Interviewing Your Enterprise Candidates!

Label sat down with your Enterprise candidates for the 2021 Exec Elections!

Cameron Glenwright

What are the main points of your manifesto?

Increase volunteer numbers that join student groups, increase collaborations with societies, sections and companies and develop key soft skills through workshops and networking.

What previous experience do you have which is important to the role?

So I run my own businesses. I’ve ran a photography company, a magic company, I’ve done design and marketing for other companies. Recently, I’ve done one for a puzzle box company and a magic shop. I’ve got lots of other skills in other areas – through the photography, you gain skills through that. You gain team working skills through other jobs I have done in the past, through working as a blue coat in Pontins, we’re always working as a team and always engaging in that way. All these soft skills come together and to have someone going into enterprise. I think to be fair, all of the different sections we have in LSU are all going to be good for Enterprise because you have to have lots of different skills to go into this kind of area; you’ve got to understand all the different people that you’re working with. I think previous jobs – blue coating, that sort of thing, being a photographer – media wise and marketing wise and just running my own companies comes together to create all of that.

What figure in enterprise and business do you look up to?

That is a good question! I would say Duncan Bannatyne and that’s because he is from the North. He went from just starting with ice cream vans and selling a company with that sort of thing to going into this crazy company where he has gyms all over the place. I think he started from very little as he just started with a very small business and he developed that idea into something really great. So yeah, I would say Duncan Bannatyne.

How will you promote and spread enterprise to students who do not know?

I think one of the things about Enterprise, and it’s partially in the name Enterprise, is that students don’t fully understand exactly what Enterprise does. Because as well supporting startups, they are also supporting people going into employability, developing workplace skills – that comes into the previous point about soft skills – I think it is about making it clear that as well as doing enterprise and start-ups, we also help people get into jobs, we help people develop those skills. That reaches out to a wider student market than just particular students who might want to start up a company. So I think spreading that sort of message around, I think it is just about going around campus, jumping into lectures, making sure you spread the word out wide. We’ve got our reps in the halls making sure we have got good communication lines with them, making sure they are communicating those messages about startups and the Initiate Fund. The fact we can fund somebody to start up a company, they can go over to the Loughborough Enterprise Network and they can get funding from them as well. It’s getting out there how we can support people, that we don’t just do startups and that we support people with employment as well and it’s just about reaching out in all the different areas that we can. It’s about that marketing element – you’re reaching out in the halls, as well as the departments and as well as the already keen volunteers that are in the LSU. I think there are many different branches you can go on there.

Nathan Chan

What are the main points of your manifesto?

One of my first points is to have teamwork and collaboration for students and businesses. My second point is to have Enterprise being really inclusive and social for all student groups, race and gender. My third point is to increase support for student led startups.

What previous experience do you have which is important to the role?

Throughout my years in Loughborough University I have started a few businesses. Some have failed miserably and some I am still running alongside my final year studies but, what I have gathered from this is that business is really hard and I really appreciate the support from Loughborough Enterprise Network. I want to use my unique experience to help others to start their own business.

What figure in enterprise and business do you look up to?

There is this YouTuber called Ali Abdaal who started his YouTube channel whilst he was a junior doctor and before that he started an online education company whilst studying at university. Super inspirational and I love watching him. 

How will you promote and spread enterprise to students who do not know?

So, I will tell you how I got involved with Enterprise which was at one of the networking events. At the time I was thinking of starting my own business and I saw one networking event which involved pizza with Loughborough Enterprise Network. I went there and it was great. I got to meet loads of people who were like minded and got to talk to new people. That was great so what I want to do is to have more brainstorming sessions, networking events and entice them with pizza.