Neo Retro are a group of students from Big Creative Training in East London who took part in our 2018/19 Company Programme. The team were given the opportunity to set up and run their own student business and went on to win an award for Best Customer Service at the YE North London Awards.
Following the teams’ success, we wanted to find out more about their Company Programme experience and journey.
Tell us a bit about your team and business idea? We are a group of Gaming Level 3 students that decided to provide a retro gaming service for people in the Walthamstow area who might not have been able to afford it. As well as retro games consoles we also have board games, and the latest in VR gaming experience
What was the inspiration behind the idea? The inspiration behind the idea was to cater for people who want to have a nostalgic trip down memory lane playing old games consoles from their youth but also the fact that the gaming community is very welcoming and we wanted to spread that spirit to others who may not usually be gamers, or be able to afford the consoles themselves.
What has been most rewarding about the experience so far? The most rewarding experience has been Seeing the smile on someones face when they revisit a retro game they haven’t touched since their youth, it makes it all worth while!
What has been the most challenging? The most challenge part of our gaming service is making money from our service, our community is very welcoming and we sometimes found it difficult charging people, as small as the fee was, to play our games. This is also due to the fact that a few people would say they could easily go and play the games for free at their home!
Tell us about your Business Advisor and how they have helped through the process? Our business advisors were great! They gave us real life advice that could actually help us expand and make more money. They looked at all our positives but also kept it real with us ny giving us the improvement the service could do with!
What are the top 3 things you have learnt from the experience? Top 3 things we have learnt from our experience is the importance of making your company, product or service sustainable and environmentally friendly, the confidence we have developed in our own ability and how important it is to look after the customers needs!
How has taking part in Young Enterprise influenced your plans for the future? Taking part in YE has influenced my plan for the future by teaching me to have a strong team behind any idea you have, team work really does make the dream work!
What’s next for the team? We will continue to run NEO RETRO throughout our remaining academic year at college and beyond! In fact we already have a spin-off service running in conjunction. Having spoken to the Mayor of Waltham Forest who really liked our idea, we want to look at expanding our gaming service to a wider audience in the borough!
Sum up your Young Enterprise experience in 3 words Fun, Fulfilling and Unforgettable!
If you’re a teacher, school or organisation working with young people and would like to find out more about Company Programme please get in contact with your local Area Manager via our online enquiry form