CHAMBER NEWS
Advice hits all the right notes for BabyGigs
When it comes to the creative side, BabyGigs founder Eleanor Hodgkinson was totally tuned in to the value of high quality, live music for children. Classical pianist and teacher
Eleanor always knew her business, founded in Market Harborough, had potential but her busy schedule of teaching, performing and a new baby left her with concerns about capacity as her concert series grew in popularity. BabyGigs, which celebrated its
fifth birthday recently, provides classical concerts for babies, young children and their families. Eleanor, a sought-after soloist
and chamber musician herself, is a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music. She was initially hoping for some
basic financial advice when she contacted Collaborate, the business support project for small and medium-sized businesses in Leicestershire. Eleanor was organising and
performing in 25 different concerts in a year and struggling to sustain her concert series at multiple venues with a viable financial model and limited external support. Through free business advice from
Collaborate adviser, Bev Shephard of Creative Leicestershire, Eleanor looked in-depth at her business strategy, resources and finances. She was helped to streamline the operation which has led to expansion of her concert series into new geographical areas. Eleanor said: “Collaborate has
helped transform BabyGigs. Having the opportunity to discuss the business in-depth was invaluable. More focused administration has led to a big increase in audience numbers, with several sell-out concerts and an increase in turnover by 75%.” In the future, under her brand,
KoolGigs, Eleanor will develop partnerships with the Leicestershire Music Hub and local schools to deliver live concerts for primary and special needs children. She is also realising her ambitions to develop her musical stories and shows for tours and educational projects. Collaborate is funded by the
European Regional Development Fund and partners, Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) and the Food and Drink Forum.
Piano play with Eleanor Hodgkinson
The project offers free, impartial business advice along with a programme of workshops and seminars. Find out more at
www.llepbizgateway.co.uk/collaborate
Setting the standard for health and safety
State of The Art Training Ltd, known as SOTA, has been operating since January 2008 in Derby. Headquartered in Fareham, Hampshire, its unique, specialist training centre is located at the Chamber-managed Brian Clough Business Centre, in Derby. SOTA Training’s engineering
knowledge pool spans ship building, petro-chemical, MOD, overseas deployments, sewage/water treatment, HV distribution and mining. As a specialist training provider,
SOTA is accredited by City & Guilds, TQUK, CITB, EUSR while also achieving Management, Environmental and Health and Safety ISO Quality Standards ISO 9001, 14001, BS OHSAS 18001 and ISO 45001 certification. SOTA specialises in training rescue
teams with courses not for the faint hearted - a visit to ‘SOTA Training’ on YouTube is worth the experience to better understand the facilities at the
Brian Clough Business Centre and the extent of training provided. SOTA’s MD, Phil Stears, said:
“Anyone working in heavy engineering during the 70s, 80s and 90s will have experienced the carefree attitude to Health and Safety protection for the workforce. “It was of limited concern for employers and, to some extent, is
still lacking. A lot of work has been put into the development, design and construction of a training rig that includes 35 metres of tunnels at various levels/orientation, chambers, smoke injection, fire simulation and audio systems as well as CCTV. “The training allows for very realistic scenarios designed to
SOTA provides a highly specialised
training environment
develop not only the preparation required for working in confined spaces, but also the specialisation for training rescue teams to extract casualties safely.”
For more information on Brian Clough Business Centre and the tenants established there, visit
bit.ly/EMC_BrianClough
business network September 2019 37
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