Our success stories
IT made affordable for all.
Just over a year ago, Sam Moulem recognised the need for IT equipment and support in the local Chapel town community and decided to do something about it.
Advice and support from UrbanBiz has allowed Sam, an IT whizz with over ten years experience in the sector, to develop his idea and establish Microphoenix – a social enterprise that recycles, refurbishes, and reuses all types of IT equipment.
Click here to read more.
Budding entrepreneur wins regional awards.
After only one year in business, local entrepreneur Chris Bevan is winning awards for his new business, Chris Bevan Photography.
At the annual British Institute of Professional Photographers Yorkshire Region Awards 2010 in April, he picked up the prestigious title of Press and PR photographer of the year and won a number of other categories proving what can be achieved during the first twelve months of trading with talent, hard work and dedication.
Click here to read more.
New business boosts market
Local Doncaster man Bill Jones took early retirement last year after the engineering company he worked for had to make financial cuts. He decided to turn this into a positive career change and invested some of his redundancy package in starting a new business. With the help of his friend and colleague Brian Blades, he successfully established Mobility 4 You, a disability aid retailing company which specialises in the sale of mobility scooters.
He got in touch with UrbanBiz and secured twelve weeks free rent on one of the In Business market stalls which provide a low rick trading opportunity to individuals to test trade their products. Read more here.
Biz Centre gives TREE room to grow.
Chris Tremlett, local Leeds man and founder of TREE, decided it was time to make a difference. Conscious of the worsening situation in climate change and having worked in the heating and plumbing trade for several years, he recognised the need for affordable renewable energy systems and so decided to retrain as a Government accredited Energy Assessor. It was from this change that his business idea was formed. Click here to read more.
Qu gets personal with help from Biz Centre
Professional basketball coach Kwasi Adoo, 35 from Harehills in Leeds realised that he could transform his passion for making a difference to people’s fitness and wellbeing into a money making venture. Click here to read more.
Being well means feeling well
The skills of a qualified physiotherapist can bring welcome relief to those enduring pain from their back, joints or muscles. Elderly people with mobility problems and sports enthusiasts recovering from injuries can also benefit. So the ‘Be Well Feel Well’ clinic set up in Manningham by Nigel Barrington, with support from UrbanBiz, Kickstart, Bradford Chamber and JobcentrePlus, is likely to prove highly popular. Click here to read more.
How Bizaar supports Lindsay
Local Leeds nursery nurse Lindsay Gillespie was one of the first aspiring entrepreneurs to get on board the How Bizaar test trading scheme. Click here to read more.
Finding the recipe for sweet success
The current economic climate meant that Karl Brough, aged 21, was stuck in a job that he felt was not leading anywhere and was finding it difficult to find a new career. Downbeat and frustrated, Karl decided to try his hand at self employment and began selling sweets and confectionary on Oldcotes market. REead more here.
Hats off to Lily
Almost twenty five years ago, local Leeds woman Lily Bloom began life in business selling furniture, clothing and soft household furnishings. Following a demand need, she decided to expand her business and taught herself a new trade – millinery. And she’s been selling hats ever since.
Lily took a break in her career around four years ago and during a recent visit to the Leeds Kirkgate Markets with a friend, she came across How Bizaar, a unique project which gives life to business ideas by providing business start ups with the opportunity to showcase their products. After making a few enquires with Paul, the dedicated Sales Co-ordinator, she was told she would join seventeen other individuals with business ideas in showcasing her wares at the stall. Read more here.
Good signs for Amanda
Single mother Amanda Alison was referred to UrbanBiz after a month of trading as she was struggling to find work for her enterprise AJ Signs and Graphics, a business which sells and fits signs, graphics, stickers and wall hanging graphics to both the public and trade.
The innovative In Business project, which is funded by Success Doncaster, provided the perfect business opportunity for her by allowing her to test trade her products on a purpose built market stall within Doncaster Market whilst taking full advantage of free business support from Specialist Retail Advisor Rob Masson. Read more here
Big on Tyres
Since the end of 2008, Rabnawaz Raj’s company Big on Tyres has supplied and fitted tyres, mostly to the Taxi trade but also to the general public. Click here to read more
Building a future in business
Craig Ellis and Bill Derrick were unemployed subcontractors in the building industry when they met and became friends. In January of this year, they decided to pool their skills and turn to self employment to secure their future. One partner specialised in groundworks, the other in brick laying, and so they decided to establish a business that would offer affordable block paving to the public. Read more here.
Geoff Gardner
Geoff Gardner has benefited from support through Success Doncaster through CIDA and Urban Biz. He needed support with the promotion of his novel in the UK. His book was doing well on Amazon in other countries but found there wasn’t as large a market for online sales in his home country. Click here to read more.
New business given a helping hand
In January of this year, Jenie Pickard decided to re-establish her business and go solo, establishing Hand Made With Love. Having heard about How Bizaar, a brand new innovative test trading project, she got in touch with UrbanBiz.
The unique project gives life to business ideas by providing business start ups with the opportunity to showcase their products at the How Bizaar stall based within the historic Kirkgate market in Leeds. Funded by Sharing the Success, the brand name for the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative in Leeds, the project offers those starting out in business twelve weeks rent free shared space with little financial risk. Read more here
Grace Harvest
Help from Success Doncaster and UrbanBiz has enabled one local resident live out his dream and offer music writing skills and instrument tuition through his new business Grace Harvest. Click here to read more.
Master Tailor
Having settled in Doncaster two years ago, businessman Muslim Cagatay opened Master Tailor to provide an alteration service to both individual and business clients.The business has grown significantly since it began and has continuously seen a month on month increase in sales. Click here to read more.
Tools to make business a success
Crazy Tools was born out of an idea of two already successful Success Doncaster beneficiaries – Szymon Piatkowski of PC Simon Service and Chris Lahye of Night Hawk Security were sharing a stall as part of the In Business market stall initiative when they realised there was no other market stalls offering tools to shoppers but there seemed to be a high demand for them. Read more here.
Refugee REACH
Refugee REACH was set up to improve integration and social inclusion for refugees and asylum seekers into the local community through the provision of an educational, advisory, citizenship and help service centre. Click here to read more.
Sibelle Beauty
Two enterprising businesses from the Doncaster area have come up with their own unique way of beating the credit crunch by working together to cut down on costs. Sibelle Beauty and Holistic Therapy are both beneficiaries of the Success Doncaster programme that crossed paths when owners Sibel and Amanda met at college. Click here to read more.
