Kirsty Timm, from Yorkshire, overcame extreme shyness and a severe lack of confidence to set up her own murder mystery party business, Lighthouse Entertainment. She was named Journey Award Runner-Up at the Company Programme UK Final 2014.
“The experience of helping to set up and run a business has really given me a new found confidence. I feel more determined to go far in life and know now that I’m good at working in a team. I am much more ambitious and will try not to let anything hold me back.”
Kirsty, who refused to speak to others for fear of being laughed at, took on the role of Sales Director, working with a team of 10 as she aimed to give her life a sense of direction.
Kirsty said: “I have always carried a fear that no-one was interested in what I had to say and have always longed for more confidence and self-belief. Up until now this has constantly held me back in life but Young Enterprise has given me the belief in myself to participate, realise that I do have a voice and do make valid points and that there is no reason for me to avoid people.
“For the first time I now feel happy when speaking to people. At a trade fair in Stratford Upon Avon I even started grabbing strangers and asked them if they were interested in murder! I found myself telling people what to do and was frustrated my team weren’t approaching more people. I couldn’t believe it, it was like watching someone else, I suddenly felt like a different person.”
She now holds regular murder mystery parties in which clients are served a three course meal while a local acting group bring the plotline to life. The cost of a ticket is £16 and Kirsty takes a £5 profit from each.
Kirsty said: “The experience of helping to set up and run a business has really given me a new found confidence. I feel more determined to go far in life and know now that I’m good at working in a team. I am much more ambitious and will try not to let anything hold me back.”