MAKING BUSINESS FASHIONABLE

Interview by Lisa Firth

23 year old Linsey Mitchinson, a sociology graduate, is in the process of developing her clothing label Nostic. "I’d rather do something for myself than for someone else," she elaborates. "You get greater job satisfaction when you can see it happening and it’s something you’ve worked for and no-one else has helped with, although I don’t necessarily make a lot of money out of it at the moment. The first time I saw my work on stage was at the Durham fashion show, and knowing I’d put it there was brilliant, that sense of knowing I can do it on my own."

"I’d like to think my products are more individual," says Linsey when asked what makes her products stand out. "Denim stuff is in at the moment, and although I’m not doing anything new that hasn’t already been done in the sixties or seventies, because my stuff is customised and all hand-made it is more original; I’ve not seen anything similar anywhere else. It’s funky and colourful and I can cater to the customer’s needs."

The idea for Nostic first occurred to Linsey last January. "I had an idea and didn’t really know what to do with it," she confesses. "I explored it as much as I could but I just needed a bit of extra help. It was nice to know Enterprise Exchange was running, someone to help with the idea and explore it. It was helpful having one-to-ones with like-minded people, expressing your ideas and chatting: good to know other graduates had similar ideas. And the Exchange had links to help me on my way, bringing people in to talk who had already done what I wanted to do: I got to talk to people in various stages of business development. The Exchange was all about putting people in touch."

"Go to the Enterprise Exchange," Linsey advises anyone with the idea of setting up their own business. "They can help you get in touch with local projects that are there for you but you don’t know about. Don’t be frightened to explore your idea; if you want to do it, keep working towards it. There were lots of people I could have asked for advice, but when I first started I didn’t know they were there: the Enterprise Exchange can help you with that. Just carry on, believe in yourself and
have a positive attitude."