will compete against seven other UK Universities for Overall UK Winner and an opportunity to represent the UK at European Level this coming summer. Follow the progress of Just Jogging on Twitter @Team_Gold1 or on Facebook Just Jogging

Sally Partington, Enterprise Education Officer at LJMU, commented “We are delighted that Just Jogging has been selected to represent LJMU at this prestigious event. It is testament to the hard work and effort they have invested in developing their business and we are very proud of them!”

Save Our Soles!

Student clubbers in the city were saved thanks to an enterprising venture recently started by LJMU students.

Sole Saviours is a company set up through the Young Enterprise Start-Up Programme that sells flip-flops to women after a night out in Liverpool. The venture was formed by a group of students who wanted to reduce the number of accidents caused by girls walking home shoeless after a night out.

Whilst on the programme they contacted Marc Jones, Director at Medication. Medication is Liverpool's biggest and best known student night, which takes place every Wednesday night at Nation during term time and attracts over 2000 students every week. Marc provided the business with the opportunity to sell their flip-flops at Medication. As an LJMU alumnus of the University, Marc was keen to support Sole Saviours with their enterprising venture and provide them with support and advice on how to take their idea forward.

If you are interested in getting involved in the Young Enterprise Start-Up programme as a volunteer business mentor, please email Andy Firr on andrew.firr@young-enterprise.org.uk

First steps into self-employment workshops

Do you have a business idea or are you interested in working for yourself in the future?

The Centre for Entrepreneurship has launched a new free 2 hour workshop aimed at current LJMU students and recent LJMU graduates who are considering starting their own business, becoming self-employed or working on a freelance basis.

This workshop will provide you with an introduction to the Centre for Entrepreneurship and ways in which the team can support you during your time at LJMU and beyond. The advisers will explore the start-up process and some of the practicalities of working for yourself, along with the first steps of exploring a business idea and putting together an action plan for its development.

The workshops are run on a weekly basis at the Centre.  Pre-booking is essential.

For more information and to reserve a place at a forthcoming workshop, please call 0151 231 3300 or email startup@ljmu.ac.uk.

Enterprise Fellowship Programme 2012 - applications now open!

LJMU’s Centre for Entrepreneurship is delighted to announce that applications for the Enterprise Fellowship Programme (EFP) 2012 are now open. The EFP is an intensive business start programme for pre-start ventures, with a package of support that includes training, hot desk facilities and a dedicated business adviser.

We are looking for final year students and recent graduates who have a viable business proposition and the personal determination to take their product or service to the marketplace.  Placement year students are also encouraged to apply. An Enterprise Award of £1500 can be applied for when trading commences.

Further details can be found here: www.ljmu.ac.uk/efp including eligibility, timescales and training dates. The deadline for completed proposals is 12 noon, Friday 18^th May 2012.

Some testimonials from previous EFP participants…

“The EFP has meant and still does mean a lot to me personally and to my business. I feel comfortable and protected knowing that the team are always available for me.”

Lee Donafee, Merseyside Inclusion Network CIC

“The EFP has helped me establish a strong framework for my business and made me aware of the importance of being organised and thorough with my business operations.”

Nick Hatton, L1 Computers

“The EFP has given me tremendous support in helping me start my business. It has provided me with great networking opportunities, information and free specialist workshops.”

Fenfen Huang, China Pearl

This programme has been generously supported by the European Regional Development Fund,  Liverpool Vision and the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education