A GRAPPENHALL entrepreneur has won a prestigious national scholarship after completing a ‘Help to Grow: Management’ programme in Warrington.
Louise Nicholson, 53, has secured a fully funded place on The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses UK programme, which is run in partnership with the Said Business School at Oxford University.
She begins her studies this month – having been awarded one of only 70 places available each year.
“For the past 16 years, I have felt like a lone wolf – fumbling my way through my business growth journey,” explained Louise, who is the owner of Superstars Holiday Club Ltd. “I was too busy being there for everyone else to take time for personal development. After the pandemic, I wanted to be around like-minded business owners who faced similar challenges, so I signed up for the ‘Help to Grow: Management’ programme – delivered by Manchester Metropolitan University.
‘That course lit a fire in me. It made me think consciously about every aspect of Superstars Holiday Club. As I was getting ready to graduate, my programme mentor said I would be a good candidate for the Goldman Sachs course and supported me through the application process. I can hardly believe I have been accepted and will now be receiving a world-class education – both online and in person – from one of the UK’s leading universities.”
A former prison officer, Louise used to play volleyball with high-profile inmates at HMP Belmarsh. After giving birth to her two sons, she recognised a gap in the market for structured and active sports sessions for under-fives and founded Superstars Holiday Club Ltd in 2006. She now employs 22 full-time staff members and 150 seasonal workers, and holds sessions across the North West for more than 2,000 children aged between four and 14 every day.
“Sometimes in business, you don’t feel like you are in the boat with other people,” said Louise. “That’s why I’ve carried on meeting up with the three other business owners I did group work with on the ‘Help to Grow: Management’ programme. We’ve stuck together – having each found the camaraderie we were looking for. If you go into it with an open mind, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose from applying.”
Delivered by small business and enterprise experts from Manchester Metropolitan University, the ‘Help to Grow: Management’ programme aims to help Warrington business leaders develop a tailored growth plan.
