Earlier today we posted about eBay making generous donations to The Prince’s Trust for all transactions made today. You might be interested to find out exactly how that money is being used to support young entrepreneurs through Carly Thompsett’s story who is the founder of Anaphase clothing.
Carly was able to build her own business through the help of a £4,000 grant awarded to her by The Prince’s Trust Enterprise programme. She began selling her own clothing before branching out into bags, homeware, cosmetics and accessories most of which is still being made by her and the team today at their base in Cardiff.
“I left school at 15 with some GCSEs but being dyslexic and suffering from dyspraxia, I was told I probably wouldn’t amount to much anyway so why bother?
“One day I woke up and really wanted to pursue my dream. I bit the bullet and quit my job – I thought, ‘if I won’t do it now, I won’t ever do it,’ so googled, ‘how to start a business’ and one of the first results that popped up was The Prince’s Trust. I called in and explained I wanted to start a business and asked if they could help me.”
– Carly Thompsett, Founder, Anaphase Store
Carly applied to join the Enterprise Programme and after a victorious pitch her business began to grow with the help of initial funding, two years mentoring and a network of business growth courses. She believes that without the help of The Prince’s Trust she wouldn’t be where she is today. It’s clear that the money raised can change lives by supporting the successful future of business through the abilities and ideas of young entrepreneurs in the UK.
In regards to eBay’s give day appeal she said:
“I think it’s amazing, especially with the publicity eBay generate and the big name they are, they can reach so many people.
“When I found the Prince’s Trust I had never really heard of them before or knew what they did but eBay, with all their customers, will be able to get the word out. I wish more companies would do things like this.”
– Carly Thompsett, Founder, Anaphase Store
