A Wilmslow businesswoman is celebrating after being announced as one of the UK's most exciting young entrepreneurs of the year.
Rachel Johnson, 26, from Park Road beat off stiff competition from around the UK earlier this year to win a monthly heat of the Shell LiveWIRE competition and £1,000 funding. Since then, judges have revealed the shortlist of 40 young entrepreneurs which features Rachel and her company Industry Insiders.
Industry Insiders was set up to deliver inspirational talks and workshops in schools and colleges to boost confidence, raise aspirations and self-esteem. The company bridges the gap between education and work and the ethos is to inspire, motivate and help people to achieve more. Rachel works with eight inspirational experts to deliver the sessions, include a former Commissioning Editor of BBC Radio 1, a Sales and Marketing Specialist and a TV and Sports Commentator.
Rachel says she's overwhelmed with the announcement: "This is an absolutely fantastic achievement for me and testament to all the hard work and dedication I've put in to making the company what it is today. Being able to inspire and motivate young people to achieve is a wonderful feeling and knowing that we're making such a difference to the future talent of this country makes it all worthwhile."
Rachel is a trained Broadcast Journalist with a decade of experience working in the media industry. She worked for ITV Granada and UTV Radio before leaving to start Industry Insiders. Rachel volunteered in schools and found there was a real need for people from the world of work to come into classrooms and inspire and get youngsters thinking about different career options they could pursue. The idea of expanding people's horizons and motivating them to do more with their lives really excited her.
As well as being one of the 2011 'Hot 40' Young Entrepreneurs of the Year, Rachel is now also competing for the top prize of £10,000. Over the coming weeks, a team of independent judges will narrow the list down to a 'Final 8' who will appear before a panel of judges at Shell Centre in London on 8th November. The overall winner will then be announced at the Shell LiveWIRE event the following evening.
