As members of the award-winning For Entrepreneurs Only (FEO), a Hull-based community interest company comprising more than 200 entrepreneurs, the group supports students at schools and colleges through its ‘NxGen’ workshops.

Each session encourages participants to explore the different aspects of creating a successful business – from having the right attitude and good people skills, through to effective marketing strategies and strong financial management.

Year 8 students at Withernsea High School were among those who recently benefited from this masterclass in entrepreneurship.

Working in groups, the students were tasked with developing their own unique product or service and creating a business plan for it. Each team member took on a different role within their ‘company’, with representatives from FEO on-hand to deliver expert advice and guidance as the students prepared to present their ideas.

Presentations were judged on the quality of the business idea, marketing considerations, projected finances, the attitude of team members and presentation skills. The teams presented a high standard of ideas, making it a challenging task for the judges to select the top three.

The winning proposal came from team ‘Your Huge Shoes’, a designer shoe company for larger feet. Team members Grace, Lucy, Daisy, Holly and Ethan were praised for their idea and for delivering a confident and well-thought-out pitch.

In addition to the team awards, five individual students were recognised as ‘budding entrepreneurs’ by FEO members for their excellent attitude, behaviour and future potential. These awards went to Dylan, Florence, Elliot, Curtis and Jethro.

Winning team member Holly said: “I really enjoyed the workshop as it taught us a lot about starting your own business, including the financial side of things and marketing techniques”. While individual award winner Jethro added: “It was really good that we could choose our own business idea and the session helped to teach us how to make a business work. I’d really recommend the workshop to anyone who is interested in learning about becoming their own boss.”

April Thurston, FEO manager and administration and events coordinator, led the masterclass. April praised the students for their engagement and business acumen, saying: “It is always a pleasure to attend Withernsea High School. The students were all fully engaged throughout the day and came up with some great business ideas.

“The FEO NxGen is a group of business owners who volunteer their time to help inspire young people to become entrepreneurs, a career path that can, given hard work, resilience and determination, reap rewards on so many levels.

“To encourage entrepreneurship in Hull and the surrounding areas can only benefit the region with regards to employment, skill set and, of course, inspiring entrepreneurship in the next generation.”

Jan Brumby, FEO chief executive, added: “FEO's main objective is to help grow the local economy in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire. We need more wealth creation, more quality high paying jobs, more money spent locally and it staying in the local economy. We also need more opportunity for young people to develop their careers here, rather than having to look elsewhere. We prioritise help, support and advice for starting businesses and growth.

“The students at Withernsea always show lots of entrepreneurial flair at our NxGen days and we always look forward to their business ideas and presentations.”

Among the entrepreneurs who lent their time and talents to the masterclass were event company owner Emma Winter, marketing managers Chris Jacobsen (Slice Marketing), Matt Johnson (Different Resonance) and Mark Titcombe (Holler Marketing), and Graeme Pittaway – managing director of painting and decorating contractors, C.E. Pittaway & Son.

Viki Foster, Withernsea High School careers leader, reflected on the day's activities, saying: “It was great to welcome FEO back to the school. As always, the masterclass sessions offered our students a full day of fun activities and inspiring talks from local business owners.

“The students who took part were fully engaged and were a credit to themselves and to the school. FEO members were really impressed by students’ business knowledge and their awareness of the financial markets, with many of them being picked out for recognition thanks to their in-depth and knowledgeable conversations about business.

“Events such as the NxGen masterclass are crucial in expanding students’ horizons by inspiring confidence, creativity and resilience. I would like to thank the FEO team for giving up their time to deliver these workshops to our students who I know greatly enjoyed themselves and benefited from the experience.”

FEO's goal is to help entrepreneurs create wealth and jobs to build the local economy and create a private sector renaissance. Through regular events and initiatives, FEO members aim to motivate, educate, inspire, and support others - offering their time, energy, passion and resources to help promote Hull and the Humber region as a great place to start up and run a business.

FEO run a number of peer-led programmes which support and help people starting a new business. They provide business advice and strategy for growth to established businesses as well as fostering entrepreneurial ambitions in the next generation. FEO's members collectively turn over more than £4 billion and employ 25,000 people.

For further information about FEO, please visit their website: www.forentrepreneursonly.co.uk 

ABOVE: Graeme Pittaway, managing director of painting and decorating contractors C.E. Pittaway & Son, looks on during one of the group presentations.