Dave Garbera

KH Smilers and Garbera Enterprise

Like many of Hull's Young People, Dave's enterprise journey began with the Young Enterprise programme in 2003. This saw Dave take the helm as Managing Director of bedding plant company KH Smilers from where he guided his team through the local and regional heats of the competition, and all the way through to the National Finals in November 2004. The company has continued to develop whilst Dave studies to be a Doctor, registering as a limited company and in 2009 they sold 50,000 bedding plants compared to just 3,000 in 2004. Not content with running one company, Dave set up Garbera Enterprise Ltd in 2009 as a vehicle for promoting and selling his book, Smilers, in which he charts the highs and lows of his journey with KH Smilers through two books. Sales of these are already up to 1500 with Part 3 due out early next year. In 2010 Dave was awarded the status of Hull's Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010.

www.khsmilers.co.uk  |  www.garberaenterprise.co.uk

 

 

Amanda Hartley

Amanda's Blue Orchid

Opening up her own florists shop in Hessle Road at the age of 18 was just the start of what is proving a remarkable journey for former Sydney Smith student Amanda Hartley. Since then she has gone on to win Hull's Young Entrepreneur Of The Year in 2009 and set up a second business selling and altering fascinators, a gap in the market she spotted as an alternative for hats at races, weddings and formal events. She says: "Floristry is my passion and it was always my dream to have my own shop. But working closely with customers in the shop, I could see demand for a service based around fascinators and added this to the range of services we offer. The response so far has been fantastic."

www.amandasblueorchid.co.uk

 

 

Richard Myers

HWS Hosting

Coming from a family of self-employed people, it was only to be expected that Richard would follow in their footsteps. So, at just 13 he co-founded KH Smilers, a Young Enterprise Company, reaching the National Finals at the Savoy Hotel in London in 2004. Following Young Enterprise he had only one goal, to run his own business. Having always had an interest in running websites, online forums and computer technology he set up Hertz Web Solutions in 2007. A year long process of refinements and rebranding saw the creation of HWS Hosting in 2008, a company offering web hosting and web design. Since then he has gone on to grow the business; building a team of people, working with entrepreneurs featured on Dragons' Den, joining numerous business ventures and projects and, more importantly, enjoying every moment. He is keen to inspire others to set up their own business, because, as he says, anyone can do it! And he is a major sponsor of GEW 2011 in Hull.

www.hwshosting.net

 

 

Bronwyn Wilson

Crazy Critters

Bronwyn Wilson didn't think that her habit of sewing a few strange sock and fabric creations using any material she could get her hands on was more than a childish phase but as she kept producing more and more she decided they needed a new home. As a result she started selling them to friends and family, the success of which encouraged her to approach a local art shop to stock and sell her fanciful creations. They were an immediate success and she has gone on to sell hundreds of what were now becoming know as Crazy Critters ("As they all have a slightly quirky, crazy character or design!") which also became the name of the company she set up. She has gone on to expand the basic sock range into many different fabric items including badges, bags, box-framed Critters, sculptures and mobile-phone holders, and with the help of the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank and winning the Badgers Sett Enterprise Challenge in 2010 she's got even more ideas and plans for expanding her business as well as mentoring support from Ruth badger and Sarah Longthorn. All in all she reckons that it's not bad going for a girl of 16 years of age.

web.me.com/crazycritterworld

 

 

Phil Batty

Force-7

Phil is Managing Director of Force-7, a Youth Communication Specialist, providing marketing and consultancy services which enable private businesses and public sector organisations to effectively target and engage with the younger generation. Since its initial creation as a Young Enterprise company in 2006, Force-7 has built up a substantial portfolio of clients from across the country. A growing customer base is not the only thing that has grown, with Phil's team expanding to 46 full and part time employees and already well on their way to hitting their £1m turnover target by the end of 2011.

www.force-7.co.uk

 

 

Phil Benson & Simon Long

Xing Health

Since launching in 2006 as a graduate business, Simon Long and Phil Benson's smoothie bars and healthy eating roadshows have been inspiring students, school pupils, professional sports teams and even the odd celebrity to make healthier eating choices! Inspired themselves by the 'smoothie' concept following a trip to the United States, they decided to set up their own business which firstly meant raising £12k. This enabled them to buy a mobile cart and begin trading at outdoor events and the University of Hull. The response from young people and students was so successful that the boys haven't looked back and in 2009 they opened up their first high street bar in York. The future certainly looks 'healthy' for them!

www.xinghealth.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

Amy Taylor

Hair by Amy

20-year-old Amy Taylor set-up Hair by Amy, a unique hairdressing business that provides specialist support to those suffering hair loss as a result of cancer treatment or conditions such as alopecia. The John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank provided the funding she needed to get her business off the ground.

Amy Taylor is a fully qualified hairdresser with four years experience working in salons. During this time, she has supported a number of cancer patients and saw a gap in the market for bespoke services to those in need of wigs and other specialist hair treatments delivered at home.

Hair by Amy may be just starting out, but the combination of a specialist service which meets a known demand is a tried and tested recipe for success.Amy is understandably excited about the future.