Our Inspiring Entrepreneurs Entrepreneur posters_final_6_6_17_lores | Page 22

Denny Collie ROLE Lecturer in Creative Enterprise QMU Academic Champion for Entrepreneurship SPECIFIC PROJECT OR INITIATIVE Various Business Start-Ups Prior to working at QMU I have been involved in setting up a range of businesses, including; DCA Scotland Ltd - a data management company that specialised in collecting learning information for careers guidance use. Skyblue Cards Ltd - designed and sold on-line greeting cards using a subscription model. Seniorconcessions Ltd - provided on-line information on discounts and concessions for seniors. Highwood Art School - provided private tuition in drawing, painting and mixed media techniques. I started out working in local government education and careers services and eventually branched out and set up my own companies. My family background is entrepreneurial, involving diverse activities such as floristry, sweet shops and fruit and veg wholesale! It’s always been a natural thing for me to set up a business and see how it goes. You sometimes have to take a risk and it doesn’t always work out but there’s a lot of fun and satisfaction in the journey. I’ve brought this experience into my work at QMU where I aim to help our creative sector students take the first step in starting up a business or enterprise. “A desire to be creative and to make things happen. I have always been passionate about helping to create jobs for others and this has been one of the most satisfying aspects of my entrepreneurship involvement.”