For two budding entrepreneurs from the Sixth Form, lockdown has been the making of their business ventures.
Tom Stuart and Will Taylor both in Year 12 at the College have been putting their extra free time to good use by building their own businesses, Tom a mobile artisan pizza business from a converted horsebox and Will his motion design business.
Tom - Pizza Please
Tom who is studying business, photography and music, felt that now would be the perfect time for him to start his mobile pizza business ‘Pizza Please’ because now more than ever people are going to be wanting to have outdoor garden parties once lockdown restrictions have eased.
He said: “From a very young age I knew that I wanted to start my own business as soon as I legally could. During 2020 I purchased my first Gozney Roccbox (pizza oven) which has given me the opportunity to perfect my pizza making skills. Additionally lockdown seemed like the perfect opportunity to nestle down and start the project. It all started with finding the perfect trailer that would suit my needs. I had seen that there was a horsebox up for sale in a nearby village so I contacted the owner and we agreed a price. We then commenced the conversion.”
So far Tom has set up his website and has been trying out his pizzas on friends locally in Henley. Once his horsebox ‘hetty’ has been converted, he will be able to cater at events and garden parties in the Henley area.
Will - Wlroo
Will is currently studying business, IT and media in the Sixth Form. He first started working on his motion design company Wlroo when he was 12. He produces digital promotion videos for businesses and people looking for personal branding, using a range of graphics software to make his videos stand out.
He said: “When lockdown first came around, I realised I was never going to have this much free time on my hands ever again. I set out a roadmap and started pushing myself as hard as I could. As I put out more and more personal projects (in order to build a portfolio) I noticed that my clients were going up as well. This meant that with every new commission, I built my network a little bit more. Today, I have a fairly consistent clientele and I am fortunate enough to work with a large number of businesses and influencers who are looking to make a name for themselves online.
“The type of projects I've worked on include a concept promotional video for Snapchat, a promotional video for Yoca App; an app that was featured on BBC's technology section and finally a promotional/launch video for a new upcoming studio known as ‘Acuity Studios’.
“My number one objective at the moment is to continue building my network. I think that the most important thing at my age is to make sure I've got the knowledge and connections to excel once I become 18 and go freelance full-time.
“In terms of long term goals, I plan on freelancing until I'm around 40 - then teaching the world about the business of design. I do need to take into consideration the substantial changes in technology that we'll experience in the next 50 years, which means it's so important to keep an open mind to learning.
“They say that being a billionaire isn't about the number of zeros in your bank account, but instead the number of lives you influence. This is something I aspire to achieve within my lifetime - impact 1 billion people's lives in a positive way, directly or indirectly.”
