Thursday 7 May 2020 A focus on eco-friendly products led to business success for Year 12 students from The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL) who took part in this year’s LEAP student enterprise scheme. LEAP (formerly Leeds Enterprise Advisory Programme) provides students aged 14-19 from schools around Leeds and Bradford with real life business experience. LEAP is a not-for-profit organisation, run by volunteer trustees, judges and mentors, who generously give their time so that the students can learn from their professional experience in business. Students set up their own companies and trade during an academic year, from writing a business plan and raising capital through to presenting their company results. Their efforts are recognised at the annual LEAP awards, announced online this year as the coronavirus outbreak prevented the awards ceremony taking place. GSAL company Küler.Co scooped four awards, for social media, best website, and best administered company, along with a special award for achieving the most profit. Their primary product, reusable water bottles, tapped into the growing environmental sustainability movement in school. While other companies in school also chose water bottles as a sustainable product line, Küler.Co put their success down to competitive pricing and eye-catching social media advertising. Joint managing directors Shreyas and Jamie headed up the nine-strong company of Year 12 students. Shreyas said “LEAP was a learning process for us in terms of understanding the skills and pressures in running a company. We learnt a lot about teamwork and delegation, but also the importance of taking individual responsibility for certain areas and tasks.” Jamie added: “We knew we were doing something right when a local business which sells stainless steel products was so impressed by our water bottles they ordered 50 from us at a trade fair!” Shell Yeah also had plastic reduction as a key aim, selling metal bottles and straws. They won the awards for enterprise and for marketing. Quokka Clothing also scooped two awards, for the best stand at the Christmas trade fair and for their business plan. Pictured are production manager Anand and finance director Josh at Küler.Co’s stand in the Merrion Centre. General Senior School Sixth Form News Community
