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YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS AIM TO REBUILD WIRRAL COMMUNITIES
A new generation of young entrepreneurs is tackling one of the biggest challenges of a lifetime by putting flair , passion and determination into running their own Wirral-based businesses .
Already seven young people are currently on the road to becoming their own boss , creating their own financial independence and their own workforce , as the Young Entrepreneurs Academy takes them closer to their entrepreneurship goal .
The academy , an initiative of Merseyside Community Training , a not-for-profit social enterprise with headquarters in Birkenhead , was piloted on Wirral last year at a time when the region was beginning to count the cost of the coronavirus pandemic . Thousands of jobs had been lost in a matter of months with many more predicted to come .
All of the project ’ s fledgling companies , headed up by disadvantaged Wirral youngsters , are currently being nurtured and given vital professional advice that will turn their business dreams into reality as well as helping to rebuild their local communities , hard-hit even further by the Covid-19 crisis .
Merseyside business leader Sandra Kirkham , a driving force behind the Young Entrepreneurs Academy , explained : “ Here we have a group of young people disadvantaged by the high rate of unemployment locally but whose determination to succeed with stand-out ideas and become their own boss shows true entrepreneurial spirit .
“ When we first set the academy plan in motion , it was their energy , positivity and sheer genius behind some of their business proposals that impressed us .
“ The reality was – and still is – that a huge proportion of the 16 to 24 age group in Wirral live in an area of deprivation , particularly in and around Birkenhead . But just because you may have had a disadvantaged upbringing shouldn ’ t mean your ambitions for a meaningful and successful life have to be stifled .”
The Young Entrepreneurs story began when Sandra and Jonathan Quinn , managing director at Wirral-headquartered innovations specialist Quinnovations , set their shared belief in motion to narrow the education and employment gaps between the region ’ s disadvantaged and better-off young people .
After successfully pitching their ideas last year to Sandra and Jonathan , the first group of budding entrepreneurs , working 25 hours a week on developing their businesses , are now being guided and given practical help and advice from other business leaders and local entrepreneurs – those who have “ been there and done it ” to show them the realities of running a successful company .
Knowledge sharing among the seven themselves is also an integral part of the programme , each contributing to the others ’ skills with their own specialisms in IT , web design and marketing .
Working in a hands-on environment at Merseyside Community Training ’ s headquarters in Campbeltown Road , Birkenhead , the academy focus is on setting the budding entrepreneurs ’ business goals for the next six months , drafting their core values and identifying what ’ s important to them as they grow their operation . They are also creating financial targets and , most importantly , decide what they can eventually “ give back ” to their local community – maybe by volunteering , charity fundraising or sharing work experiences .
At the end of the six-month period , members of the group can then begin to trade , the academy providing investment if necessary .
Sandra continued : “ As well as being exposed to the nuts and bolts of running your own business – the finances , service delivery , communications and marketing – our young people are being shown the importance of personal fulfilment as a true mirror of success . It ’ s about striving to be the best you can be in your particular sphere , offering the best possible service to customers , doing the right thing by your employees and becoming a force for good in your local community .”
The new start-ups at the Young Entrepreneurs Academy involve young people setting up their own companies in personal training , animal welfare and care , mobile phone repair , website building , bespoke online training programmes and digital art .
Jonathan added : “ The original intention of the project - to harness the entrepreneurial spirit of young people and , with the right guidance and advice , help them realise their hopes and dreams - has taken on an extra dimension in recent months . Many have been left facing one of the most difficult challenges of a lifetime as repercussions of the pandemic appear to overshadow Covid-19 itself . Livelihoods have been lost as numerous jobs have disappeared across Liverpool City Region so becoming your own boss has never been more important . Being part of this exciting venture at the Young Entrepreneurs Academy is a way for young people to build a secure future for themselves , create employment for others and ultimately help to grow the local economy . It ’ s been a difficult year , particularly for the young , but a strong will to succeed will get them through to seeing their new businesses come to fruition .” wirrallife . com 9