Effie Burns Glass

“GLEAM taught me that you could be business-like about being creative. Even in the arts, you need to apply the rules of business planning to function efficiently.”

Musician and Dancer: Rachel Unthank

“I was playing in a band with Fiona Taylor, a Folkworks trainee administrator. We were performing at the Hyena Café, where Fiona was promoting concerts. Wendy came to one of our gigs and suggested we apply for a place on the GLEAM programme, so I joined GLEAM just as I was thinking of becoming self-employed. It was very fundamental to my decision and Wendy was very helpful in my planning for this move, she gave me the confidence to focus on what I loved and that was really inspirational. This is an area in which My GLEAM mentor Pascale Konyn really helped me a lot with the fact that I am not particularly well organised and find it difficult to promote myself. She taught me about sorting out priorities, managing my time better and even how to create an accounts and invoicing system that works for me.”

Virtuoso: Maureen Storey

“GLEAM gave me the confidence and the support mechanism I needed to go out there and do it. It made me aware of all the different aspects of running a business.”

Artist and Curator: Paul Moss

“I went into it thinking that I needed very practical help on how to run a business. But I think what was really valuable was to spend time with a group of people in the same situation all starting up on their own. Also it was great to have the chance to take specific time out to think about what you were doing and to have outside input from people with relevant experience.”

Sarah Blood Glass

“GLEAM certainly did affect my attitudes.  It gave me more confidence in my ability as an artist and as a businessperson. It was really good to speak to people who were at different stages in their business development and to exchange information with people who completely understood where I was coming from.”

Just Paintball: Jim Mann

“I like the idea of £50 a week! GLEAM also introduced me to a world that I had not had access to before with prestigious legal advisers and so on. Since that time I have always retained an expensive lawyer with a big name. I get into scrapes all the time and these guys just go through the opposition. I would advise any entrepreneur to do this. The personal contacts I made through GLEAM are also still important to me and I am still in touch with people like George Kinghorn, with whom I am involved in a joint venture.”

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Mark Collett Design and Build

“GLEAM brought a particular focus and made me think about the business mechanics of what I was doing. I had a particularly good mentor. Christian (Van Outersterp) was a very inspiring character, very philosophical and very good to talk to.”

Belly Rub: Stephanie Little

“I think the most important thing is that GLEAM has given me contacts. I would never have met up with these people ordinarily and now, for example, I am working with some GLEAMers on various projects and we have created a sort of unofficial support group for each other. The other thing I really value is that I have access to advice that I can rely on.  I can ring up Wendy or Esther and get honest, well-informed advice when I need it"

Hart Design: Pamela Nord

"Being on the course with like-minded people and having the support of Wendy gave me the confidence to set up my business. I really enjoyed the whole experience and liked the people involved and I am sure we will all keep in touch."

Textalot Mobile Solutions: Chris Imrie

GLEAM gave us a basic outline of the fundamental requirements for business strategy, providing a clear idea of the processes you need to go through to establish a business.  It helped me understand and identify the deliverables which would be key to my success."

Creative Photography:
Steven Landles

“GLEAM really helped me launch my business, giving me the background knowledge I lacked, providing a network of business contacts and a forum in which to meet with like-minded people engaged in very varied businesses. The whole process helped raise our self esteem.”

Sculpture and Pink Wedge Design:
Samuel McGeever

“Through GLEAM, I gained a broader understanding of the business world and how a business might run and I  learned how to operate within that.  This gave me confidence in dealing with people and getting my product out there.”

Superkrush Productions: Chris Taylor

“The most invaluable thing I got from GLEAM was a ready-made network of 25 people. When you start out it is really important to build your contact base.  Also, before GLEAM, I thought of myself as a technician, not a business person, an owner/manager.  It is crucial to balance both sides to make a success in business."

Activescreen:
George Kinghorn

“I gained massively from the experience.At the time I still had Blue Inc and was running it from my bedroom at home, so the support structure that GLEAM provided was really important.  GLEAM really proves the value of pooling resources and mixing with other entrepreneurs.  It was where I met my first business partner, Steve Bell, and it is through that meeting that we pulled Student Mobiles together.”

Bedsearcher: Gill Chapple

“When I started the GLEAM course I knew I wanted my own business, but did not have a specific plan in place. This developed as I progressed in the course. It also gave me valuable help with cash flows, spread sheets etc and finance while I set it up.”

Music Works: Ian Phillips-Kerr

“The mentoring relationship with Eric Cross was very important. He was so firmly "plugged in" to the international classical music scene. I also found the general tuition on business background and the GLEAM network of support very helpful and encouraging.”

Yuzu Media: John Corner

“When I first began the programme I was nervous because I had had so little experience. I felt the way I had when I first went to university.  But very quickly I felt how good it was to be amongst like-minded people, many of who had good ideas but, like me, had no knowledge of how to put these into practice.  The opportunity to get the best financial, business planning and sales advice free from leading experts was really valuable.”

Artist: Kate Hodgkinson

“For our new joint business venture we have written many, many business plans and cash forecasts. A lot of what we covered on GLEAM was very useful in helping us to set up Cobalt as a limited company.”

The Beat Suite: Steve Bainbridge

“GLEAM gave me an insight into the mechanics of running a business. As a creative  person I really needed to learn these practical commercial skills.”

Mobilx Ltd: Steve Bell

“When I finished my degree in Business Studies I decided that I wanted to work for myself. In my last year at Northumbria I received a flyer from GLEAM and attended a seminar at the Assembly Rooms in Newcastle run by Wendy Parvin and David Mullen. There were two hundred delegates and sixteen places and I was determined to get one. In the early days of working for myself the only income I had was from GLEAM, so it really kept me going. To this day I still use the same legal firm that I was introduced to through GLEAM and when I started selling student mobiles and needed a partner I was able to turn to George Kinghorn, who I met on GLEAM. Student Mobiles was eventually sold to Car Phone Warehouse, so that is how significant a part GLEAM played.”