Parmdeep-expert-insight

EXPERT INSIGHTS: PARMDEEP VADESHA

by News

In part four of Expert Insights, where we speak to experts across the business and entrepreneurship space within Leicestershire to get their thoughts on the current business landscape and the opportunities that are available, we caught up with STWLC Trustee Parmdeep Vadesha…

Firstly, please can you provide a brief overview of your career up to this point?

I have set up businesses in various sectors including investments, publishing, tech, and finance. Every day I work with a wide range of smart, hard-working people and I love it (most of the time!)

What do you feel makes a successful entrepreneur?

It depends on how you define ‘successful’! I think a successful entrepreneur is someone who deeply understands their customers’ problems and constantly figures out new and innovative ways to solve those problems, whilst earning a well-deserved profit for themselves.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to your younger self when entering the world of business/entrepreneurship?

Before I entered the world of work, I remember being constantly told that the harder something is to do, the more valuable it is. It took me a long time to realise that the most valuable things I could do in my business also turned out to be things I find fun and relatively easy. It was difficult to wrap my head around that, and sometimes still is 🙂

In the current economic climate, do you feel that now is a good time for aspiring entrepreneurs to be following their dreams and setting up a new business?

In tough economic times, many people are facing problems. Going back to my definition of a successful entrepreneur, if you can help solve those problems, you have the makings of a great business. So yes, I would say that now is a great time.

How valuable do you think The Sir Thomas White Loan Charity’s offer of interest-free business loans up to £20,000 is to new and existing businesses in Leicestershire?

I think we’re the best kept secret in Leicester! So secret in fact, that I had no idea until I became a trustee in 2022 that my father had taken a loan from Sir Thomas White to start his own business 43 years earlier!

To find out more about STWLC’s interest-free business loans, available up to the value of £20,000, please click here

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Space to Teach

by Business Success Stories

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the dedication and importance of the nation’s teachers was deservedly highlighted, through the adaptation to remote learning or the continuation of educating children of key workers across the country.

However, for many, the pandemic also provided an unprecedented opportunity for individuals to reflect on all facets of life: work, family, living; many people were able to obtain fresh perspective.

For Victoria Corcoran, a foot was in both of the aforementioned camps. A teacher with 14 years of experience, Victoria was employed by one of the county’s schools throughout the early stages of the pandemic. However, eager to juggle her passion for teaching with a busy family life, Victoria identified an opportunity to become self-employed and start her own business – and Victoria Corcoran Tutoring was born.

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Support for Student Entrepreneurs Gets £10,000 Boost

by News

Support for student entrepreneurship at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) has been given a £10,000 funding boost from The Sir Thomas White Loan Charity.

DMUworks Enterprise & Entrepreneurship, part of the university’s Student and Academic Services (SAAS) directorate, has teamed up with Sir Thomas White Loan Charity to support a series of events which aim to inspire students, graduates and staff.

The Sir Thomas White Loan Charity, which dates back to 1542, provides interest-free loans for people aged 18-45 who set up business in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland. It has been a long-standing supporter of DMU students and graduates but this is the largest donation it has ever made to the university.