Budding Phoenix entrepreneurs make their pitch

Seven weeks ago, 15 business-minded Phoenix residents embarked on an educational journey with Strive Live to learn everything there is about starting a business. These budding entrepreneurs have now completed the online course, but their business journey is only just beginning. 

At the end of the course, the residents took part in a competition where they pitched their business idea in a bid to win a share of £750 to make it a reality. 

Each resident submitted a video entry to be judged by the tutor panel, and also had the chance to give a live one-minute Dragon’s Den style pitch which was judged by their peers. And, we’re pleased to announce... 

...the one-minute live pitch winners (as chosen by their peers) are: 

Winner 

Deidrea - Natures Traits Shea Natural Skin and Health care Products  
“Deidrea’s pitch was very clear, and the group understood the business and bought into Diedrea's passion for making her products. We got a clear picture of how customers could benefit from using her products.” 
 
Runner Up 

Rachael - Cosy Calm Creations Wax Melts  
“Rachael came across as very natural and the perfect person to run her business. We bought into her enthusiasm for making her wax melts and making them a little different from other products. We could see that they would make great presents especially coming up to Christmas.” 
 

...the video entry winners (as judged by the StriveLive panel) are: 

 
Angeline - Angie’s Bijoux  
The Judges loved the African bags and accessories products and the individuality and authentic designs which were so personal to each culture.  
"We loved the collaboration between African traders and the made in Africa tag line. We were impressed with Angie’s marketing via social media and meeting face to face at events." 
 
Laura - Cake Hearts  
The Judges wanted to taste the cakes as they looked amazing. They were impressed that the business had a story behind it and grew from that first cake for Laura’s son. 
“We thought the business was well thought through and there was a clear vision of where Laura would like to take it. They loved Laura’s smile too!” 
 
Katrina - Katwalk Baby  
The Judges loved the idea of packages for special occasions and the different themes.  
“The personalised hoodies looked great, and we were hugely impressed by adding Paul, Richard and Laura in the mockups. We thought the tag line 'Every Street is a Katwalk' was brilliant and loved the idea of a QR Code on clothing. Katrina had thought through the different social Media platforms and online platforms like Etsy to sell her Products.” 
 
Tysha - Tysiar Cool Creatures Animal Handling Parties.  
The Judges were blown away by Tysha’s well-thought-out business and impressed that she knew exactly what she needed to buy and needed to do to create a successful business.  
“We loved seeing the animals which really brought the business to life and the fun facts at the end. We could see Tysha running fun parties that everyone would enjoy.” 
  

Congratulations to the winners and to everyone who completed the course! We caught up with Deidrea to get her take on the course  

"I'm Deidrea. I love life and people, and value nature among other blessings. As a result, I am developing an adorable and effective nature enthused, nurture infused skin and haircare initiative called Nature's Traits Shea. I hand-make a range of hair and body butters including a newly developed festively aromatic Christmas spice body butter; face, beard, hair, nails and massage oils; lip and hand balm, body and lip scrub all with the upmost care. My creations make excellent presents and self-care gems. Because of this developing initiative, I signed up for the StriveLive program as soon as I saw it. 

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started the course but let's just say, I'm delighted that I joined and attended all seven weeks of the program. 

The tutors were awesome! They led engaging, fun, informative and resourceful sessions each week. I loved how they bounced off of each other during the sessions - fantastic teamwork was displayed. 

After a long day in the classroom and two meetings after every Wednesday, I always looked forward to each session knowing that there was going to be a burst of knowledge imparted that's beneficial to my business idea. 

The online platform was a bonus as it provided additional, downloadable resources and quizzes as well as the one-to-one sessions. 

To top off the experience, on the final night, we were challenged to pitch our initiative in 60-seconds. To my surprise, yet very pleasant, I was voted the winner by my fellow program attendees. I felt ever so grateful. Thanks again. 

I learned a lot and am driven more than before to pursue my business initiative. We were encouraged to be open to opportunities and look after ourselves because, in all of this, we are the key and the main drivers behind our ideas. I have started to dream bigger and am taking steps every day towards my dreams bearing in mind that every step counts.  

Thank you to Phoenix, thank you to the StriveLive team. 

Blessings galore, 

Deidrea" 

 
The Strive Live business course will be running again in February 2023, sign up to Roots into Work newsletter to be notified when applications open.