Supporting LCF’s entrepreneurial talent has never been more important to the creative industry. This year LCF Graduate Futures in collaboration with Soho Works, has staged events dedicated to building our Founders Club community, seeing members gather to hear experts discuss the changing nature of retail and the process of forming contracts. Soho Works, kindly hosted both evenings of learning, discussion and networking, working with LCF to curate networking events that could offer insights for everyone attending.
Both events offered targeted support for new and growing founders, by highlighting trends and giving insights into business practice. They also provided the chance for them to meet other alumni business owners at their level and engage with industry experts to boost their growing lists of useful contacts. Through these collaborations with key players in the creative world, LCF Graduate Futures is able to support student enterprise at every stage; growing our Founders Club alumni community to reach over 380 active members. MA Fashion Design Management graduate and Founder of XTENDED iDENTiTY, Xing Yunjia, fully immerses herself in the Founders Club offer, remarking:
As an LCF graduate founder, I can tell you that feeling supported unconditionally is truly unique. Thank you LCF Graduate Futures for holding amazing founder events. Fashion means business, and the fashion business is not like other businesses. The people who understand this business and the people who are supportive in this business are truly special.
Despite the deluge of rain, a great number of our founders and Soho Works members braved the elements to join the first event in March, looking at the many challenges the retail climate has had in recent years and the cost-of-living crisis we currently find ourselves in. Dr Bethany Alexander chaired an incredible panel, presenting Rebecca Morter, founder of Lone Design Club, Angela Quaintrell, retail expert and mentor, and Bliss Staple, founder and CEO of Or Collective.
The key takeaway of the discussion was the importance for current and future LCF Founders to focus on their customer to gain brand loyalty. From Angela’s experience, for big businesses “customer expectations are on the rise, and so are their complaints”. Our founders have a unique opportunity at this time small start-ups are making up for what bigger brands either can’t or simply don’t offer, in terms of personalisation and customer experience. They can truly “sell their vision to the customer” directly.
The conversation also explored the practical ways that LCF Founders can achieve diversity in their audience by utilising pop-up shops. Rebecca Morter noted that with 73% of Gen-Z now wanting to shop at brick-and-mortar stores and moving away from the online retail experience, pop-up shops are more agile. "Novelty retail is where the future is headed”. For Rebecca, as “the younger audience take to the high street and shopping centres as a form of discovery and experience”, pop-up shops allow for revolving changing experiences that are ‘hyper local and hyper targeted’. She offered our founders the insight that different locations will bring a diverse cross-section of their customer base, allowing them to cater to each group specifically, driving higher engagement and sales.
Our second event, hosted in May, tackled contracts, an unavoidable and intimidating part of running a business for any founder or freelancer. Our industry panel was spearheaded by Andrew Bravin, Partner in Sheridans’ Law, specialising in the field of Interactive, Advertising and Design and Branding, and gave founders the chance to ask questions that could help them understand the legal and commercial ramifications of building effective contracts.
The panel saw experts Jonathan Chippindale, CEO and co-founder of Holition, Sabah Yaqoob, founder of Calling Beauty, and Jennifer Georgeson, CEO and founder of So Just Shop, kept the audience entertained and even bursting with laughter as they demystified the contract process. It became clear that contracts are no one’s favourite aspect of running their businesses, but all of our panel members have found ways to navigate them to benefit their businesses and maintain good relationships with those they hold them with. Having the opportunity to connect with fellow Founders Club members, industry experts and the Graduate Futures team in one space at these events, showcases the value of the support LCF entrepreneurial alumni receive. This knowledge-sharing benefits everyone involved and helps our Founders Club members go on to great success.
Are you an LCF graduate who has started your own business?
The LCF Founders Club is for registered LCF alumni business owners and freelancers to connect as creative entrepreneurs and shape the future of our industry. Register your interest to join our Founders Club, so you too can join us at these events!