On the 15th of November as part of Enterprise Week (12th-16th November 2007), Brackenwood Windows and Conservatories opened their doors to 30 students from the Cranbourne Business and Enterprise College - for an inspiring entrepreneurial afternoon.

The inspirational event comprised of a series of exciting talks from some of Basingstoke’s leading entrepreneurs followed by a workshop during which the students actively invented their own business idea.

The students then pitched their ideas to the Dragon’s Den style panel and the Judge, Mr David Medcraft - the founder & Managing Director of Brackenwood Windows. The event was such a success that similar ones will be run in the future involving more students, schools, charities and local businesses.

Running between 1 p.m. - 4 p.m, the Enterprise Week afternoon kicked off with an unbeatable line up of speakers including David Medcraft, Brackenwood’s Managing Director, Liz Jackson, Managing Director of Great Guns Marketing (a telemarketing company) and Jane Stewart, the Marketing Manager from Basingstoke shopping center Festival Place.

The second part of the afternoon was run by Basingstoke Consortium, the town’s education business partnership and involved students being split into groups, undertaking the task of inventing their own business idea aimed at teenage in Basingstoke.

Judged by David Medcraft, two awards were given out, one for the best overall business idea and another for the best presentation. The winning group named their company U-18, a youth centre with games arcade and a juice bar, which aspired not only to be a place for teenages to hang-out with plenty of entertainment but also to provided a teen-friendly and healthy alternative to coffee houses and was awarded the Duncan Bannatyne’s book, ‘Anyone Can Do It’.

Commenting on the event, David enthused, “This has been a fantastic opportunity to carry on our 20th year celebrations and we are delighted, with other local businesses in the area, to have been able to give something back to the community and to share our business acumen. We are now going to run this event annually and next year’s will be even larger involving more students, more local bodies and more local businesses.”

During the talks, each speaker told the students their fascinating story of how they built their business from scratch, what kept them going along the way, what motivated them and what tips they had to pass on to encourage individuals to follow their dreams.

The talks commenced with David Medcraft, who explained the motivating story of how he went from being a double-glazing salesman to founding and managing a Windows and Conservatories company which now turns over more than £6.5 million annually. David, who went to The Willink School, explained how he had always wanted to own a business and how he was driven to outrival competition from other windows and conservatories companies. Using techniques and knowledge gained from his job as a salesman, David arranged a loan with Natwest and turned a bedroom at a house in Burghfield Common into an office and set the company up.

Today, with over 80 members of staff, Brackenwood’s company ethos remains the same as the day it started: hard work, first class customer service and treating all staff equally. The company has completed over 30,000 window and door contracts. David’s ambitions for the company continue to prosper; he aims through organic growth and acquisition to grow the company to a turnover of £10 million within three years.

The second speaker was Jane Stewart, Marketing Manager from Festival Place shopping centre, who explained her story, how after an immense amount of training, qualifications and various jobs, she found her niche role in Marketing for Basingstoke’s 1.1 million square foot shopping and leisure destination centre. Jane arrived in Festival Place in September 2000, and was instrumental in devising the Festival Place brand up to and including the opening of the centre in October 2002. Since then Jane bases her success on her wide-ranging education, experiences and the training she has completed. Since the opening of the centre she has worked alongside Festival Place’s landlords, Grosvenor to develop the marketing strategy for the centre, winning two industry-recognised Purple Apple Awards for brand advertising.

The last speaker was the renowned Liz Jackson from Great Guns Marketing, Basingstoke. Liz wrapped up the talks with her inspirational story of how she began as a telecommunications assistant and went on to start her telemarketing company in 1998 with the help of the Prince’s Trust, from whom she received £1,000 grant and a £4,000 loan. Today, Great Guns Marketing is turning over nearly £3 million and growing at a rate of 45 percent per annum. With eight branches across the UK and Ireland, the company is booming. By the end of 2008, Liz plans to have sixteen Great Guns branches all set up and running smoothly.

For Liz especially, this is an amazing achievement as she is totally blind. The year Liz started her business, aged 25, she lost her sight completely to Retinitis Pigmentosa. However, this didn’t stop her from pursuing her dreams. Liz received an MBE from Her Majesty The Queen in this year’s New Year’s honours in recognition of services to business.

David Medcraft comments on the importance of Enterprise Week: “Many young people are motivated to start their own business but just do not believe they can. During our Enterprise Week afternoon we sought to inspire students from Cranbourne College to have dreams and ideas, and more importantly to make them happen, whether they dream of starting their own business or social venture or of being the best in their industry when they enter the world of work. It is down to all of us to encourage and support the younger generation - especially teachers, parents and employers and of course entrepreneurs.”

For press enquiries please contact:

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For reader enquiries please contact:

Brackenwood Windows
Brackenwood House
Kimbell Road
Basingstoke
RG22 4AT
Tel: 0800 25 35 45
www.brackenwood.com

For education business link enquiries:

Basingstoke Consortium
First Floor
The Farmhouse
Viables Craft Centre
The Harrow Way
Basingstoke
Hants
RG22 4BJ
Tel: 01256 840710
Fax: 01256 460327
Email: info@bas-consort.org.uk
Website: www.basingstokeconsortium.com