Graduate and former Guild Officer’s start-up business success

Posted on: 7 March 2023 by Careers and Employability team in Blog

The Careers and Employability team spoke to graduate and former Guild Officer, Oba Akinwale about life after university, setting up his own business, overcoming obstacles his advice for anyone looking to bring their business idea to life.

Please tell us about your company – what you do and what inspired you to set up your own business

Loud Speaker was set up as a side-hustle back in December 2019 by myself, Oba Akinwale, and my best friend Calvin Eden – little did we know what was to come in March 2020!

We deliver unique, high-energy workshops that give learners the tools that enable them to speak professionally and leave them confident enough to take up opportunities. Across our 4 headline workshops, we cover topics such as public speaking, confidence building, personal storytelling, teamwork, leadership and so much more.

The workshops are full of huge icebreakers, social activities, disco anthems and loads of energy! We currently have 3 full-time staff, a part-time videographer and 20 casual staff dotted all around the country who support our workshop delivery.

We also have a sister company called Speak Easy that delivers similar workshop topics but for corporate clients and University students.

I’d love to tell you that the reason we set up Loud Speaker was that we saw that young people around the country were really struggling with self-confidence and maximising opportunities, but it was actually because public speaking was the only talent we had – so when our employers at the time offered us the opportunity to create a side hustle, we decided to try and pass on that skill to the young people we already worked with.

It was only through delivering the workshop that we realised just how powerful a tool public speaking is for building every young person’s confidence, and that this was our opportunity to make a difference in what is a real systemic issue.

How do your Loud Speaker sessions work – what messages do you hope to get across to the young people you’re working with?

We have three strategic aims that cover all of our workshops. Firstly, we aim to teach tangible skills that will be valuable in participants’ career journeys and in their wider lives post-education. Secondly, we want all of our workshops to be enjoyable and memorable experiences. Lastly, we simply aim to build young people’s confidence.

Our workshops are usually full-day events lasting around six hours, and our shortest workshops are typically half-day events lasting around three hours. This is because we aim to achieve a lot of difficult things through our workshops, and this takes time.

Our style of workshop delivery requires a delicate balance between super-fun, high-energy moments and the more hard-hitting, emotional parts. This is one of the most challenging aspects of our workshops, but it’s also what makes them a unique and memorable experience. Our coaches work incredibly hard to find this balance and deliver a workshop that achieves our strategic aims while being fun and engaging for all participants.

Why did you decide to stay in Liverpool to build your business?

Both Calvin and I came to the university in Liverpool a few years apart and fell in love with the city. As soon as I arrived, I knew this was the city for me, and Calvin felt the same way.

My favourite thing about Liverpool is its size – it’s small enough to get around with no stress but big enough that there’s always something new to do.

Loud Speaker has established a decent presence in Liverpool, working with institutions like Hugh Baird College, Childwall Sports & Science Academy, and Deyes High School. However, we would love to expand our reach and work with more schools and colleges across the entire city region.

Did you face any barriers or obstacles along the way, and how did you overcome them?

Four months into starting the business, Covid lockdowns began, which meant that delivering face-to-face workshops was no longer possible, and we had to pivot to digital delivery.

Being a small business, we were able to adapt quickly, and we learned everything we needed to in order to deliver engaging workshops through digital platforms.

This allowed us to gain a reputation for delivering impactful workshops, even without the in-person element that makes them so memorable.

Just as we were getting to grips with things, I was unfortunately made redundant during the second lockdown, but we used the extra time to run an online public speaking competition for young people in the north west called “The Big Speak,” which helped us spread public speaking skills to hundreds of young people for free and raised our profile.

The combination of these factors meant that when we were able to deliver face-to-face workshops again, we received more enquiries and bookings than we ever expected.

What are you plans for the future – next steps for your business?

The current plan is to really master the art of sales and marketing so we can work with as many schools and colleges as possible. We have just taken on a full-time Business Development Executive and we hope to bring in a Marketing Coordinator sooner rather than later.

Other than that, we really want to grow our Speak Easy brand to a similar scale to Loud Speaker, so if you know any companies or Universities looking to train up their staff/students, give us a shout!

Do you have any top tips to share with students who are looking to bring their business idea to life?

The first tip is to build a business in something that you are passionate about and enjoy. Long nights and weekends are often a part of building a business, especially in the early days, but having a true passion for what you are doing makes it feel less like work.

The second tip is to surround yourself with people you enjoy working with and who have different strengths and weaknesses than you. Calvin and I couldn’t have built Loud Speaker without each other, and having great people around you is essential for success.

Lastly, it is important to learn everything you can about sales and marketing. Even if you have the best product or service in the world, it won’t matter if you don’t know how to tell people about it. While there is always more to learn, it’s important to start learning now to give yourself a head start.

Make things happen with our enterprise programmes

The University of Liverpool Enterprise Fund offers students and recent graduates the chance to apply for awards varying from £500-£5,000 to support the development of an existing enterprise or early-stage business idea.

If you are looking to start a new enterprise or build entrepreneurial skills to be used in employment, then our Careers & Employability team can help you along the way.

Click here to find out more about the support available, and sign-up to the enterprise Green Room to keep up to date with all the latest news and events. 

From intern to emerging musician: Lydia Reece’s journey in marketing and music

Posted on: 7 November 2024 by Lydia Reece (BA Hons History with Popular Music 2022) in Blog

We recently reconnected with Lydia Reece, a recent graduate of Music and History, to hear about her inspiring career journey from Artistic Administration Intern at The Tung Auditorium to her current role as Marketing Assistant at marketing and publicity agency, One Fell Swoop. Alongside her growing career in marketing, Lydia is also making waves as an emerging musician and songwriter.

Tell us about your time at the University studying Music and History. What skills and experiences did your degree give you?

I studied at the University for three years and got a first-class degree in Music and History. I loved studying at the University, it was a really huge part of my life and gave me a gateway into the music industry. 

My skills and knowledge of the industry have developed from the lectures, workshops and tuition I received. I studied Music Performance and got a Diploma in my first instrument, my voice. I learnt about how the industry works fundamentally; marketing yourself as an artist; composition and songwriting; and mainly, developed a network of musicians around me which has been intrinsic to my development over the last five years. The University and The Tung Auditorium also provided me with some fantastic contacts and I owe my career to the experiences and opportunities that I've been given.

Tell us about your role as Tung Artistic Administration Graduate Intern. What did you gain from the role and what were the key benefits of having The Tung Auditorium as a student?

In 2023, I was successful in my application of the Artistic Administration graduate internship role at The Tung Auditorium. This was a 12-month position that gave me a whole wealth of experience in the music industry as well as a huge advantage when applying for industry work. My role involved planning and facilitating the effective delivery of concerts in The Tung Auditorium, communicating with artists and promoters, confirming tech / production requirements and programming a diverse, high-quality roster of artists for the Lunchtime Concert Series. 

I also gained valuable experience within the Marketing & Technical departments of the Tung and I learnt from a fantastic team of experienced professionals. The Tung Auditorium also supported my career as a musician, featuring me on my own lunchtime concert within the series to a packed out audience of 400 people - one of the best experiences I've had to date. 

As a student, The Tung Auditorium only opened halfway through my third year, but I still had the opportunity to perform in there as a student. It provides a fantastic state-of-the-art space for all types of Performance, but particularly Classical musicians, which is really important because I think that these types of spaces are often quite limited or not always available. It's also an amazing space for studying live sound and technology, working with the highest quality equipment and systems.

Tell us about your current role. How did you land the role and what's a typical day like for you?

I work at One Fell Swoop, and my role is 'Marketing Assistant'. As my internship was coming to an end, I saw the job posted online and thought that I was really well suited to role and had the relevant skills from my internship as well as the passion for the business and the music industry in Liverpool. 
One Fell Swoop provide a host of marketing / PR / communications and events services to a wide range of clients in Liverpool's arts, music and culture scene. One Fell Swoop also work with a lot of diverse art across the city, like Africa Oyé, Milap Indian Arts, LUMA Creations, Arab Arts Festival and more.

I love the variety in my workload. A typical day involves working with lots of different clients, which is so fast-paced and exciting, and as an avid music listener, working with African, Indian, Latin American (and others!) arts and culture is so interesting. 

I also think that my Marketing role is so beneficial to my work as a musician, as I have developed amazing working relationships with key contacts in the music industry and there's so much opportunity to network.

Do you have any advice for students wanting to pursue a similar role to you?

If you want to work in the music industry, it's all about making the most of the opportunities around you, or even creating those opportunities yourself. If you're at university, I'd definitely advise to get involved with as much as you can. Go to workshops, join societies, meet people. Or even, make your own society! Make your own network; you can create these opportunities for yourself if you are open and enthusiastic. 
I'd also try to get as much industry experience as possible, see if there are any work placements or part time jobs in the industry. I learnt the most from working industry professionals and being in that environment.

You’re an up-and-coming artist, can you tell us about this? Do you have any advice for students with similar ambitions?

I am an artist, musician and songwriter and I have just released my debut album. I manage my own music independently, have released original music globally and have been performing in Liverpool for over five years, as well as other places like London, Manchester, Bristol and Wales. 
Being a musician and a songwriter is hugely important to me - particularly performance and live music. I love releasing music and connecting with my audiences and I have the most supportive band, session musicians and co-writers who I met at university on my music course. Three years later, we are still creating music together and enjoying what we do. 

If you're an aspiring musician, artist or songwriter, you need to surround yourself with people who you can work with, people who support you and your art - collaboration has always worked the best for me. I think that's also the beauty of being in a city like Liverpool, where music is around every corner and the city is super friendly. This also goes for performance opportunities... literally just ask! There are so many independent venues that are looking for upcoming artists and want to give people those opportunities.

Thank you to Lydia for sharing her successful career journey so far. As part of her album launch, Lydia will be performing at District in Liverpool on the 12 December, promoted by Parrjazz. You can purchase tickets here.

Watch Lydia talk about her role at the Tung Auditorium 
Earlier this year, we spoke to Lydia about her role at the Tung Auditorium:

Computer Information Systems grad to entrepreneur: The story behind FLOWN's success

Posted on: 21 October 2024 in Blog

We recently caught up with Tom Allin (BSc Computer Information Systems, 2008), who co-founded the virtual co-working platform, FLOWN, after graduating from the University of Liverpool. Tom shares his journey of navigating career choices, the challenges he faced transitioning into the business world, and the experiences that shaped his entrepreneurial mindset.

In this insightful Q&A, Tom reflects on how his time at the University influenced his career, the inspiration behind FLOWN, and the key lessons learned along the way.

For anyone dreaming of starting their own business, Tom shares practical advice and inspiring reflections on seizing opportunities, embracing learning curves, and building a company with purpose. Here's his journey from university to becoming a co-founder of a business that’s making waves worldwide.

Can you share a bit about your journey from being a student at the University of Liverpool to founding FLOWN? What inspired you to make the leap into entrepreneurship?

I studied Computer Information Systems and, while I enjoyed the course, I did not feel that connected to the careers paths that many of my peers were exploring. Everyone was looking for more technical roles, typically as software engineers. 

I did not know exactly what I wanted to do with my degree, but I did know that I wanted to apply the foundational technical and logical principles to a career that played to my strengths in people skills and communication.

What challenges did you face when transitioning from academia to the business world? How did your time at Liverpool prepare you for these challenges?

The biggest challenge I faced transitioning into the working world after University was understanding the types of roles that could be available to me, and what those roles would entail in practicality. With 20/20 hindsight I wish I had made more use of available resources like the Careers & Employability service or spent more time getting feedback from lecturers and academics about potential future routes.

Upon reflection the thing that helped me most was the flexibility Liverpool offered around how to complete my final year. Instead of a traditional dissertation I opted to do a project that required me to design and build a working software system for a real company.

This more practical option suited me and taught me the realities of working with a client, building something to their specification and taking on board their feedback. The fact that Liverpool provided me this option, connected me with various potential companies, and then supported me through that process was invaluable.

FLOWN has been rapidly gaining traction, especially among academics worldwide. How did the idea for FLOWN originate, and what has been the biggest factor in its growth?

I can’t take credit for the idea of FLOWN that credit belongs to my partner and our CEO, Alicia Navarro. Alicia and I have worked together previously, in fact she was the first person to hire me into a ‘proper job’ after university; she has been hugely influential to my career. 

Alicia is bold and creative and cares deeply about the products and businesses she builds. FLOWN has grown, largely, because of her and our genuine, well-intentioned, purpose to help people improve their lives. We obsess about creating an experience that is highly effective at delivering the benefit it is intended to deliver but is also, at its core, human, fun and delightful to use. (We use that word – delight – a lot. It’s incredibly satisfying to take features that are often mundane in other services and add sparkle and humanity to them).

What were some key moments in your journey that shaped the direction of FLOWN? Were there any turning points that made you realize you were onto something big?

We’re still a young company and the brilliant thing about this stage is that we are still experiencing new and exciting moments that motivate us and show us how much opportunity there is ahead of us. 

One particular moment, that seems very obvious and simple now, was the launch of our Trustpilot reviews page. Previously we had collected reviews and feedback internally and whilst we could see that FLOWN was having a huge and important impact on members lives, we sometimes struggled to communicate this effectively externally.

Moving our reviews Trustpilot automated the collection process and gives those reviews a public and verified home. We’re incredibly proud of how our members talk about FLOWN - be sure to check them out.

FLOWN is making waves in academic circles. What do you see as the future of FLOWN, and how do you envision it evolving in the coming years?

FLOWN is hugely popular in academic circles. We have members from over 300 Universities around the world on the platform already. Having a healthy, positive relationship with your focus and work is important in any walk of life but academia requires a lot of self-directed work and discipline. FLOWN is a brilliant boost for people wanting support in this area. 

We’re especially excited to be collaborating with more teams, communities, and academic institutions directly. With these partnerships we are helping organisations by providing both a tool and cultural blueprint that encourages healthy productivity and mitigates many of the problems that come from an always on, notification heavy, modern working culture.

What would it mean to you to see Liverpool students and academics using your platform?

We already have many members from Liverpool on the platform and it always makes me smile to see a new user with a Liverpool email address sign-up.

As an entrepreneur, what are some key lessons you've learned along the way that you wish you knew when you first started your career?

That being persuasive is a lot easier when you’ve spent more time listening than you have talking, and that perfection is the enemy of good. Give yourself permission to get things wrong and solve problems along the way rather than hypothesising about what may or may not happen.

What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates from the University of Liverpool who are looking to start their own business?

One thing that I did not realise till much later was the importance of just “getting started”. Rarely will the idea, product, or service that you start with be the one that gets real interest or traction in the market… but starting with something, learning as you go and iterating as you engage with clients is the best way to build something of value. If you don’t get going and always wait for the perfect idea, none of this will happen.

Thank you to Tom for candidly sharing his journey from a University of Liverpool graduate to co-founding FLOWN. His story is a testament to the power of adaptability, persistence, and following an unconventional path.

For current students and recent graduates, Tom’s experience offers valuable insights: don’t wait for the perfect idea – get started, embrace the learning process, and give yourself permission to evolve. As FLOWN continues to grow and impact lives, Tom’s advice and entrepreneurial spirit serve as an inspiration for anyone looking to carve out their own path in the business world.