Here at The Wrexham Enterprise Hub we’re  launching our 8th Startup Club on October 3rd.

So what exactly is it?

It’s likely that a lot of people have a great idea which has the potential to be a successful business but it’s equally likely that they don’t act on it, whether it be out of fear, not feeling they have the resources or perhaps even that they could be an ‘entrepreneur’.

Startup Club is designed to find and help those individuals who could easily slip through the net when it comes to traditional business support. Over the course of twelve weeks our group of budding entrepreneurs have a guest speaker come in each evening covering a different topic essential to starting a business. 

Town Square co-founder Gareth Jones said  “If there’s one thing I love more than anything else about my job is when I meet each new group of Startup Club members. There’s something about being with other people who want to make something happen that gives me so much energy – and I can see that around the room as people start to connect and learn from each other.

 

“I think for anyone who wants to get something started, whether it is a business, an event or going self-employed the Startup Club brings along another 20 people who are either doing it or planning on starting. We don’t tend to spend too much time with these kinds of people in everyday life, so it gives a lot of hope and fresh ideas.

 “We all know the hundreds of reasons why starting a business is risky, and that is important to remember, but the Startup Club is a great way to prepare for the challenges to come and test your idea to make sure you’ve thought of everything before launching.”

We’ve met incredible people and seen them go onto further success over the first 7 cohorts of Startup Club, Community Assistant Pete Rogers caught up with a few to find out what they’re up to and what made the Startup Club experience work so well for them.

Hub Member Catrin Ellis said “The classes helped me with the basics of setting up a business and how to actually get up and running. I’ve now been a full time freelance graphic designer for almost a year, having worked with local businesses such as other hub members, marketing companies and also WCBC along with global companies like NFL, The Racing Post, NHL and Bleacher Report. I highly recommend this to anyone who has the dream of running their own business and going it alone”

 

Andy Roberts founder of Weekly10 was part of the first cohort here in Wrexham and said  “Startup Club was a great way to combine a full-time job with developing my business. The evening sessions provided me with insight that helped me understand what I needed to help my business grow and the confidence to leave my job and jump in full-time.

Alongside the expert masterclasses I found the community and the network I developed critical to helping me overcome challenges in launching the business. Two years later, and based at the Wrexham Enterprise Hub, Weekly10 has three full-time employees and earlier this year we secured a six figure investment from a London based investment firm. 

We are now growing our customer base across the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand with significant growth plans into 2020. The Startup Club has helped focus my priorities and has no doubt had a big part to play in our growth to date.”

So if you’re reading and think that this could be perfect for you or someone that you know, be sure to book a place!