CAPTION: Be the Boss

[Intoductory music]

AMIT GILL: My name is Amit Gill and I'm a photographer.

DANIELLE VASSELL: My name is Danielle Vassell and I'm a recent business management graduate and my business is called LittleMight.

TYRA TUCKER: My name is Tyra Tucker. I'm a second year international relations and diplomacy student and my business is called Culture Scoop.

DAVID HAMBLING: My name is David Hambling. I'm a recent graduate from the University of Derby and my business is called The Joy of Pages.

DANNIEBELLE GUNTER: My name is Danniebelle Gunter. I'm a third-year student studying child family and well-being and my company is called Social-ise... Watch this space!

CAPTION:  Describe your business:

DANIELLE VASSELL: LittleMight is an online premature baby clothing business purposely set up to raise awareness of premature babies within the UK. It's basically to help people to be more socially ethical, so it's about using social media in a positive way.

TYRA TUCKER: Culture Scoop is a website that offers a variety of different content and topics about world culture and it also helps connect people with different travel resources.

DAVID HAMBLING: Currently it's a typesetting and editorial service but I'm expanding into publishing.

CAPTION: How did you find out about “Be The Boss”?

AMIT GILL: I was going to take a year out and look for a job and my careers adviser a lovely lady called Debbie suggested Be The Boss scheme about setting up a business and then I could get some money towards the goal of becoming a professional photographer.

DANIELLE VASSELL: My email happened to pop up saying there's a program called Be The Boss.

TYRA TUCKER: I was so excited to start my own business but I did not know where to start. I was online one day and I saw an advertisement for starting your own business and I thought this couldn't be true - it was too good to be true that the University offers help.

DAVID HAMBLING: I went to a careers meeting with a lovely lady called Rachel Wright and she suggested it after she saw I wasn't very happy working for another company. She gave me the idea of Be The Boss.

CAPTION: How did “Be The Boss” help you?

AMIT GILL: I've been working part-time and saved enough money to build my business so with Be The Boss it was wonderful because I was able to get a bursary and buy certain equipment and certain lenses.

DANIELLE VASSELL: I received advice about how to find the right market for my business; pursuing my business each day; not giving up on it and enabling myself to network and find the right people who can help my business grow.

DANNIEBELLE GUNTER: I did the Be The Boss introductory course and then from there they said you know you can get a bursary if you attend all these workshops and then from that I made my concept.

TYRA TUCKER: I went to the workshops and they really helped me get my concept better than a website, helped you figure out how I need to budget properly,  kind of just opened up a different avenue to meet new people that are also inspired by starting their own business so it's a great motivation factor.

DAVID HAMBLING: I got initial advice on how to set up a business but then advice on how to run the business and then the importance of going to networking events.

CAPTION: What advice would you give?

AMIT GILL: To do plenty of research, to ask questions, to network and most importantly be willing to just go with a passion.

DANIELLE VASSELL: Go for it! Whatever business idea you have you, you are able to fulfill it and don't let anyone and nothing stop you if you able to do it.

DANNIEBELLE GUNTER: So yeah, the advice that I would give is just do it. You know, there's people that say "what if this happens, what if that happens", but it's not their life, it's yours.

TYRA TUCKER: I think just put in as much work as you can per day and to keep going and to continue the vision, as well as always asking for help, ask from people who've done it before.

DAVID HAMBLING: It'll sound really cliched but do it. It's one of the best things I've ever done and if you can be your own boss then there's nothing quite like that feeling.

CAPTION: What impact has Be The Boss had?

DANIELLE VASSELL:  It changed my life dramatically, I've met some wonderful people.

DANNIEBELLE GUNTER: Be The Boss just kind of transformed my life and the money that I've been given, I've been able to buy things like a MacBook Pro and stuff like that which is going to be an investment for the future.

TYRA TUCKER: When I enrolled with Be The Boss it really helped me get my foot in the door and it helped me get more serious about it and as well they offered the bursary so it was more of a realistic way to start my dream and to create my website.

[End music]

CAPTION: Here’s to tomorrow’s aspiring change-makers. We’re ready when you are. Call 01332 591316, email betheboss@derby.ac.uk or visit www.derby.ac.uk/betheboss to find out more.

Be the Boss video

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