Viral videos boost female international graduate entrepreneurs’ street food start-up

Molly Chan and Lucia Tsoi started Pop Up Wok after completing their degrees in MSc Health Psychology in 2016. Their launch event video has gone viral with hundreds of thousands of views from across the world and attention from media outlets including South China Morning Post, helping to boost their business.

Northumbria University’s free start-up support service, Student and Graduate Enterprise, ranked no. 1 in the UK for graduate start-ups* is on a mission not only to support more students and graduates to engage in enterprise and/ or become their own boss, but more specifically provide expertise, opportunities and support to female entrepreneurs.

Research by the Women’s Business Council has shown that the UK economy is missing out on more than 1.2 million new enterprises due to the untapped potential of women and how important female entrepreneurship is to the UK’s economy (Women’s Business Council: Maximising women’s contribution to future economic growth - two years on, July 2015). The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) project Northumbria Enterprise and Business Support aims to boost the number of female entrepreneurs in the North East as well as engage more female students in enterprising activity.

The team strongly believe in using positive female entrepreneurs as role models in their communications to inspire more female students and graduates and also to demonstrate that entrepreneurship is a viable career option, whether this is as a self-employed individual or setting up a limited company. Successful Northumbria student and graduate female entrepreneur role models represent women who start companies and have made a name in their sector, female entrepreneurs who set out as a sole trader but are realising the growth potential of their business to those who run lifestyle businesses.

The Student and Graduate Enterprise team has seen a significant increase in the number of enquiries this academic year leading to more female students and graduates attending enterprise events and subsequently, interested in starting their own business and becoming aware of the free support on offer to them. The team is currently working with a cohort of female graduates including some who have successfully applied for the Graduate Entrepreneur Visa that allows them to start a business in the UK. Having worked through their business idea and helped to develop it further, the team will also create bespoke mentoring sessions to help kick start their businesses, giving them the best chance of success. Northumbria University has mentors in areas such as sales and marketing, business growth and legal who can offer advice as well as tangible support such as drafting T&Cs and drawing up employment contracts.

Molly Chan, Co-Founder of Pop Up Wok (MSc Health Psychology, 2016 graduate) said: “The support has been incredible! Our launch event was organised by the Student and Graduate Enterprise team and our sales and marketing mentor. A local blogger documented the event and the response has been incredible. It boosted awareness of our business across the UK as well as in China and Hong Kong. We haven’t even been trading for one year and we already have plans for expansion. We’re passionate about Hong Kong street food culture and want as many people to experience it as possible! We ultimately want to create a chain of cafés focussed on wellbeing and mindfulness, combining our academic interests and our business into one idea. The continued support from the University as well as the mentors is really valuable if we want to continue to grow the business”.

If you graduated within the last five years and you are interested in starting your own business or becoming self-employed, get in touch with the team or visit their webpages to see what free start-up support you can access including mentoring and office accommodation in Newcastle city centre. (T&Cs apply)

*HEBCIS 2015/16