FitBrits
A recipe for success
Warren Nash came to Nottingham Trent University to study for a Business Studies Strategy and Entrepreneurship degree. In 2007 joined The Hive, first on the SPEED (Student Placements for Entrepreneurs in Education) programme, which encouraged students to start their own businesses. He is currently engaged on The Hive SmarTrak programme.
Warren said: "I've been a creative person from a young age - trying out new hobbies and ideas. My university degree taught me the practical ways that I could make some of my ideas come to fruition. In my last year of university, I got really involved with cooking and decided to start a business around this."
In 2009 Warren launched his business FitBrits. Based in Nottingham, partially in The Hive itself, FitBrits is an online channel which produces and broadcasts cooking videos. All recipes are designed to be cooked from scratch, and to be as simple as possible.
Help from The Hive
Like any new business, there were some initial hurdles when the channel was first launched, and Warren was glad of the help and support offered by The Hive. He says: "The Hive hosts informative seminars with professionals in specialist fields. This has been a great help in progressing my business idea and skills set."
Today Warren maintains regular review sessions with a mentor to discuss progress and goals for the business. He commented: "It's important to me that I have on-going support to keep the momentum going. Having a mentor has been invaluable. It's great to have someone to set your goals with who encourages you to keep progressing to the next step. Also, two minds are better than one! We're always throwing ideas around to keep things fresh and new."
Recognition for FitBrits
Last year, FitBrits.com was 1 of 16 winners of the YouTube Next Chef award, and the only winner from the UK. The prize was $10,000 worth of YouTube advertising, mentoring sessions with industry professionals and a $5,000 filming equipment package. He will also receive cooking equipment for assignments he will carry out for the YouTube Next Chef channel.
FitBrits has also received media recognition both nationally and internationally, with features in Forbes magazine, Fabulous Food magazine and on the radio.
The next target for FitBrits is to increase awareness. With so many online networks and mediums this is a huge task, in a dynamic environment that's always changing. The ultimate aim is to be the number one ‘go-to' place online for food and cooking.
When asked whether he would recommend The Hive to other people thinking of starting their own business, Warren says: "There are a lot of entrepreneurs with great ideas out there. The Hive gives you a real boost. Ultimately, it's hard work that will make your idea a reality, but The Hive will get you there sooner by steering you in the right direction with the decisions you make."
For more information, please visit the FitBrits website.
