EPP - Visiting Banks for Advice

We all met up at the Museum of Wales to discuss about visiting banks for advice on starting up a new business. We split into groups and organised which of us were assigned to which banks.

We visited Natwest first and tried to get hold of their business adviser who, after 10 minutes told us that she was out and would not be able to see us that day. In the end we were just handed out starter packs with a CD containing Natwest's Business Starting Software. This is to be used for creating a detailed business plan and organising. They took our phone numbers, but never got back to us to re-arrange another meeting.

We then went to the Royal Bank of Scotland. We were told again that we would not be able to talk to anyone and were given business starter packs. These starter packs were not at all useful as it is better to get face to face contact where we can ask questions and be told the basic advice. From these packs I would not have a clue how to set up my own business as i would have to know that all areas have been covered. It would have been good if we'd have been able to talk to a business adviser as we could have had things explained in detail and could have shown us the whole process where we would have known everything, and not left questions unanswered.

EPP - Networking

Almost all businesses need a good networking structure in order to be successful. It is essential for communication within an organisation, as information needs to be shared quick and efficiently especially if it is a large business. Design is an area which is no different. Information needs to be processed and understood quickly as it is an ever changing environment. When searching for design networks, I found a few that are in operation including West of England Design Forum that hold informal events where people who are in the field or interested can arrange to meet up and discuss topics or new information that has arose. There doesn't seem to be any of these events in Cardiff. It would be a good idea to hold one closer to home as it is quite far to travel when you don't know what it's going to be like.

EPP - Motivation

Motivation is needed in the area of Design. You need to have a passion to pursue your ambitions and thrive amongst the vast knowledge that can be gained from such a broad area. I was inspired to create my project as it had been an idea of mine for a while but I had no time or reason to partake in such a big project when there were no goals for me to achieve as such. When the opportunity arose for me to do this project I was glad to undertake the work. It includes all areas that interest me including film, design, sound editing, DVD creation. I have had to learn new programs and have gained experience as a result of this. I have achieved what I set out to do and am pleased with the resources that were available to me. I believe that any new experience has the potential of being useful at some point in your life, especially in such a involving field. Awards such as the YCN competition allow young people to get their ideas across, win a competition if their work is good enough, and even get contacted by a talent scout.