A budding entrepreneur’s journey – turning Anis’ passions into a business plan

My name is Anis Rahman (AKA ‘Acedia’) and I’m a learner at the Growth Company in Longsight.

I’m a 17-year-old aspiring creative from Manchester. I use this term because I don’t like to restrict myself in terms of my aspirations and interests. I blossomed from the spoken word scene, and from there became a self-taught stylist whilst I modelled part-time.

I’ve featured in many creative projects both in and outside of Manchester. I built a name for myself through my Instagram account, which is an online portfolio of the work I have done. Thanks to this, I’m continuously offered amazing opportunities and collaborations with other creatives who are interested in working with me. I see myself as a pioneer for social and political awareness in the digital age, and I use my platform to speak out about issues I believe mainstream media does not cover.

The Growth Company has helped me to gain employability skills for the world of admin work. They also helped me to secure a work experience placement at Gemini/Urban Bliss - a fashion company which produces clothing for trade.

I was surprised at how accurately Sarah at the Growth Company aligned my placement to my interests in fashion, modelling and styling.

I’m learning about all of the work that happens behind the scenes and the hard work that goes into running a big fashion brand. The placement is also giving me crucial skills when it comes to the implementation and execution of creative projects, which I plan to use in my future endeavours.

With these skills, I plan to monopolise the upcoming Manchester creative scene. One of the projects I’m currently working on is a philosophical poetry book that will be accompanied by visuals. I know a lot of artists – some who are struggling, and others who are successful – and I’d like as many of them to be involved in the project as possible. I plan to release the book at a launch event where I will showcase many different art forms, perform poems from the book and host an open mic for any upcoming artists. This is a long way down the line, but I like to pre-plan, think about my future and envision where I am heading to.