Volunteering and Charity work, has lead to multiple business opportunities and awards for Shavanna in the East Midlands. During times of personal hardship, she took it upon herself to better educate and qualify, and now wishes to inspire other mother to follow in her footsteps.
Outline your business and entrepreneurial skills, including your relative achievements to date in running a business:
V-Talent project-This provided an opportunity to explore how volunteering contributes to personal development and social enterprise. As part of the project, I helped organise a fashion show for charity where I was able to channel creativity and learn enterprising skills for future employment which in turn , I have started 2 businesses one Community Interest Company and the other limited by guarantee 1)United ventures Nottingham C.I.C supporting lone parents and low income families back in to education work and training my skills as an entrepreneur are taking a negative and turning it in to a positive opportunity which turns in to passion for everything that I do which in turn inspires people to get involved we have successfully hosted 3 projects grant funded, organised and held 2 fundraisers 2)Hope & Faith (H&F) Ltd social enterprise A clothing brand with a cause that drives what we do as we follow a sustainable business model: i) product ii) people iii) planet iv) profit with this 25 % of the profits go back into the community to make obstacles opportunity with only the community’s best interest at heart successfully accessed start up funding. 3) successfully got to the interview process of BBC apprentice . 4) Adult learner Award for East Midlands 2013.
Why do you have the ability to be an inspiring role model? Provide examples to illustrate:
I have the ability to be an inspiring role model as I suffered with postnatal depression whilst having my first son and still forced myself to go to college to do something that I love Fashion and clothing.During that time I found the college was not very supportive in the process . Within this I found a gap in the market to support others that my be struggling also and started the company stated above, Turning a negative to a positive in a very challenging time of life being 19/20 having to deal with the stigma that society had put on lone parents. Despite past struggles and having two children under the age of 5 at the time I studied and successfully passed the following: BTEC Award Fashion and Clothing Level 2, BTEC First Diploma in Design, Learning Designing and Pattern Making Skills and also Manufacturing Skills. Most recently completed Fashion Retail Level 3 with a Distinction and also won the Adult Learners Award for the East Midlands 2013 . This year I went on to study for a foundation degree in Events Management and combining this with my current entrepreneurial endeavours unfortunately I withdrew due to time and spreading myself a little to thin with my two children and two businesses I found the degree was a little to much and will be going back in 2016 . I feel I can inspire a wealth of mothers to keep going no matter what by sharing my experiences and never giving up also I inspire and motivate projects pushing through obstacles and finding innovate solutions to tackle social grass root issues consisting of child poverty, community cohesion and more my personal mission ‘I’am inspired to inspire’
What is your business / idea and what would you use the £5,000 towards if you were to win
The vision is to combine the fashion industry with the art of inspiring others, in order to have a greater social impact in the local community. Hope & faith will work in 3 areas 1-Retail outlet that will stock children’s clothes designed and manufactured in house by Brand Hope&Faith. 2-Manufacture of Corporate wear offered to organisations. 3-Workshops offered to the community what is produced will be stocked within the retail outlet also. My aims are to create a truly unique brand which customers will be able to interact with, as we seek to not only manufacture quality garments but also establish a brand which is socially and enviromentally responsible as well as ethical in its business practice. We plan to create a positive experience of product and service in many ways through engaging directly with our community and target market by hosting creative workshops. During these workshops children who participate will be able to create their own desgins, which will be made into t-shirts as part of the brand’s collection. The children will be able to gain a financial contribution if their design is used. In addition to this, a limited edition and standard range of garments produced by the in-house design team, will form our initial product offering. Our target customers are parents in general and with young children which H&F already have direct access to through an agreed partnership with Community Interest Company, United Ventures.
