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Co-owners of Target Student, Andy Francksen and Guy Thurlow talk in their blog about the value of learning from real life and building a start-up that is just the first step on an entrepreneurial journey

Real world learning

Although Andy Francksen and Guy Thurlow studied on the TE programme at different times, they connected when Andy used the TE network to find a business partner. Guy helped run the business and based his dissertation on it.  

The flexibility of the course allowed Guy and Andy to complete research with industry and take the time to find gaps in the market to capitalise on those opportunities. Guy’s dissertation then became a living project, and in true entrepreneurial style, a start-up was born. 

A life-changing lesson in growth 

Both Andy and Guy describe their experience of UWE TE as life-changing.  

“The most valuable learning for me was developing a growth mindset” 

Andy Francksen

Guy loved that coaching was such a big part of the TE programme, although admits it took time to get used to it and see the benefits. He found real value in practice-based learning, developing real skills in the context of real business projects and saw the unique benefit of this opportunity in a safe space. 

“The support from TE and UWE was amazing when setting up our business and since graduation. That’s very special and has been instrumental in getting us to this point”

Guy Thurlow

The value of giving back 

Target Student is now the UK’s first digital advertising network in student halls, with big brand clients such as Disney, PureGym and Unilever. Andy and Guy reflect that they learnt so much in a very short space of time and the experience of studying and running a business is both challenging and rewarding.  

“Our plan is to create, grow and sell a powerful and profitable business to give ourselves freedom to pursue other ventures in the future”

They are already giving back and helping less experienced employees to develop; something instilled in them on the TE programme. Both recognise the pivotal moment of raising an investment round and the validation that comes with realising the journey from being complete newcomers to having people invest their trust and funds.

Find out more – www.targetstudent.com

A journey fuelled by innovation, connection and experience: read Natalie’s blog to hear about why it’s important to keep an open mind and influence your own learning journey

Innovative learning

Natalie came to Team Entrepreneurship wanting to put theory straight into practice, and experiment with business ownership and teamwork.

As a student, Natalie found UWE Bristol to be an immensely supportive environment to study, with great spaces around campus from brand new rooms to a well-stocked library. Despite the impact of being online for a year and a half, she felt the TE team coaches always tried to be innovative about how to keep everyone engaged throughout the uncertainty.

Exploring through connections and experience

Natalie enjoyed speaking with the range of mentors, exploring business ideas with other students and being coached by each of the TE Coaches, who always made her feel heard. She also enjoyed being able to dictate her own learning, making use of the recommended reading but also supplementing this with her own reading around personal goals.

Throughout her time on the course, Natalie was surrounded by a wealth of coaching and business experience from the academic team, mentors, and local business owners. These connections have endured, and she credits this network with her current career success.

An ongoing journey

Since graduating from UWE Natalie has left a long-term career in hospitality to pursue a career in Commercial Management within the Tech/Rail industry at a Bristol SME, One Big Circle. Since starting in her role as Commercial Manager, she has learned an inordinate amount around financial management, contracts, sales proposals, and scaling a business. A year on she still thoroughly enjoys learning something new every week.

“I am so glad I went through the course with an open mind of what life after graduation may look like and that a career is a journey rather than a destination!”

Natalie says TE prepared her well for where she is now by giving her a range of transferrable skills including leadership skills and goal setting.

William Fletcher and Morgan Edmondson are co-founders of Discovry, a social media marketing platform that helps small businesses to automate their content marketing processes by generating AI-based content.

If at first you don’t succeed…

Morgan and William’s time on TE took them through four different start-up businesses. One of those resulted in designing a workflow engine which turned into a major building block for their future Discovry product.   

“I had a strong interest in growing a tech company and wasn’t interested in going to university, but when I saw the TE course, I was impressed by the access to a huge network, infrastructure and funding via the incubator at Launch Space”.

William Fletcher

They pivoted towards marketing, as a solid area of expertise already within the team and built an application that on launch, had 300 users overnight, showing clear demand for marketing paired with automated workflows and AI.

A successful launch

Discovry launched in early July 2023 and has already gained 10 paying clients ranging from construction to coaching companies. The next milestone will be a funding round to raise £250k of private investment to grow their development and technical resources.

Work is now underway with a number of marketing agencies, to explore how Discovry can help them to increase their client base and manage clients more effectively.

“Since graduation we’re still engaged with UWE and working specifically with the Head of Marketing.  We’re in the BRL Launch Space at Bristol and we have access to a workspace and shared incubator in TE as well”.

Morgan Edmondson

The value of support

Both entrepreneurs are clear about where they’ve come from and what they’ve gained, and cite the focus on enterprise and entrepreneurship as being most important when choosing their course.

“I think the biggest benefit of UWE is that there’s no door you can’t go through and everyone is so open and willing to help”.

William Fletcher

“I find the access to anyone in the university and how quickly you can get to speak to them is incredible and definitely specific to UWE, having listened to the experiences of others”.

Morgan Edmondson

Find out more: www.discovry.co.uk

Finding my strengths: Read Oliver’s story which highlights how the TE Programme helped him identify his strengths and utilise them to make the right career choices 

Business in Bristol 

Oliver was drawn to Team Entrepreneurship due to the Bristol location, and practical assessment elements of the course. With a keen interest in building a business, he was also attracted to the entrepreneurial nature of the course. 

The early days 

Oliver enjoyed his time on the course, living in Bristol, learning from the coaches, and having access to real-world connections. He built strong relationships with others on the course, relationships that have lasted far beyond his time at UWE.  

“As a student during some of the early years of Team Entrepreneurship at UWE Bristol, it felt exciting to be able to influence the development of the course content.”  

During his time on the programme, Oliver learned a lot about himself including his own strengths and weaknesses and was able to grow a skillset which has continued to shape his career as an entrepreneur. 

Finding the right fit 

After graduation, Oliver initially started a marketing agency which had some small successes, but ultimately wasn’t ready to be his own boss and work on his own terms. He then spent some time in new build real estate sales, during which time he was also exploring getting into mergers and acquisitions.  

“From my time on TE, I had an understanding that this would be a better fit due to my strengths in high-level strategic decision making as opposed to operational management.”

Oliver knew these strengths would work to his advantage as a Managing Director of an established company with middle level management in place. From there, he successfully acquired a manufacturing business in May 2022. Since taking over, he has doubled the revenue of the company and is now in the process of acquiring 2 new companies.

Find out more: Instagram – @olivermgilbert

Anton Bailey is the owner and founder of record label and music events company, Invicta and Events Manager at Lakota, Bristol. Read his blog for a masterclass in being adaptable.

Finding the right balance

Having always been entrepreneurial, Anton knew he wanted both the university experience and to play to his strengths. When drawn to Bristol for the music and nightlife, he found Team Entrepreneurship at UWE Bristol and knew it was exactly what he wanted.

An ability to adapt

Fuelled by his passion for DJing and music Anton founded his first business, a live music events company called Invicta. When the pandemic stunted that industry, Anton kept the brand alive by turning it into a record label, to engage and connect artists and music lovers online.

Anton reflects that this period gave him time to invest in the brand and grow the number of Invicta followers from around 800 to over 10,000.

“This huge community meant that during the easing of lockdown restrictions, Invicta could scale up from smaller events and then branch out to UK wide venues with sell-out success.” 

One of his proudest moments is when Invicta won Best Newcomer Label at the international Drum and Bass Awards in 2022. His dream is to run a festival and music-wise, to work with bigger artists and achieve bigger releases.

Secrets of success

On the TE course, Anton found self-motivation was rewarded with independence and trust.

“UWE had a great attitude; when Invicta took off at the same time as assignments were due, I was supported by extra time, encouraged and the business activity was valued. After all, it’s part of the course!”

Anton credits networking with other TE alumni and working hard in DJ and venue promotion roles with growing his knowledge and experience. TE gave a solid base of transferrable business skills and the ethos to learn and adapt.

Find out more: Instagram – @antoninvicta

Dr. Ed Little and Clare Mackay

Environmental self-identity, pro-environmental behaviours, and motivations

Our research on the 2022 edition of the music festival Boomtown Fair examines festivalgoers’ environmental self-identity (i.e. the extent to which they perceive themselves to be environmentally friendly) in relation to the environmentally responsible behaviours they adopt in their everyday lives (van der Werff, Steg, and and Keiser, 2013).  Festivalgoers were also asked to rate the extent to which they agree or disagree that the environmentally friendly behaviours they engage in are driven by different motivations (DEFRA, 2011).   

Sample size and characteristics 

1031 festivalgoers completed our pre-festival survey, and 383 festivalgoers completed our post-festival survey.  

• The average age of the festivalgoers who completed the surveys is 24 – 31, and most are aged 18 – 31.   

• The average educational level of respondents is NVQ or equivalent.   

• The average income level of respondents is £20 000 – £30 000. 

Motivations for choice of mode of transport 

A strong and significant relationship exists between the respondents’ environmental self-identity and their pro-environmental behaviours (0.55, p. < 0.001).  Yet, when examining the relationship between respondents’ environmental self-identity and their transport choices, no significant relationship exists (r = 0.053, p. = 0.207).  Respondents’ choice of mode of transport is motivated primarily by cost (mean =5.78), closely followed by the distance they are travelling (mean = 5.76).   

These findings are consistent across the pre- and post-festival survey datasets, highlighting their validity and reliability.   

Takeaways 

• Our findings highlight the importance of infrastructure, and trusted, and affordable public services and initiatives that ensure that people are safe to walk the streets, cycle, and travel via public transport day and night, and can store their bicycle securely if cycling. 
• Businesses promoting sustainable transport options should use price and/or price-related special offers in their marketing communications.  Highlighting convenience will also be effective. 
• In the context of work, working from home provides employees with the opportunity to reduce their outgoings through saving money on travel (while also providing them with the opportunity for greater work-life balance).  This opportunity should be offered by globally conscious employers committed to contributing to mitigating global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to help small island developing states to maximise their chances of combating climate change.   
• For leisure, virtual events similarly eliminate travel costs while simultaneously increasing accessibility.   
• Businesses opening new offices, premises or planning a live event should ensure they choose a location or venue that is easily accessible by foot, scooter/bicycle or via public transport nodes.   

For the last month, the Stakeholder Engagement team at the College of Business and Law have had a guest with us on placement. This is part of an initiative set up by an amazing Community Interest Company called The Women’s Work Lab.

Jenease Augustine has joined us and very quickly become a part of the team. It’s been amazing to show her different areas of our work as well as introducing her to colleagues across the University. We’ve enjoyed seeing her interest grow and have appreciated the energy and enthusiasm she’s brought to the team.

This article was written by Jen on her final day of placement with us. Here she shares her story about the power of Women’s Work Lab, and the value provided by many organisations, like UWE, in offering work placements.

“My placement at UWE Bristol and my time with the CBL Stakeholder Engagement Team has been the best experience ever. My colleagues Elaine, Rachel, and Rose have been welcoming and amazing from the start. I have learnt so much and gained a lot from being on my placement and I can’t thank them enough. The skills and knowledge I have gained will stay with me throughout my continued professional development. Coming to UWE has encouraged me to further my education and get myself a degree and I’m absolutely buzzing. Working so closely with the CBL team and seeing how UWE put so much focus, care, and attention into their students and their university experience, just solidified my choice to continue my education here with them.

Coming in as a single mother having been out of education for many years the thought of returning to education was never on the cards. That all changed the moment I stumbled across Women’s Work Lab and the experience has changed my life in more ways than I could ever imagine. My confidence has grown. I’ve built up my self-esteem and completely changed how I view myself. I have big dreams and visions that I never had before. Women’s Work Lab helped me to see that potential, highlighted my strengths, and gave me the confidence to go after opportunities I never would have explored.

I’ve come to know and form lifelong bonds with the women in my group. We have lifted each other up and encouraged one another in so many ways. The group has had a great impact on us all. We all come from different backgrounds and have very different stories. Through this experience we’ve been able to learn and grow together. We’ve become more than a group of women; we’ve created a sisterhood.

Through sharing our individual experiences, we’ve been able to see that although we have different stories and backgrounds, we have a lot in common and can relate to each other and from there we’ve built positive relationships. We created a WhatsApp group to keep in touch with each other. We’ve formed bonds within the group and some of us even met up outside of WWL, introduced our children, and went on days out.

Day by day we’ve taken small steps towards helping ourselves. This hasn’t been easy and at times has felt like a rollercoaster of emotions for every single one of us. I think I can speak for all of us in saying Women’s Work Lab saved our lives. Through the workshops and group sessions we have learned our values and strengths. We have self-reflected and gained insight into where we all see ourselves. One thing we have all learned and must never forget is we are all remarkable women and nothing and no one can take that away from us.”

By James Barker, Rishna Bhadain, and Syeda Rahman

On 10/03/2023, the South West Fraud Forum hosted its first annual conference at Foot Anstey LLP in Bristol. In this post, three Law of Financial Crime students at the University of the West of England reflect on their experience of attending the conference.   

The Speakers  

The conference was introduced by Steven Richards and James Gliddon (both Co-Chairs of the South West Fraud Forum). The speakers were the Right Hon. the Baroness Morgan of Cotes (Chair of the Fraud Act 2006 and Digital Fraud Committee), Andy Baguley (Lead for Force Engagement and Performance, City of London Police) and Dr Henry Hillman (Lecturer in Law, University of Reading).  

The Right Hon. the Baroness Morgan of Cotes 

The conference began with a keynote speech from Baroness Nicky Morgan, the Chair of the Inquiry into the Fraud Act 2006 and Digital Fraud Committee. This inquiry resulted in a report called ‘Fighting Fraud: Breaking the Chain’. Amongst other aims, the Inquiry assessed how the Fraud Act is applied in practice and explored reform ideas.  

Baroness Morgan’s illustrious political career proved to give a refreshing insight into the state of current fraud policy. She noted that the Government are taking serious steps in introducing a new fraud strategy. This long-awaited strategy could prove of great impact to the landscape of economic crime and its policy. 

Building on the introduction of a Failure to Prevent Offences for bribery and tax evasion, Baroness Morgan informed us that the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill introduces a new clause, i.e., an ‘offence of failure to prevent fraud’, which has been the subject of great debate.  

Baroness Morgan also explained that the Online Safety Bill contains important measures for prevention of fraudulent content and scam advertisements. The Bill imposes a duty upon large online platforms and search engines to prevent paid-for scam advertisements from appearing on their platforms.  

Overall, the Baroness’s keynote address was impressive, to say the least. She was calm, composed, and well-spoken, which was unsurprising considering her credentials.  

Andy Baguley 

Andy began his presentation by exhibiting statistics in relation to fraud. For example, it accounts for 41% of all crime in England and Wales.  

Andy identified the role carried out by the City of London Police, including investigatory work and the promotion of workplace due diligence. Their main goals are pursuing fraudsters, empowering the public, and stopping and blocking fraud.  

Andy emphasised that the City of London Police tends to prioritise victim care. This can be seen through the creation of the National Economic Crime Victim Care Unit, which focuses on leadership and coordination of victim care. A significant amount of funding has also been invested in the Economic and Cyber Crime Academy, which is focused on development and training within the police.  

He explained that whilst there has been a positive introduction of Action Fraud, they still do not have the capacity to investigate all cases. The new Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting and Analysis System is due to go live in April 2024 and will be considered as the new Action Fraud.  

Andy also explained that the Fraud Strategy will establish Key Performance Indicators for policing within the Strategic Policing Requirement, placing additional pressure on the police to investigate fraud.  

Overall, Andy Baguley’s professional talk reassured the audience that the City of London Police’s objectives seem promising and endeavour to make important strides in combating fraud.  

Dr Henry Hillman  

Henry explained that cryptocurrency is prominent within the UK and refers to an alternative form of digitally buying and selling assets. There is no central authority or central bank regulating cryptocurrency.  

Henry explained that the liquidity and open access of cryptocurrency creates a strong sense of appeal. However, the very nature of cryptocurrencies means there is little to no protection for the consumer. Additionally, consumers investing in cryptocurrency tend to be more elusive; they are often unwilling to disclose information, making it difficult to detect fraud and harder to help victims.  

Henry identified several types of cryptocurrency fraud: 

1. Initial coin offerings (ICO) – Companies launch ICOs in the form of a new coin for investors. These are barely regulated and often used to scam unsuspecting consumers.
2. Rug pulls – Crypto scams whereby creators lie to the public for financial gain, such as ‘OneCoin’. 
3. Limited sell orders – Coins bought by consumers that are deemed useless as they are coded to allow only the developer to sell the coin, such as ‘Squid Tokens.’ 
4. Pump and Dumps – Creators force a price rise on a token while holding large amounts and then sell overinflated stocks.  

Initial steps have been taken by the UK Government to register virtual assets. However, by April 2022, only 34 firms had registered.  

Overall, Henry Hillman managed to take a complex matter and explain it very simply. His presentation was factual and elucidative. 

Conclusion  

The South West Fraud Forum’s first annual conference was a great initiative whereby various professionals received information and feedback on ongoing efforts. The day proved insightful and proactive to the issue of fraud and the forum itself is providing detailed and useful information to businesses, banks, and legislators. This event pushed the need for further awareness on fraud and was useful to anyone that attended. 

UWE CPD at Bristol Business School are pleased to be offering a new 5-day course; “Creativity & Innovation for Strategic Leaders”.

This course is designed to familiarise participants with the important aspects of innovation and provide frameworks and practical tips to implement innovation in their own teams / organisations. By learning about why organisations struggle with innovation, participants will come away with insight into how they can overcome this to create and capture value.

On completion of this course participants will:

• Understand the need for innovation within an organisation
• Assess an opportunity for innovation and improvement in own organisation
• Understand organisational and team-level factors required to support creativity and innovation
• Gain and use a range of tools and techniques to generate and lead innovative options to deliver the improvement identified
• Understand the innovation implementation process and how best to organise for innovation to enhance performance

The learning on this course is experiential and enquiry based. Each of the five days include a balance of theory input, practice exercises, peer feedback and discussion.

If you are interested in this course, the dates and further information can be found below:

Date	Time	Location
18 April 2023	09:30 – 16:30	Online
2 May 2023	09:30 – 16:30	Online
16 May 2023	09:30 – 16:30	Online
6 June 2023	09:30 – 16:30	Online
26 June 2023	09:30 – 16:30	Frenchay Campus

For more information including fees, please click here.

The booking form can be accessed by clicking here.

If you have any questions about the course, please contact us via the enquiry form linked here.