While studying on the MSc Enterprise through the Leeds Enterprise Centre, Robert Conway and Andrew Green put their skills in to action by setting up a business called TourOutdoor. The student tour company runs guided excursions to cultural and historical locations across Yorkshire and the UK.
Andrew said: “We had the idea to provide guided tours around hard-to-reach, largely-overlooked locations which, for a number of reasons, had been ignored by other travel providers. Two weeks later we sold out and ran our first tour. From there we have visited a number of places and our customer list just keeps growing! It has proven to be a particular hit with international students around Leeds, who see our tours as their only opportunity to experience and engage with real British culture and history.”
The business idea was supported by Spark, the university’s business start-up service, which offers funding, practical advice and resources to students who have a workable idea and the commitment to back it up. Robert said: “The help from the University has been fantastic. We won the Proof of Concept fund which has really helped us get our business off the ground. If you have a good idea and show passion and interest, there is so much support out there for you.”