Stan's Idea...
Originally from Russia, Stan, 20, is a youth worker in Birmingham with a passion for social entrepreneurialism. Having entered and won several international business competitions as well as founding his own student enterprise, Stan believes he has the business skills and acumen to succeed in this challenge.
His idea is a simple t shirt printing business which will enable him to source good quality t shirts in varying colours and sizes via Aliababa.com which will then be sold baring funky and original designs. Utilising his existing links with Birmingham University and his contacts through his youth work, Stan already has several student designers on hand to create original, stylish and occasionally, comical designs. He has also successfully negotiated with a printer who is prepared to work with him on this venture by producing the final t shirts. Additionally, the printing company Stan has opted to support is a social enterprise which empowers young people by giving them the opportunity to develop their own business skills through the everyday running and management of the business.
Stan's business plan
With a strong marketing background, Stan’s sales strategy combines online and offline tactics as well the harnessing of his widespread business network. The main distribution channel for Stan’s unique t shirts will be online, starting with a simple order-based website, plus reciprocal links to other sites that are targeting a similar audience. He plans to drive traffic to the site through existing social networking websites with the creation of specific groups along with his own blog.
Stan has identified the thriving student population as being his key target market, and estimates that with around 120,000 students in and around Birmingham, it shouldn’t be too difficult to entice a decent proportion of them to make at least one purchase. Making the most of the plethora of communications channels already in place for targeting students, Stan feels he has the right marketing mix to target fashion conscious students who want to stand out from the crowd but who are always on the hunt for a bargain!
What Stan Says...
I would describe myself as brave, bold and bright and with this in mind, I firmly believe I stand a good chance in this competition. My work enables me to interact with my key target market and I feel this along with my previous business experience and my great contacts will help me to achieve success.
Stan’s stage of the challenge
