Mobile pizza earns Alex a slice of cash!
Ex-teacher’s award for post-illness venture
FORMER English teacher Alex Dawson has turned a vintage truck into a mobile pizzeria.
The 29-year-old, from Checkley, was forced to quit his teaching job at Denstone College after a cardiac arrest in 2018. He landed a job with the Lichfield Diocese, only to be made redundant when the coronavirus crisis hit.
But help was at hand through Staffordshire University’s Be Inspired support scheme for would-be entrepreneurs. Now Alex is cooking up a storm with their venture, Bedford and Basil.
He has turned his family’s 1967 Bedford truck into the pizzeria, complete with a wood-fired oven. With help from his wife Charlotte, who is also a teacher, he is now serving up the freshly cooked and locally sourced food at events across Staffordshire.
The business has also earned him a £1,500 prize at the university’s ‘Startup Gradex,’ a virtual showcase of the projects set up through Be Inspired.
He said: “I’m still shocked that I won – it was only a year ago that I came up with the name for Bedford & Basil in the back of my notebook. I applied for the scheme as I had no previous direct experience in business. I hoped it would enable me to grow and develop alongside the business.
“The programme has offered me a platform to learn and gain a deeper understanding of the nature of owning, running and growing a start-up business. In addition, the mentorship has been a great support.
“I began the course with a standard model pick-up truck and a vision to transform it into a vintage artisan mobile pizza oven. Since then, we have created a brand identity, restored and converted the truck, and have been
operating through the winter and third lockdown.
“We are currently busy taking bookings for events during the summer and ahead.”
Alex is one of 44 aspiring entrepreneurs to have started up a business over the last year with support from Be Inspired.
The scheme helps graduates turn business ideas into reality by providing the necessary practical skills and knowhow.
The latest cohort celebrated the end of their studies at Start-up Gradex, with gold, silver and bronze prizes for those who impressed judges from the British Business Bank and Natwest.
The silver prize, worth £1,000, was awarded to Shereen Powell, whose business The Sweet Bartender offers alcoholic treats for adults in the form of cocktail-inspired boiled sweets.
And the £500 bronze award went to Jemma Nathanson-wiley and Julie Bricknall.
Jemma has launched Weddit Films, a video editing company that helps wedding guests capture footage of the big day on their phones and turns it into a professional wedding video.
Julie’s company, Inspired Mindset Ltd, delivers workshops, webinars, coaching and peer group support on well-being, leadership and personal effectiveness topics.
Clair Hameed, Be Inspired programme manager, said: “Starting a business from scratch is never easy. Our hard-working and inspirational startup businesses have not just started but thrived during the Covid pandemic and resulting lockdowns.”
Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the year-long programme is open to Staffordshire University graduates and those of other universities who live in Staffordshire.
Sponsor Natwest is also offering all the winners exclusive access to its Enterpreneur Accelerator to support their growing businesses.