paula mckenna

"I have recently graduated with first class honours from London College of Fashion, where I was studying Product Development for the Fashion Industries.

I first visited the Enterprise Centre last year when I was half way through my final project, because I was keen to develop the concept further upon graduation. I was working on an idea which stemmed from the UK sizing survey conducted in 2001, which has resulted in an online mass customisation service for the womenswear apparel market. The idea involves the interaction of the individual with 3D body mapping applications, online selection and customisation to offer a very specific personalised service to the customer of the 21st century.

Around March, I visited the Enterprise Centre to gain information about cash flow and locating premises etc. The staff were extremely welcoming and helpful in offering me relevant information and also in providing contacts for accountants or solicitors.

They put me in touch with agencies such as the Clerkenwell Green Association who were able to advise me on issues such as studio rental costs, insurance etc. We also went through the format of how a cash-flow forecast should be estimated - fundamental when approaching banks or investors. This advice was as beneficial to my final project as it was to the development of my business plan. It is only now since graduation, that I have had the time to complete my business plan, established the foundations of Designedbyme.org and returned to the Enterprise Centre for advice on copyright laws and intellectual property rights.

Funding is always a major issue for people starting up their own business, however it was also through my visits here that I received extensive advice on how to develop applications for The Deutsche Bank Pyramid awards and The Graduate Pioneer Awards at Nesta, which I have approached this year. As I am now at the stage where I am sourcing funding and investment to launch my business it helps to know that the staff here can be so supportive and informative to encourage me in the right direction.

The services offered at the Enterprise Centre have been absolutely imperative to my own business awareness and completion of my business plan and I’m extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to benefit from such a facility.

Designedbyme.org is still in its’ very early stages but aims to gradually establish itself in the market over the next two years. Without the assistance of the Enterprise Centre, the whole process of business planning and networking would have been a complete nightmare and probably taken twice as long!"

You can contact Paula via the Enterprise Centre.

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