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Claire Smith is a former Young Enterprise Company Programme participant. She set up her company, Caledonian Gifts, straight after leaving school. We asked her about her Young Enterprise Experiences!
Please tell us a bit about your company? "My company, Caledonian Gifts, specialises in producing luxury Scottish gifts and hampers, with a local slant. We focus primarily on "sourcing local" and aim to use small, independent, local companies to provide us with unique produce for our gifts. Our gifts range from small items for the table at a gala dinner, up to large wicker hampers. We also work with jute as a packaging medium - improving our green credentials is incredibly important in this day and age. Currently I operate as a sole trader." When did you set up your company? How long was this after doing the Company Programme?
Did doing the Programme at school make you feel more confident about setting up your own business? "Yes, Young Enterprise gave me the perfect grounding for setting up my own company as I had the opportunity to take my first tentative steps into the world of business through Young Enterprise." Do you think you would have set up your own busienss if you hadn't taken part in the Company Programme? "Probably not; before Young Enterprise, I'd never really shown much of an interest in the business world until this point in time." Have you used what you learned through the Young Enterprise programme in your own business? "Absolutely. Young Enterprise taught me the importance of meeting deadlines, providing great customer service and the importance of maintaining a good profit margin on everything you sell!" THE YOUNG ENTERPRISE COMPANY PROGRAMME When did you take part in the Young Enterprise Programme? "I took part in Young Enterprise in S5 and S6 at school and competed at the Scottish Finals in S6 as part of the Monifieth High School company." What role did you have in your school company? "I was Managing Director of Caledonian Creations."
"Our S6 company was Caledonian Creation. We created a product, "A Taste of Tayside" which was a small cake box filled with a few locally sourced items. This product sold 500 units at Christmas 2004 and 1100 for Christmas 2005. This was our main product, however we also produced hand-crafted Christmas cards and table decorations as well as providing a Valentine's Carnation Delivery Service. As a money spinner in the early days, we sold glowsticks at a Halloween Disco for junior pupils... Sold with a 400% mark up, I can admit now..." Is there any advice you would pass on to other young people interested in getting involved in the Programme? "GO FOR IT! Young Enterprise teaches you the lesson that a classroom situation never can. Suddenly business isn't just theory you study from a textbook. Whether or not you want to run your own business in the future is irrelevant. Young Enterprise gives a platform for developing team work, leadership and networking skills, plus many more attributes which are useful in the workplace." Anything else you would like to share about your experience? "Without a shadow of a doubt, Young Enterprise was one of the best experiences I had at Monifieth High School. After leaving school, I went on to become a business adviser for Grove Academy, who competed at national level back in June of this year. I am also a board member for Young Enterprise Tayside and am keen to drive the Programme forward over the coming years." Support Claire's business at www.caledoniangifts.co.uk See the current Christmas range here!
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"I set up my company straight after doing the Programme. I'd planned to go to university and study Journalism and English, but just before going, decided it really wasn't the right route for me."
Please tell us a bit about your school company.