Claire Young
Times may be challenging in the business world, but outstanding entrepreneurs across the UK are keeping ahead of the game with their ingenuity and innovation. Celebrating these small business success stories, BT Business Essence of the Entrepreneur 2009 is an annual search looking for inspirational British companies who are using technology to drive their business forward.
Claire Young - who some of you may remember as ‘that gobby one’ from The Apprentice - is one of the judges on this year’s panel, and I caught up with her to chat about her new consultancy and venue management company, losing a whopping three stone in weight and of course, Sir Alan Sugar.
Hey Claire, what are you getting up to at the moment?
Well I came out of The Apprentice and turned down some very lovely job offers and decided to start my own business, id reached the point where I knew I needed to take a risk and that it was now of never.
So I started a consultancy which is doing really well and it sounds awful but with the credit crunch people’s business problems have been good for me and then about six months ago we hit a gap in the hospitality market and started our business called Elegant Venues which sees us work with private propitiates, it could be different types - we have converted barns and stately homes and we do most of business in weddings, but we are starting to do more corporate business now so it worked out well.
It’s hard work though, people who work in events usually work seven days a week because it’s a service industry and people expect more for their money, but if you are good at what you do they will come back to you and that’s how you build up a reputation. Touch wood it’s all going well so far though!
Outside of business I do a lot of work with young people and I’ve done National Apprentice Week with Sir Alan Sugar and National Council For Young Entrepreneurs too as well as a company called Biz. I’m doing a lot of work with graduates actually because obviously with people graduating we’re not going to have enough jobs.
I also do public speaking and some TV work too, and I’ve lost three and a half stone! I did a bikini shoot with Fabulous magazine. [FF: Oh Claire, well done! How did you do that?] I stopped drinking, stopped eating rubbish and started to run and now I’ve signed up to do the London Marathon next year.
That’s amazing, I’m trying to lose weight too but I can’t seem to shift it…
Well I did it in bursts, I lost two and a half stone from September 18 to December 11 and then I chilled out a bit because I was working so hard. Then I did about another stone in three weeks. So I just really go for it and then try to plateau then I’ll do it again on August 1.
So what do you do? I need it!
I met with my trainer and she said that the only thing I could do is to run. And honestly, I just got bitten by the bug, and I know it’s really cliché, but a healthy body is a healthy mind. I am so busy 24/7 you see, that running for a hour… aside from feeling your bum and legs toning as you running - and you burn like 700 calories in a hour -you completely clear your head.
Wow, I’m going to swap the gym for a run this week then, but you’ve also been likened to Kimberly Walsh from Girls Aloud because you’re such a great role model to young women by proving you don’t have to have an eating disorder to be a success… how does that make you feel?
Well it was very flattering that when I did my bikini shoot for Fabulous Magazine they also had Mel B on the front cover and online, on every click on her they had eight clicks on mine and I think that it’s because I was a big size 16 but half the country is a size 16 so people can relate to that and I can’t turn around and say something like “Oh I lost four stone in two weeks” I did it from September to May so it’s been really great.
Obviously being involved in with BT on their Essence of the Entrepreneur 2009 campaign has been really great for me because business has become quite fashionable thanks to shows like The Apprentice and Dragons Den. I knew of business because my dad was a businessman, but if your family background isn’t about business you wouldn’t have a clue about it and I think it’s really good that it gives people the opportunity to do something. Winning £10,000 towards your business is great, I started my own business and £10,000 is a significant amount of cash with which you can get yourself started.
So tell us a bit about the BT Business Essence of the Entrepreneur 2009 campaign then
Well entries are open now on the BT website and they close on the 31st August and from there we will choose 20 finalists , who will all get a photoshoot with Rankin, which I excellent because if he chooses to photograph you his fee starts at £10,000 a day, so even if you don’t win the £10,000 prize money, if you have that photo done by Rankin, you can pop it onto your website homepage and it will look fantastic.
So what’s the key thing to running a business then?
Well to be honest, technology is so important, and broadband internet is so important to a business. When you’re setting things up on your own you can look at your cash flow and think; “Do I really need an office?” and a lot of the time as long as you have a laptop, good broadband and a Blackberry and a phone you can run a business from anywhere. It’s [BT Business Essence of the Entrepreneur Awards] all about celebrating businesses who use technology to establish themselves in the workplace.
You’re on the judging panel this year, so what are you looking for in an ideal entrepreneur?
Well I think you are an entrepreneur if you have that drive and hunger to keep on going. For example, someone like Simon Cowell lost all his money a while ago and went bankrupt and it’s the ability to have a really bad day in the office, draw a line under it, go to bed and wake up the next day and just start fighting again.
I have days in my business where I think, ‘what was I doing turning down those jobs with a nice, big pay packet’ but I wouldn’t have it any other way because I want to be in control of what I’m doing, and that’s what we want. We want someone who’s got the energy and the drive and who has fire in their belly whilst being innovate and new to the market.
So what would you do if you had someone with the passion but not a brilliant idea and then someone with a brilliant idea who was just lifeless almost?
Oooh, unfortunately I think you need to be able to marry the two together. Lots of the time I meet people who are so passionate about what they do but then I =ask them “have you done your research? who are you targeting here? Have you done a business plan?” and they’re like “No, No, No” and I’m just like, “Slow down and don’t waste your time” so many people dive off without even doing a business plan and it sounds harsh but if you’re not making any profit, it isn’t a business, it’s just a hobby, so ideally you want to take the two.
But I would say that someone with the drive, energy and a go getting attitude who doesn’t get it right the first time will keep going and eventually will hit the jackpot on something.
Exactly, so aside from the overall winner who will bag a £10,000 business grant from BT, you’re also going to award the titles of Best Male, Best Female and Best Young Entrepreneur as well as the Most Original Business Concept, so what will these guys get for their efforts?
Well there I only one winner who will get the £10,000 but I think they all come to the awards in January and have their photos taken by Rankin around and it’s a really nice evening and it’s great for your confidence to get to the final and the branding is great for your website and you can use it in the local press too when you’re talking to clients. I mean it would be lovely if everyone could win the £10,000 but there’s not a bottomless pit of cash…
Yeah, I know what you mean, also do you think with the economy as it is at the moment, people are giving up on their business dreams and choosing an easy life instead?
I think that whatever you want to achieve in life, whether you want to run a marathon or set a business up or find a boyfriend, if that’s your sole focus and all your energy and attitude is focused towards it then it will happen. It might not happen instantly, but you cant give up because as soon as you do there will be someone right behind you.
I remember when I was at school someone said to me; “you have to keep focused because there will always be someone tapping on your back saying ‘excuse me, can you get out of the way because I’m coming through to get what you want’” and that’s really stuck with me because I thought if I give up then it would kill me to see someone else set up a venue business for example and leave me thinking ‘what if?’
I hate that feeling of ‘what if I’d done that?’ I think it is difficult, because I’m not married, I don’t have any children, I don’t have anyone depending on me so it’s all me, so if I lose all my money taking a risk, it’s fine. But I can understand that people who have a family might be a bit more wary because you’re got to pay a mortgage and pay your bills but there comes a point with any business that you have to take a risk.
Good point, now do you think you’re time on The Apprentice has helped your business because lets face it, EVERYONE was talking about you!
Definitely in the sense that it’s given me a great platform and I’ve met so many interesting people and I think a lot of business is about networking and contacts. In some ways The Apprentice can be a bit of a hindrance like when I’m in a business meeting and people want to know if Alan Sugar is as short as he looks on TV and whether or not he sits on a booster seat…
But I’ve got to appreciate that The Apprentice has given me so much, so I often have to have and Apprentice conversation with people before I have a normal conversation! But for me the experience helped me learn a lot about myself; I never realised I was such a big gob, and I learnt to stop being so naive about other people and I obviously learnt a lot about business and in the last year I have completely changed my life.
I do have days where I’m absolutely exhausted and I haven’t slept for about a week, but it’s all worth it because I have a plan and I know where I’m going.
That’s amazing, now finally, since The Apprentice you've relocated from London to the Country with your business. How have you found it?'
It has been brilliant but challenging! I love having more space and spending less time in traffic. The downside, however, is the broadband access in rural areas is somewhat limited and this makes things very challenging when running a business! Business is now longer 9-5 and you need to be available 24/7 - particularly as Elegant Venues is a service based operation.
About 25% of rural places can't access broadband and it really is a disadvantage. I've joined forces with the CLA (Country Land Owners and Business Association) to head a campaign to change this. It's time to take some action and make a change! Rural areas need every opportunity they can to stay afloat so this is why I'm so passionate about supporting it.
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison
The BT Business Essence of Entrepreneur campaign celebrates the achievements of inspiring UK entrepreneurs that have succeeded with technology. Twenty winners will be selected to have their portrait captured by renowned photographer Rankin plus one business will win £10,000. To find out more visit www.bt.com/entrepreneur
Times may be challenging in the business world, but outstanding entrepreneurs across the UK are keeping ahead of the game with their ingenuity and innovation. Celebrating these small business success stories, BT Business Essence of the Entrepreneur 2009 is an annual search looking for inspirational British companies who are using technology to drive their business forward.
Claire Young - who some of you may remember as ‘that gobby one’ from The Apprentice - is one of the judges on this year’s panel, and I caught up with her to chat about her new consultancy and venue management company, losing a whopping three stone in weight and of course, Sir Alan Sugar.
Hey Claire, what are you getting up to at the moment?
Well I came out of The Apprentice and turned down some very lovely job offers and decided to start my own business, id reached the point where I knew I needed to take a risk and that it was now of never.
So I started a consultancy which is doing really well and it sounds awful but with the credit crunch people’s business problems have been good for me and then about six months ago we hit a gap in the hospitality market and started our business called Elegant Venues which sees us work with private propitiates, it could be different types - we have converted barns and stately homes and we do most of business in weddings, but we are starting to do more corporate business now so it worked out well.
It’s hard work though, people who work in events usually work seven days a week because it’s a service industry and people expect more for their money, but if you are good at what you do they will come back to you and that’s how you build up a reputation. Touch wood it’s all going well so far though!
Outside of business I do a lot of work with young people and I’ve done National Apprentice Week with Sir Alan Sugar and National Council For Young Entrepreneurs too as well as a company called Biz. I’m doing a lot of work with graduates actually because obviously with people graduating we’re not going to have enough jobs.
I also do public speaking and some TV work too, and I’ve lost three and a half stone! I did a bikini shoot with Fabulous magazine. [FF: Oh Claire, well done! How did you do that?] I stopped drinking, stopped eating rubbish and started to run and now I’ve signed up to do the London Marathon next year.
That’s amazing, I’m trying to lose weight too but I can’t seem to shift it…
Well I did it in bursts, I lost two and a half stone from September 18 to December 11 and then I chilled out a bit because I was working so hard. Then I did about another stone in three weeks. So I just really go for it and then try to plateau then I’ll do it again on August 1.
So what do you do? I need it!
I met with my trainer and she said that the only thing I could do is to run. And honestly, I just got bitten by the bug, and I know it’s really cliché, but a healthy body is a healthy mind. I am so busy 24/7 you see, that running for a hour… aside from feeling your bum and legs toning as you running - and you burn like 700 calories in a hour -you completely clear your head.
Wow, I’m going to swap the gym for a run this week then, but you’ve also been likened to Kimberly Walsh from Girls Aloud because you’re such a great role model to young women by proving you don’t have to have an eating disorder to be a success… how does that make you feel?
Well it was very flattering that when I did my bikini shoot for Fabulous Magazine they also had Mel B on the front cover and online, on every click on her they had eight clicks on mine and I think that it’s because I was a big size 16 but half the country is a size 16 so people can relate to that and I can’t turn around and say something like “Oh I lost four stone in two weeks” I did it from September to May so it’s been really great.
Obviously being involved in with BT on their Essence of the Entrepreneur 2009 campaign has been really great for me because business has become quite fashionable thanks to shows like The Apprentice and Dragons Den. I knew of business because my dad was a businessman, but if your family background isn’t about business you wouldn’t have a clue about it and I think it’s really good that it gives people the opportunity to do something. Winning £10,000 towards your business is great, I started my own business and £10,000 is a significant amount of cash with which you can get yourself started.
So tell us a bit about the BT Business Essence of the Entrepreneur 2009 campaign then