All ideas are winners

Judges sorting through the entries to the Enterprise Week competition running on your College Blog have had a problem allocating the prize to just one individual.

It seemed far fairer to announce a draw and to split the cash so that nobody lost out. A lot of thought and effort had gone into their novel and original ideas for which we'd like to say a very big thanks to you all.

A clear vision

Friday lunchtime saw presentations galore as compulsory school age students from Vision 12 and Focus 12 described their various business ideas.

Aided by Powerpoint displays, handouts, and very confident presentations, they spoke to a panel of judges about the enterprises they wanted to build.

Neil Larkin from EduAction explained to the group that it had been a very tough decision to make when selecting the eventual winner.

Each of the presentations had qualities that had impressed the judges, but they eventually settled on awarding Jaimie Johnson and Clair Cooper £50 Enterprise Awards. This was for their work speaking and listening. Clair won the 'recall' quiz about the presentations, whilst Jaimie won for his presentation about the company he wanted to start.

Jaimie's dream company was "Motorsports UK" a company hiring out watersports equipment and bikes to adults and children. If you just happen to have a spare £75K he'd like to talk business with you!

Enterprise Week at last!

Yes, it's Enterprise Week at last!

After all the build-up, this is the week to really put the thinking caps on and get ready to make things happen.

Don't forget to follow the links we've provided for all the resources put together for Enterprise Week. More importantly, don't forget the way to make a fast buck. Well, not so much a buck as a nifty Fifty.

Yes, £50 is waiting for the most original and exciting business idea, just read on, and get your ideas in to us ( via blog@waltham.ac.uk ) by Noon on Monday 20th....

£50 prize just for the best idea

Do you have an idea or a passion for a business venture?

- Let us know and it could win you £50!

It’s amazing how many people won’t talk about their ideas because they fear people might laugh at them. So tell us what yours are and who knows you may be the next entrepreneur.

Here are some ideas showing you how it can be done……

REAL IDEAS NO.1

“After I’d had trouble finding flip-flops in Britain to wear for a winter holiday, my boyfriend asked: “Why don’t you design your own and sell on the Internet?” I went onto the web to research what there was already, then spoke to my sister, who has experience in graphic design, who thought it was a great idea. The more I thought about it, the more excited I became.”
Victoria Tringham, 28, founder of Pomelo, which now sells on-line at funkyflipflops.com and in nearly 70 boutiques including Harrods.

REAL IDEAS NO.2

"I had always wanted to work for myself so signed up for a business planning course, not knowing exactly what kind of business I was going to plan. On the train to the course one morning I was flicking through a magazine and found a great photo of an acorn. This inspired me to set up Babu - the first of my t-shirt designs being 'Tall oaks from small acorns grow'."
Katy Ellis, 25, founder of Babu, a maternity fashion label www.lovebabu.com

REAL IDEAS NO.3

“I'd rescued and repaired several abandoned bikes for friends when I realised it was a great opportunity to make a living doing something worthwhile for the community and environment." Dom Scholfield, 28, co-founder of the Oxford Cycle Workshop, which has repaired & recycled 600 abandoned bikes in 2 years.


www.oxfordcycleworkshop.org.uk


Click here to email your ideas to us.Don't forget to include your Name and Student ID number for that chance of winning £50.