08 July 2008
Signage duo scoop £10k EnterPrize award
Two entrepreneurs, who built a successful signage firm by using
their redundancy package to buy the assets of the failing company
which laid them off, were last night (Thursday 3 July) presented
with the top award of £10,000 at New East Manchester’s EnterPrize
competition.
Peter Potts, 26 and Westley McKay, 27, began their Newton
Heath-based business, Built-Up Signs, in January 2007 after losing
the jobs they had held for ten years at a local sign-making shop.
Determined not to let their expertise go to waste, the two friends
succeeded in buying, from the liquidator, the equipment of the
failed business that had made them redundant.
They went on to grow their own built-up letter and bespoke
signage firm from scratch, using the skills they had developed over
the past decade along with advice from New East Manchester’s
business advisors. Since starting in January 2007 they have turned
over £170,000.
The entrepreneurial pair, who have known each other since
leaving school at 16, began the business by cutting signs out by
hand in a tiny unit. 18 months on and they have tripled the size of
their premises, taken on two more staff and are supplying over 60
UK and international clients with acrylic 3-d letters and
thermoformed built-up logos.
Built-Up Signs beat off stiff competition from over 40 other
entrants to win the £10,000 cash EnterPrize. The prize was
presented to Peter Potts and Westley McKay by guest speaker, James
Averdieck, founder of hugely successful luxury pudding brand GÜ
Chocolate Puds.
On hearing they had come first, Peter Potts said: “We are
shocked and over the moon to have won this award – it’s all been a
bit of a whirlwind. The £10,000 prize will help us buy new
machinery and equipment and training for our employees. The
advisers at New East Manchester have been brilliant - like project
managers, setting us goals and helping with our business plan. We’d
encourage other local businesses to enter – even if you don’t win,
the advice you get is really useful.” www.built-ups.com
RUNNER UP: A beauty therapist from Openshaw who helps local
people keep trim and feel good about themselves through healthy
eating classes, social fitness programmes and mobile beauty
treatments has won the runner’s up EnterPrize of £5,000. She was a
finalist in last year’s competition and judges felt her business
had developed significantly in the past year.
Sharon Calvert, 25, set up Dream Clubs in order to expand her
nails and beauty firm to provide well-being classes that boost the
confidence of her customers. As a mobile beauty therapist she
realised there was demand for advice on healthy diets and suitable
exercise regimes alongside the waxing, massage and pedicure
treatments she offered.
Since launching the exercise, health and beauty company in
January 2008, Sharon now runs 20 aerobics, body conditioning and
boxing courses across east Manchester, developing personal exercise
plans for her customers. She has helped 200 women in her healthy
living class, with 40 of them losing over one stone through
balanced, nutritional diet plans. Her beauty treatments are focused
on improving self esteem. In the last year Dream Clubs has turned
over £40,000 and Sharon is aiming to take on a member of staff in
the next few months.
Sharon Calvert said, “I’ve worked so hard for this – winning the
2nd award in the EnterPrize competition feels amazing. I’m
thrilled. I love working for myself and started off doing nails and
beauty treatments. New East Manchester helped me go mobile, they
gave me funding, business advice and helped me expand the business.
I’m going to spend my £5,000 prize on more products and treatments,
advertising and room hire for my exercise classes.” www.dreamclubs.co.uk
The EnterPrize is open to start-ups based in east Manchester
that have been trading for two years or less. Now in its second
year, the competition rewards business talent in the area,
recognising the enthusiasm, creativity and innovation of new
companies and encouraging economic growth. It is run by urban
regeneration company New East Manchester in partnership with the
Northwest Regional Development Agency and New Deal for
Communities.
Eddie Smith, New East Manchester’s Chief Executive said: “We
were extremely impressed with the level of determination and drive
of this year’s entrants. In fact, the EnterPrize competition has
proved so popular that we will now be running it twice a year.
Small companies from east Manchester that have been running for two
years or less will have the chance to compete for cash prizes of
£10,000 and £5,000 twice a year. Businesses can enter again in the
autumn and the winners will be announced in December 2008.”
Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, said: “Promoting
enterprise to drive up the number of new business starts ups and
stimulate the growth of existing businesses is a key priority for
the NWDA. Through providing advice and support to all entrants,
this competition is all about trying to encourage local companies
to plan innovative and achievable ways of growing their business,
helping to boost the local economy.”
EnterPrize Autumn 2008 will launch in September and the deadline
for applications is in October. Winners will be announced in
December. For your chance to win visit www.thenementerprize.co.uk/
and complete the online form.
Ends
Media Enquiries: Rowan Atkins M: 07834 158 725 E: rowan@rowanatkins.co.uk
Notes to editors
The EnterPrize Competition
The EnterPrize is for businesses based in New East Manchester
(Ancoats, Beswick, Clayton, Openshaw, Miles Platting, Newton Heath
or Gorton). There is no restriction on the number of times a
business can apply so previous applicants are encouraged to apply
again. Your business should be either a new start-up idea or an
existing business that is less than two years old.
The EnterPrize Process
All EnterPrize applicants attend New East Manchester’s "Furthering
Your Business" seminar and produce a simple business plan. The five
finalists then take part in a one-to-one session with a top UK
business consultant. They present their business plan to a panel of
business leaders, consultants and entrepreneurs and the winner is
announced at the EnterPrize Awards Ceremony.
New East Manchester
New East Manchester Ltd (NEM) is an Urban Regeneration Company - a
partnership between Manchester City Council, English Partnerships
and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). It is
NEM's role to implement the Regeneration Framework, secure the
required public and private funding, lead on specific major
development projects as well as co-ordinate the range of
regeneration and renewal initiatives in the area. For more
information visit www.neweastmanchester.com.
The Northwest Regional Development Agency
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) is responsible for
the sustainable economic development and regeneration of England’s
Northwest and has five key priorities: business, skills and
education, people and jobs, infrastructure and quality of
life. For further information visit www.nwda.co.uk or www.englandsnorthwest.com.
New Deal for Communities
Beacons for a Brighter Future is the New Deal for Communities (NDC)
Programme covering the neighbourhoods of Beswick, Clayton and
Openshaw in east Manchester. NDC is a key Government strategy to
tackle social exclusion and bridge the gap between the poorest
neighbourhoods and the rest of the country. The 10-year programme,
which ends in March 2010, seeks greater balance between investing
in buildings and investing in people. Beacons has consistently been
recognised by Government as one of the most successful
community-led regeneration programmes in the country.