Wandsworth Schools’ Week is part of the council’s flagship business event, Wandsworth Enterprise Month (formerly Enterprise Week). During the week we will be delivering a series of workshops and assembly talks on enterprise, as well as talks by young and established entrepreneurs in schools across the borough. These events are to help develop enterprise and work-related learning for pupils in Year 7 to Year 13.
Schools last year said: “It was one of the best workshops we’ve ever had at the academy – Bill from the Peter Jones Foundation was brilliantly engaging. We are really keen to try to sustain a relationship with the Peter Jones Foundation going forward, such was the positive impact Bill made”. – Sean Parsons, Head teacher, Southfields Academy
The schedule below shows all the events, dates and times* available for a session to be delivered at your school. Please click on your preferred session to book. Booking is on a first come, first served basis. (*Times can be amended slightly to accommodate your schedule.)
Places are limited to one booking per school.
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Enterprise Assembly by the Peter Jones Foundation
This assembly, designed for delivery to the whole school/year groups, will look at the opportunity for young people to blaze their own trail in the business world. There will be a focus on the enterprise skills needed for students, with examples from the start-up world of how they can develop their experiences now. Peter Jones Foundation will also explore intrapreneurship, where students can innovate within big organisations, and the impact this can have.
These assemblies are only available to Wandsworth schools signed up for the Tycoon Enterprise competition.
Dates:
Monday 25 March, 9.30–10am (Book here)
Monday 25 March, 11– (Book here)
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The secret of my success:
Inspiring talks from successful local entrepreneurs Arminder Dhillon, Jemal Peters, Daisy Matthews, Mike Smith, and Kay Suppamas, who will share their stories and how they got started in business.
About the speakers:
Daisy Matthews, founder, Chef Girl:
Daisy Matthews, 27, is a professional pastry chef and founder of Chef Girl. After working in a number of prestigious kitchens such as Soho House and reaching sous chef level, she decided to fulfil her dream of starting her own catering business. She now produces cakes and baked goods for coffee shops and cafes as well as private commissions.
Dates:
Thursday 28 March, 9.30–10.15am (Book here)
Thursday 28 March, 10.45–11.30am (Sold out)
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Kay Suppamas, Leafage:
Kay Suppamas, 29, is a digital designer at Designers Guild and founder of Leafage, a start-up that specialises in running creative, fun terrarium (a glass vessel filled with miniature plants) workshops, where people get to create and take home their own portable mini-garden. Kay realised the potential of ‘plant power’ after the tragic loss of her father in 2016, a successful businessman who was her biggest role model and source of inspiration. She set out on a path to find meaning and purpose in her life, and from the simplest of desires – to connect people and to inspire and cultivate a love of nature – Leafage was born. Kay will share the challenges and joys of having a side hustle (making additional income while running a business), setting up and running a business, and how she’s used her creative transferable skills to do so.
Dates:
Monday 25 March, 9.30–10.15am (Book here)
Monday 25 March, 10.45–11.30am (Book here)
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Mike Smith, franchisee at McDonald’s:
Mike Smith joined McDonald’s as an employee at the age of 19, whilst still at college. However, the unexpected death of his father meant he suddenly needed to step up to support the rest of his family. Mike gradually worked his way up the ladder to become a franchisee, acquiring his first restaurant in Mitcham in 2000; and had the honour of meeting Nelson Mandela when he worked for the restaurant chain in South Africa. Mike now owns and runs twelve restaurants across South London (including one in Balham), employing over 1,100 people. Mike will be sharing his inspiring story of how he went from flipping burgers to becoming franchisee and multi-restaurant owner.
Dates:
Tuesday 26 March, 11–11.45am (Sold out)
Wednesday 27 March, 11–11.45am (Book here)
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Arminder Singh Dhillon, inventor of the Boot Buddy:
Arminder, 17, from Battersea, invented the Boot Buddy – a portable boot cleaner – when he was 11 years old and frustrated with spending countless hours trying to clean his muddy football boots. Aged 15 he appeared on Dragon’s Den with his family and became the youngest person ever to receive backing from the Dragons when Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden and Touker Suleyman invested £20,000 for a 10% share of the business.
When he’s not studying for his A Levels, Arminder speaks at various business events, most recently at Peter Jones’ Enterprise Festival (EntFest). Arminder’s team have plans for further expansion into additional markets as well as launching useful new variations such as Paw Buddy, an adaptation for cleaning your pet’s muddy paws. In 2018 he won the Horners Bottlemakers Award and was listed on TransferWise’s ‘20 Under 20’ list.
Dates:
Monday 25 March, 9.30–10am (Sold out)
Tuesday 26 March, 9.30–10am (Sold out)
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Jemal Peters, Big J’s Kitchen:
Jemal (Big J) Peters, founder of Big J’s Kitchen, shares his inspiring story of how he turned his back on street life to launch Big J’s Kitchen – a range of street food-inspired, tasty sauces stocked in high-end retailers including Selfridges. Jemal, who has worked alongside celebrity chefs, uses some of the profits from his business to help young offenders and disadvantaged young people.
Dates:
Monday 25 March, 2–3pm (Sold out)
Wednesday 27 March, 2–3pm (Sold out)
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Start your own business workshop with Nick Howe, Regional Enterprise Manager at NatWest (30-40 students max):
Through this NatWest workshop students will be able to firstly understand just how popular an option having your own business is and what it means to the country. Students will then be guided through an exercise to help consider the advantages and disadvantages of being your own boss, and whether it may be something for them to consider in the future. To finish there will be the opportunity to ask questions on how to take a business from idea to fully fledged business with the least possible risk.
Dates:
Thursday 28 March, 2–3pm (Sold out)
Friday 29 March, 2–3pm (Book here)