We are pleased to annouce that a talented young Norwich DJ, Dan Benton, 19, a Business with Enterprise student at City College Norwich, has won a £1,000 grant from Nurture Financial Planning Ltd to support his new start-up, Bare Bass, which organises club nights.
Dan is the first winner of our Entrepreneurs £1000 Grant, which was open to 16 to 25 year olds in the Norfolk area with ambitions to start up their own business ventures.
The judges were impressed with the passion shown by Dan, who currently works part-time at the Wonderland night club in Norwich in addition to studying on his college course, and who is aiming to establish a career in live music and events management.
The young DJ has invested the grant in professional-level DJ decks, headphones and a carry case, giving him all of the key equipment he needs to be self-sufficient as an event organiser for local night clubs.
The first Bare Bass-organised event will be held at Twilight Norwich on Friday 21st June, from 10pm to 3am, featuring up-and-coming amateur DJs playing a mix of Drum and bass, Grime, Jungle and Dubstep.
While Dan expects to be very busy ensuring the event as a whole is a success, he hopes to celebrate the launch of Bare Bass by fitting in a set himself at some point during the night.
Dan is already looking ahead to further Bare Bass nights, which includes plans for an open mic event and collaborations with professional musicians to run live music nights.
Dan is coming to the end of his Business with Enterprise course, which is part of the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy at City College Norwich. He plans to progress on to the Foundation degree in Leisure and Events Management at the college, which he hopes will provide a valuable step toward his eventual goal of managing live music festivals.
Dan Benton said:
“After finishing my A levels I began working in clubs, starting off collecting glasses and then getting to work behind the bar and seeing more of the event management side of things.
“The Peter Jones Enterprise Academy course gives everyone the chance to work on something they really enjoy doing and that’s what led me to set up Bare Bass. Winning this grant is a huge help as it means I can be self-sufficient, with the right equipment, and use my links with musicians and clubs to start organising my own events.”
Simon Linstead, Managing Director, Nurture Financial Planning Ltd, said:
“Working with the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy students at City College Norwich has been an amazing experience. They have all impressed me with their drive and enthusiasm for the businesses they have been working on.
“It was a difficult decision for the judges to make, because of the high standard of the applications, but Dan stood out because of his determination to push through with the launch of Bare Bass and his clear passion for what he is doing. The judges felt that these qualities, aided by the start-up grant, will make a huge impact on his business.”
Corrienne Peasgood, Principal, City College Norwich, added:
“As one of the Gazelle Group of colleges, and a member of the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy network, we are seeing increasing numbers of our students, in all subject areas, getting involved in enterprise and entrepreneurship.
“Supporting student enterprise is greatly enhanced by the links we have with our local business community – and the support of Nurture Financial Planning through this grant is a great example of that partnership in action to help a young person get their business off the ground.”
To find out how your school or college students can apply for next year’s Nurture Financial Planning Ltd young enterprise grant, contact Simon Linstead on 0844 800 3370 or email [email protected]
