33-year-old Islander Huxley Hunt was in a job he didn’t enjoy and felt dissatisfied with his life. But, thanks to The Prince’s Trust, he can now describe how he has turned his life around with help from the Trust.
Huxley is just one of 1,602 young people in the south west of England who received help from the charity to set up their own business in the last ten years.
In the last year in the south west, arts businesses were the most popular type of business for young Prince’s Trust start ups, closely followed by food and drink and product businesses.
Huxley’s Story…
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The Prince’s Trust has helped me in so many ways, at a number of different points in my life.
I first came in touch with The Trust when I was 20.
I had tried loads of different jobs but nothing ever felt like the right fit. I just didn’t know what to do next.
So, after hearing about the charity’s Team programme – a twelve week personal development course – I decided to take part. I excelled. I took on a strong leadership role in my group, which impressed my tutors so much that they offered me the chance to stay on and volunteer as a project co-ordinator. I received lots of training to become a fully trained tutor, which would allow me to run courses myself. I went from developing my own skills, to facilitating nine different Team programmes for young people who were like me when I first started.
Having that support, people believing in me and a chance to do something I enjoyed, was so special.
People would often spot me in town and thank me for the help and guidance throughout their programme, many of who felt the course helped them become who they are today – which I can completely agree with.
I went on to do few part-time roles. I worked in the youth sector for a number of years, facilitating circus and henna workshops for kids and adults with varying abilities across the south region.
I later took up a temporary role in a well-known pizza restaurant who, at interview, explained they liked their staff to go above and beyond for their customers. Knowing a little more than most about the art of magic, but never actually having a captive audience until now, I started to show my customers tricks between courses which turned out to be a big hit.
I’m told to this day, nearly a decade on, people still call up asking if ‘The Magic Man’ can wait on their table for their gathering! I gained a hospitality award and was even sent to assist other restaurants within the chain. It was around about then that I had people ask if they could hire me to entertain at their parties and events and I finally saw magic and entertainment as a potential career. I needed to find full-time work and magic was my only passion.
So I entered the Isle of Wight Magic Championships 2011, with a routine based on fact, fiction, my family heritage, the great war, a box, a very old passport, a dice and ‘smells’ – I scooped first prize!
I started to expand my arsenal of tricks, developed my style and turned my silly tricks into jaw dropping astonishing effects, packaged in my cheeky and charming persona. I had a calendar of bookings and was ready to take on the challenge of being a full-time magical entertainer, for all ages and events.
However, I still had no real idea about how to start a business, or more importantly keep it running, which is when I went back and spoke to The Prince’s Trust, and good job I did.
I had a viable business idea and rough plan, so with the guidance and assistance from The Trust’s mentors I finished my business plan.
My mentor Alan was my rock. He met with me each month and we went over all the achievements, concerns and strategies for my business. To have someone you can openly talk to with a background in business, who won’t judge you but will listen and only advise where they can is, in my opinion, worth more than any monetary amount.
Alan helped me develop my online presence and local reputation and taught me to be tough but fair when it comes to pricing. It reminds me of the old adage “A cheap magician isn’t skilled, and a skilled magician isn’t cheap!”
I started contacting lots of different companies – I must’ve had at least 50 rejection emails. But I kept going and managed to get some work with Jelly Belly’s Jelly Beans and have worked as the site magician at loads of festivals on the Isle of Wight – including Bestival, Isle of Wight Fest, Rhythm Tree, VDub Island and few others.
I’ve been hired for cruises, ferries, parties, circuses, weddings, parties and loads of other events.
I’ve developed a schools magic workshop, which is delivered in either six week or twelve week programmes or a one day taster session. Turning the shyest of people into living legends in the playground, with a trick they learned in Hux’s Magic Class, is something I take great pride in!
I’ve also teamed up with several of the Island’s Libraries and we run Hux’s Magic Hub.
I can’t thank The Prince’s Trust enough for all that they do for people like me. I know I wouldn’t be the guy I am today if it wasn’t for the amazing support from mentors on the Enterprise programme who consistently guided me and gave me gentle nudges in the right direction.
Setting up my own business is the best thing I’ve ever done – get in touch with The Prince’s Trust and you could be saying the same thing.[/quote]
In light of stagnant youth unemployment figures over the last 12 months, of which 723,000 young people are still struggling to find a job, The Prince’s Trust is now urging more young people to seek support and consider setting up their own business to break out of unemployment.
Unemployed young people are being encouraged to submit business ideas at www.princes-trust.org.uk/idea.
