During my final year at Lincoln School of Film & Media (2014) I worked solo on projects and this was all down to what I could personally do, to understand what are my strengths & weaknesses – of course I loved every moment of working in a group because it was an extraordinary experience & I will never forget the people I once worked with.  I have always been passionate with my work & I have loved the feeling of having the freedom of what I can produce, so I discovered a few weeks after graduation I could develop my own business. The planning process of creating a business took me just over a year to establish, it has been a long & winding road over the last twelve months but it has been worth the time & in order to build a business you need to be 100% in what you are doing you need to be sure that everything meets the criteria.

I got guidance from multiple sources while I was in the “thinking” stages of starting up a business & they were much needed, I have attended meetings from the (Uni) Careers & Employability team. They gave me a clear understanding on what I should do & what means what I cannot thank them enough for what they have done, doing something like starting up a business is a big step in life & you need as much information as possible. I also attended a few of their amazing workshops they had on during the earlier part of the year. I would have to say if they brought the workshops back that would be incredible since it would be interesting to pick up on what I may of missed during the early stages & or look at the information they will share in a different light.

I also gained guidance from my local Job Centre, they pointed me in the right direction financially & the best way to push forth onto getting my funding. There have been tough times but my advisers have always been there for me to guide me on what to do next, I really do appreciate all the help they have given me over the last year & I can’t thank them enough.

I am developing a small Media Production business called Sweet Essence Media, and what my business entails falls into two categories: Promoting Charities + Local Businesses (how I would sell the product to the client – it would be in HD to 4K quality, handed to the client on a complimentary DVD & case) &  in the other category I create my own work & sell them in a online store, these productions include: Audio Dramas, Stop-Start Animations & Environmental Panoramic Videos (just to name a few).

I am at the final steps before “Sweet Essence Media” goes live, my goal is to be up & running by mid January, I am in the process of creating a business account for the funds which will go forth to new equipment.

Just to end my business update I would like to add that I am in the middle of learning Italian, I know it’s not business related but I find Italian incredible (alongside many other languages).  Grazie Università di Lincoln sei stato fantastico! – What I’m trying to say is, Thank you University of Lincoln you have been fantastic! Give me a few more months & I’ll get better!  Will update on a later date of my business progression … keep in touch with me:  Twitter @RachelSweet_BA | Sweet Essence Media on YouTube | Facebook | Website