University News Last updated 15 February 2012
More than 2,000 budding entrepreneurs entered a competition supported by Birmingham City University to give graduates the opportunity to win a franchise with fast growing business YogaBugs.
Enterprise Graduate, Simon Duong was named winner and picked up the franchise opportunity at the Midland Business Awards.
Simon has won a free franchise contract with YogaBugs with a market value of over £10,000. Included within the prize are free business and teacher training and a marketing start-up package to help him hit the ground running.
“I really appreciate the opportunity YogaBugs has given to a young graduate like myself,” said Simon. “The result was kept under wraps until the winner was announced at the Midland Business Awards and I’m over the moon to be given this break and can’t wait to get started so that.
Simon, who is passionate about health and fitness, explained why he entered the competition: “I have always been inspired by the inventiveness of Richard Branson and James Dyson, so jumped at the opportunity to be part of a growing company which gets children and families active through its creative, story-style yoga inspired classes.
“I knew of YogaBugs through the company’s appearances on Dragons Den. Yoga is a tried and tested activity, and its popularity in this country is increasing. In the same way that Jamie Oliver’s campaign has been transforming school dinners, I believe the YogaBugs programmes have the potential to get more children active.” Said Simon, who has a first class degree in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship from Coventry University.
In common with many budding young entrepreneurs, Simon has already tried his hand at running an online business.
The judges for the competition were Mark Goode, CEO of YogaBugs, Jabbar Khan, Director of leading Midlands restaurant Lasan, and Professor Christopher Prince, Executive Dean of Birmingham City University’s business school.
YogaBugs CEO, Mark Goode, was impressed when the company received more than 2,000 applications in its competition to win a free franchise contract.
“As a company, YogaBugs is passionate about helping the next generation so we thought we should give a chance to young adults to progress in these difficult times,” said Mark Goode.
“Simon impressed me with his passion, determination and confidence. His entrepreneurial skills, attention to detail and enthusiasm are key attributes in a successful franchisee. I was very impressed with the high standards of applications.
“There were many young potential entrepreneurs who, if given the chance, could take this county forward in business. That’s why we will be meeting with the two runners-up to discuss them working with YogaBugs in a similar capacity.
Partnering with Birmingham City University was an obvious choice as we have an existing relationship with them. In summer 2010, we joined the student graduate scheme, employing Birmingham City University graduate, Oliver Tuck, as our graphic designer. We were extremely pleased with the hard work and high level of skills Oliver brought to the company.”
The competition was run in partnership with Birmingham City University’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise Services (RIES) and open to competition to graduates and third year students from Midland Universities. Birmingham City University has an impressive track record of supporting business start-ups – 200 since 2003 with 68% of those businesses still trading.
Jabbar Khan, Director of the Birmingham based Lasan restaurant group and studied at Birmingham City University, brought an independent business perspective to the judging panel.
Jabbar said: “I was looking for self-motivated individuals with business acumen and a realistic understanding of the opportunities and challenges presented by a YogaBugs franchise. The successful candidate demonstrated these characteristics. His previous business experience showed that he had the skills, resourcefulness and creativity required to succeed. He also seemed to have a good understanding of the business world, together with the determination essential for success. Selecting a winner was difficult because all three finalists were impressive. I am sure that each of them will be successful in their future careers.”
And Christopher Prince, Executive Dean of Birmingham City Business School, part of Birmingham City University, said: “I saw this is an excellent opportunity for the right candidate to build a business, I was looking for someone who had a lot of passion and an understanding of what was involved in running a business. Simon showed a wealth of experience in business and clearly demonstrated knowledge of YogaBugs. I was extremely impressed with the passion for YogaBugs that was shown by all three finalists.”