1:04pm Friday 12th March 2010
An artist has seen her business grow in unexpected directions, thanks in part the LEAD programme and the help she has received from the other businesses that are now participating in it.
Razina Patel, who is one of twenty five delegates now taking part in Enterprise4All’s second LEAD cohort, has experienced a great deal of change over the last three months.
At the end of 2009, she was already living a very busy life, bringing up two young children, studying for the final year of her degree at St Mary’s College and, all the while, planning the re-launch of her contemporary art business, ColourFusion-Online.
A talented artist, Razina had always enjoyed painting and she took her first steps into the world of business after a meeting with Enterprise4All’s Chief Executive, Ilyas Munshi. He introduced her to a Lancashire based art gallery and encouraged her to launch her first commercial exhibition, which proved to be very well received and yielded some of her first sales.
In 2009, during her second pregnancy, she took a break from painting but soon after her daughter’s birth, she resolved to start again.
However, time was a constraint and when she received an invitation to enrol on LEAD, the NWDA’s highly acclaimed leadership development programme, her initial reaction was that it would be impossible to do so while meeting all her other commitments. Nevertheless, she attended a preview session at Blackburn College’s University Centre, where she met up with other self employed individuals, and discovered that many of them were in very similar situations.
Finding the event both useful and inspiring, Razina recognised LEAD as an opportunity to develop new skills and contacts, and – determined to use her time as effectively as possible – she decided to sign up. Her cohort comprised managers and owners of various small and medium sized businesses and she very quickly found the group to be an excellent source of support, advice and encouragement.
“From the very beginning, LEAD has proved very helpful,” says Razina. “Even at the preview event, I started making useful contacts – people who were dealing with the same issues as myself and who were all willing to share advice and ideas.
“I found that I was getting the sort of advice that I’d never have expected to get from anywhere else; really useful, practical suggestions that I have been able to use and which have had a really positive impact on my business.
“Enterprise4All and the LEAD facilitators have been great, too. For me, it’s always a challenge to fit things into my timetable but everyone has been very helpful and flexible.
"We’ve organised action learning sets around nursery times and family commitments, and I’ve been able to get coaching support over the phone at times that suit me, so the whole thing has moved along very nicely.
“LEAD has given me a great deal of confidence, and part of that comes from knowing that there are so many helpful businesses out there who are keen to help me succeed.
"I can raise a question through the online forum and, very quickly, I’ll get lots of useful feedback. Knowing that you’ve got that sort of support really gives you a boost and pushes you along.”
Buoyed by her experience, Razina is now expanding her creative horizons.
“I’m having a lot of success with paintings that incorporate various forms of script,” she explains. “For example, I’ve started incorporating traditional English sayings and children’s names.
"The children’s market has been particularly good, in fact: I’m now working with retailers such as Kiddies in Blackburn, and with my contemporary works, I’m collaborating with Ze’Faith in Bolton. I’m getting interest from businesses, too. They seem to like my paintings because they’re all original, hand-painted and no two are ever the same.
“On top of all that, I’ve just launched my new website – www.colourfusion-online.co.uk – and a new range of paintings that incorporate Swarovski Crystal. All in all, it’s going very well.”
Enterprise4All and Blackburn College will be running a third LEAD cohort scheduled to begin in May.
To find out more about the LEAD programme, call Business Link North West on 0845 00 66 888 or visit www.businesslinknw.co.uk/lead.
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