John Lewis visits LJMU

Staff from Trafford’s John Lewis Visual Merchandising & Community teams visited the Redmond’s Building recently to lead a cross-curricular visual merchandising workshop with students from the Liverpool Business School and Liverpool School of Art and Design.

Students from the Business & Public Relations, Business Communications and Fashion degree programmes who are participating in two separate Young Enterprise-LJMU programmes came together to attend the workshop. They listened to a fascinating talk about the John Lewis organisation and how the merchandising team coordinate their visual merchandising in store. Students then participated in some activities to try out their own visual merchandising skills, producing a seaonally-themed display for a John Lewis store.

 

Sally Partington, Enterprise Education Officer from LJMU’s Centre for Entrepreneurship said:

“We are very grateful to Carole Hartley and Edd Fearn from the John Lewis team for taking the time to come and share their expertise with our students. Their workshop really got the students thinking about how they can merchandise the products that they are producing for their business and fashion projects to good effect”.

Landbaby entrepreneur shares her expertise with LJMU students

LJMU Fine Art graduate and Liverpool-based independent retailer, Claire Bates, recently visited the Liverpool Business School to share her business and merchandise experience with Business PR and Business Communications students who are currently setting up their own small businesses through the Level 5 Graduate Enterprise module.

Claire graduated from LJMU in 2006 with a degree in Fine Art. Shortly afterwards she started her own business, Landbaby, with support from LJMU’s Centre for Entrepreneurship. Landbaby specialises in selling unique hand-crafted work and one-off pieces by designer-makers and is based at The Bluecoat in Liverpool City Centre.

She told the story of her start-up journey and provided students with a valuable insight into how to merchandise a product effectively and creatively with her first-hand experience of the independent retail sector.

Lynne Robertson, Start-up Manager for the Centre for Entrepreneurship, “We are very grateful to Claire for taking the time to come back to LJMU to talk with our students. The fact that she had students lining up to speak with her at the end of the session about their own ideas demonstrates how positively she was received.”

Any LJMU student with a business idea can receive free business advice and support from the Centre for Entrepreneurship www.ljmu.ac.uk/startup

 

 

Claire Bates from Landbaby meets students from student startup Babynature

 

Students bring the ‘Hammer Down’ at art auction

A group of enterprising students from the Liverpool Business School recently held their inaugural art auction in Liverpool City Centre.

Set up as part of a level 5 module at the Liverpool Business School, and run in conjunction with Young Enterprise & LJMU’s Centre for Entrepreneurship, Hammer Down was set up to represent early career artists by selling their work at invite only auctions.

To develop their auctioneering skills they were coached by local auction house Adam Partridge Auctioneers & Valuers, the Liverpool saleroom based in the Baltic Triangle creative area of the city. Well known for his appearances on Flog It, Adam generously shared his gavel skills with the Hammer Down team, enabling them to work with their buyers and get the best prices on the night for their artists.

Erin Furlong from Hammer Down commented:

“Our first auction was a great success and over 90% of works were sold on the night. We feel that this shows that there is a demand for work by early career artists in the city and our auctions seek to provide a platform for this. We hope that this will be the first event of many.”

Anyone interested in attending future events, should follow Hammer Down on twitter for details @HammerDown7.

Photo: Students from Hammer Down at the auction

Student trade fair success

Budding entrepreneurs from the Liverpool Business School promoted their businesses at a Trade Fair this week at the Art & Design Academy.

The event involved nine groups of Level 5 students, currently studying on the Graduate Enterprise module, pitching their businesses to trade fair guests at their stands.  Businesses represented at the fair were:

•                    Scrumptious Students - a mobile device app which provides a variety of recipes directed at students who are on a budget

•                    Scouse Cosmetics - specialise in beauty products for achieving the ‘classic Scouse aesthetic’

•                    The Teabox Company - a specialist tea distributor offering a variety of premium leaf teas

•                    Brolly Dollies - a company that caters for the needs of commuters and tourists arriving at travel hotspots during rainy weather

•                    When in Rome Clothing Company  - a company which produces quality T-Shirts with unique designs from around the globe

•                    City Style - a company which designs umbrellas, unique to Liverpool, offering a stylish compliment to the city

•                    Phenomenal Hoodies - a company which produces customizable hoodies for the student population

•                    On the Box - an independent film screening company based in Liverpool

•                    Hammer Down – a company which organises art auctions with work by emerging young artists

Over 60 guests attended the fair - both from within the university and externally.

The Graduate Enterprise module, delivered by Janet Farrow and Chris Taylor in the Liverpool Business School in conjunction with Young Enterprise and the LJMU Centre for Entrepreneurship, gives students a real-life experience of turning a business idea into a reality . The use of volunteer business mentors provides students with the opportunity to network with the Liverpool business community and develop valuable employability skills.

Andy Firr from Young Enterprise commented:

''This was a fantastic event, and all students were a credit to themselves and the University. The professionalism and enthusiasm that students shown whilst talking with guests and members of the public demonstrated just how far they have all come in just over six months. ‘The Teabox Company’ will now go onto represent LJMU at the National Young Enterprise Start Up Final. There is the possibility of them going all the way to a European Final to be held this Summer in Belgium, competing against the best of Europe's young entrepreneurs!''

Any LJMU students interested in starting a business can receive free support and advice from LJMU’s Centre for Entrepreneurship (see www.ljmu.ac..uk/startup for further details and contact information).

Students from 'Scrumptious Students' by their stand

 

Come along and support our enterprising students at our spring trade fair

Students from Liverpool Business School will be presenting their business ideas at a trade fair, as part of the Young Enterprise Start-up Programme.

When: Wednesday 27^th March 2013

Time: Doors open at 10.30am and the fair will run until 12.30pm.  Come along at any point between these times.

Place: LJMU’s Art & Design Academy, Duckinfield Street, Liverpool, L3 5RD (by the Liverpool Metropolitan RC Cathedral)  http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/location/routeplanner.asp?id=92

Nine groups of Level 5 (second year) undergraduate students from Liverpool Business School have been working with a team of local mentors on the Young Enterprise Start-Up Programme since September 2012. As part of the assessment process the groups will be presenting their businesses at a trade fair. Please come along and find out about their ideas. The students are keen to gain feedback and, of course, drum up some potential customers for their ventures!

LJMU tutors and Young Enterprise will be on hand to answer your questions if you want to get involved with the programme as a mentor. Tea and coffee will be available on the day.

For more information please email Sally Partington in the Centre for Entreprenurship at s.partington@ljmu.ac.uk 

We do hope that you can join us!

Undergraduates to represent the North West at national Young Enterprise competition

2 groups of business-savvy students from LJMU have seen off competition from hundreds of other North West students to win through to the national finals of the national Santander supported Young Enterprise Start Up competition.

The Teabox Company, an online tea business selling high-quality, loose-leaf tea, will go up against ten student companies from across the UK after taking part in the Young Enterprise scheme to set up their own business for a year with the help of business mentors.

Two LJMU teams who are studying on the Graduate Enterprise module, led by Janet Farrow and Chris Taylor from the Liverpool Business School, in conjunction with Young Enterprise and the LJMU Centre for Entrepreneurship, took part in the North West Finals.

To read more about the event see http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/NewsUpdate/viewarticle/534/All

The Teabox Company at the recent regional final

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!”