A La Mode reflects on Young Enterprise Scotland experience
It was Kilgraston's first year of putting teams forward for the Young Enterprise Scotland programme, so to come away with a regional title is a fantastic achievement.
This year marked the first year for Kilgraston taking part in the Young Enterprise Scotland programme.
A La Mode, a business formed by Flora, Lola, Natasha and Molly, got off to a flying start with their luxury, locally sourced brand that offered affordable self-care products that were sustainable and supported local suppliers.
They created a range of products, including a premium and environmentally friendly self-care box that contained a range of products such as lip balms, candles and soaps. In addition, they were able to adapt this product by creating baubles filled with hand cream or lip balm for the seasonal periods.
A La Mode took the regional title and went through to the national final. Whilst they didn’t come away with an award, the girls gained invaluable experience to take with them as they move on from Kilgraston.
We caught up with Flora, Lola, Natash and Molly to find out what they thought of the experience and what they will take away from it.
How does it feel to be finishing the programme as regional winners?
We are really proud to be regional winners this year especially since it is the first year that Kilgraston has taken part in the programme. We’ve enjoyed it so much and wish everyone taking part next year the best of luck!
Have you enjoyed the experience?
As a team we have all enjoyed the process massively and although the programme required a lot of time the rewards are worth it in the end. Sadly, our journey was slightly different due to Covid-19 but we would definitely recommend the programme to everyone.
What have you learned from taking part?
We have learned a number of different things during our journey but the main thing we learned was to communicate with your team mates. The most important thing is that everyone within the team is having fun and getting involved. It is always easier to face challenges together rather than alone so make sure to communicate and stay positive.
What challenges did you face?
As we did the young enterprise programme in out last ear of school we did find it tricky to juggle our subjects, extra curricular activities and out of school commitments as well at the YES programme. However, it allowed us to improve our organisational skills and team work and gave us something to work towards other than our academic results.
Would you recommend the programme to other pupils?
We would all defiantly recommend taking part in the programme to everyone at school. It provides a lot of new skills and gives an insight into the real business world. It looks good on your personal statement too but most of all it’s fun and something a bit different to our usual classroom subjects.
How do you think this experience may help you later in life?
The young enterprise programme has improved our confidence dramatically which will be helpful in all walks of life after we have left school. It has provided us with a more broad range of knowledge on how business works in the real world and has provided us with a basic understanding of finance within all businesses. As a team our organisational and communication skills have also improved. All the skills we have improved on and new skills we have learned will be invaluable in our future studies and careers.
Here at Kilgraston, we are excited to take part in the Young Enterprise Scotland competition when we return and we’re very excited to hear and see what our next generation of entrepreneurs has to offer.
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