'What a wicked start to the weekend!'

This was one of the lovely comments made about StartUp Saturday which went live on Saturday in seven Staples stores, from Gateshead to Poole. StartUp Saturday is a fun and friendly weekly class to help you start a business. I headed to the Telford store to see how it would go! Fun & Friendly The session started prompt at 9.30am and there was a buzz from the start; created by excellent trainer, James, and the students who had gathered to learn about 'How to come up with a big idea and research the market.' James offered an introduction and we then split into teams to share our passions and interests and come up with a business idea. My team came up with some crackers! There were ideas for a healthy food take-away, home-made meals for babies and cycles with bigger saddles for bigger bums! But the idea we elected fellow team member Emma Eccles to pitch was a business that would buy wedding dresses from the attic, apply a contemporary touch and sell on to new brides. There'd also be a service of updating wedding dresses for couples wanting to re-new their vows (wear it again, Sam!) We felt this idea tapped into the trend for vintage clothing and would earn married ladies some cash. Emma pitched it and a fellow student came up with a name - Brides Revisited! We weren't the only ones coming up with new businesses; in London they invented a new toothbrush that keeps track of when you need a new brush but also alerts you when its time for the next dentist visit! Informative Not only was the session fun, it was also informative in that we were presented with all the tips and tools you need to take an idea and carry out market research. It was a session well worth attending and a great start to StartUp Saturday which will run for the next 11 weeks. Here are some comments from other happy students. "Class was great and work book to accompany it is well thought out too" Abigail, Sheffield "It was really helpful and I made some ace contacts! What a wicked start to the weekend!" Michelle, Telford "I wanted to say that yesterday's workshop was fantastic! Such a great idea and an hour of my weekend seriously well spent!" Aimee, London I hope you'll join them in upcoming classes! Book a StartUp Saturday class at http://startupsaturday.co.uk Follow Start Up Saturday on Twitter @SUpSaturday