who can claim that they have their own business; there are even less who can say that they have two businesses and fewer still who can boast celebrity endorsement…but 24 year-old Alyssa Smith (BA Hons Applied Arts and Marketing, 2008) ticks all three boxes. A self-proclaimed workaholic, Alyssa admits to missing out on time with friends and working 15 hour days to continue building the jewellery-making business that she started two years ago. “I have always been a very business-minded person with a dream to make jewellery that I know people will love. From a young age I was fascinated with beads and buttons so by the age of 14 I’d taught myself to make small pieces of jewellery and it was then that I decided to make it into a career.” Although having only graduated from her degree in 2008, Alyssa has already seen tremendous success. Her handmade jewellery has become a hot topic among the British media after being spotted on celebrities including Carol Vorderman, Suzi Perry, Gail Porter and Sienna Miller, who wore a bespoke piece that Alyssa made for her. She also joined forces with
Making media pay T
here are not many twenty- somethings
quirky British journalist Dawn Porter to create her new collection ‘Social Butterfly’ – pieces inspired by the recent social media phenomenon.
Despite building a name for herself in such a short space of time, Alyssa remains grounded and even a little surprised by the opportunities that have begun to open up for her. “I initially started my own business because I didn’t want to design for anybody else, but now it’s about more than that. This venture has opened up avenues that I never would have imagined before.” Due to her successes with promoting her brand, Alyssa has launched a second business tutoring companies on social media as an effective marketing tool. Further to that, in September 2011 she will officially become the Resident Entrepreneur at the new Peter Jones’ Academy (of Dragons’ Den fame) in Hitchin, mentoring aspiring students on their business ideas. For anyone who imagines running your own business
is easy, Alyssa will be the first person to tell you otherwise: “It has been incredibly hard. It is just me in the business so finding support and financial backing was difficult. I was turned away by various people but you have to persist. There’s no denying it’s tough but it is worth every shred of effort.”
Home is where the heart is T
he importance of being able to remain in your own home while battling a progressive illness or living with a disability is, for many,
immeasurable. It is this relief that husband and wife duo Paul and Jane Elvidge (Management Studies, 1995 and BSc Combined Studies Physics and Geology, 1985 respectively) have ensured can be a possibility. In 1998, the couple joined forces with family members to become joint directors of a company offering 24 hour live-in care. ENA (European Nursing Agency Limited) had originally been set up four years previously by Claudio Duran and his wife Clare, Paul’s sister and a nurse of 15 years, who had discovered a niche in the care market when she was approached for help by a friend with a physical disability. Although Paul’s work with American company Chem- Dry had moved the family to Paris, they had always intended to return to the UK. Whilst abroad the couple had given advice from the sidelines, but when they returned home they made a permanent commitment to the business: “We saw the potential in bringing our management experience in to help establish and develop the business further. We registered the company and began our journey to create a successful partnership between the skills of business management
and healthcare services.” “The business was very promising but it was struggling to raise the needed cash flow. One of our first objectives was to help ENA manage its debts and regain independence which we achieved within two years. When we joined ENA, annual turnover was £408,000; last year, turnover had exceeded this by over £4 million.”
On top of impressive figures, ENA boasts a large client base and 150 full-time employees, several of whom have been with the company for over ten years. “One of our biggest achievements has been building a robust company that is independent and debt free. It is this standing that has enabled us to provide security for our staff even during the recent financial crisis.” Together with their joint business partners, the couple, who graduated from the University of Hertfordshire a decade apart, have managed to transform a struggling business into something extraordinary, while at the same time managing to provide a service that is so precious to many. “Too often in the healthcare sector, companies either focus on business finance or on patient care; we have achieved our level of success by striking a balance and focussing on both simultaneously.” f❵
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SIOBHAN MADARAS
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