LUMS graduates help start-ups get online
Published 30 August 2012
Two LUMS graduates have created a new business to help get start-up companies online. Andrew Pickering (Business Economics) and Peter Gartland (Management and Entrepreneurship) set up their own web design company, AndrewAndPete.com, because of their poor experience when seeking top-quality web design, or designers, for their own site.
Andrew and Pete both started at LUMS in 2008, and quickly discovered each other’s passion for entrepreneurship. At Lancaster they became involved in activities to help them gain the skills they needed to run their own company one day. These included running the Entrepreneurs Society and participating in Global Entrepreneurship Week and the Unite with Business scheme.
While at Lancaster they set up their first business, Cloud 9 Texts, a texting service which sent inspirational messages to students during the busy revision periods.
After graduating they moved to the north-east to establish their business. They hired a web developer to help them create a new type of social website full of content designed to put a smile on people’s faces – from inspirational quotes, to funny videos. After months developing the idea they were let down by one thing: their own website. Poor experiences working with several different web designers and developers made them realise they had the skills to do the job better themselves.
From talking to other business owners Andrew and Pete found they weren’t the only inexperienced entrepreneurs who had had problems with web designers. They researched software for making websites and were soon in a position where they could offer a full web-design service to other small companies.
AndrewAndPete.com was the result: a web and design company specialising in servicing smaller businesses, especially start-ups. The business has quickly grown, attracting clients from outside the north-east, and even from overseas.
From their plush new office in Sunderland, Andrew and Pete can now look back on their original dream of running their own business and know that they’ve succeeded. They’ve taken some knock-backs, but in true entrepreneurial fashion have learnt from each mistake and treated it as a business lesson. The two students who didn’t want a “proper job” are more ambitious than ever, and with other plans already taking shape, the future is bright.
