Henry Romanenko, 29, decided to start his journey with Salford September 2016, when he enrolled on BSc Accounting and Finance at Salford Business School. He decided his salaried city job was no longer challenging his abilities. This frustrated Henry, so he made the bold decision to leave his job and further his education. 

During his time at Salford, Henry has already established two business with the help of our Enterprise Team. The first being a luxury jewellery brand, formed with his brother, and the second begin a relatively new book-keeping business.

Image: Henry at Liverpool Fashion Week
Henry collaborating with luxury hat designers House of Charles.

Hello Henry, have you always wanted to run your own business?

To be honest no, when I first moved to the UK about eight years ago, my dream was to literally find a job in a good company, and earn a good wage. I was lucky enough to achieve this goal, I had a very decent job with Greater Manchester Police, and a comfortable salary, but I realised that having that Monday-to-Friday job with set times every week just wasn’t for me. It had been playing on my mind more and more once I’d hit my later twenties, and was fearful that I’d never have a go at working for myself.

When did you first come up with your business idea?

It first came about when I was with my brother, and I started thinking about his career. He has a lot of qualifications and a real eye for design, as he already works for a luxury fashion house making some lovely jewellery. I had a background in finance and business, which has been massively enriched by studying at Salford Business School. With this in mind, I thought that we could utilise both skill sets and lay the foundations for a successful business.

Image: Henry Receiving Santander start-up award

How has choosing to study at Salford benefited you?

First of all, Salford has a very nice social environment, which I must say, makes our University very good for networking. And then of course there is the practical help that you get here, and the boost I’ve been given from the Enterprise Team.

Could you talk me through your experience with the enterprise team?

Well to start with, it was the first place I could get any feedback for my business idea, which is so important if you want to stay grounded. They were very supportive and helped me prepare for the launch of my business that ultimately led me to my first pitch. With this help, I was eligible for the Santander Start-Up Award, which helped me to fund photo shoots and vital equipment. If it wasn’t for the Enterprise Team, I wouldn’t have been given the preparation needed to win the funding. I must say, something that I have been very lucky with, is that I’ve never felt like I was on my own at Salford when I was setting up these businesses.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgDxH-NFs48/?hl=en&taken-by=romankenojewellery

What’s next for you?

There is always a lot of work to be done. At the moment I’m really focusing on building my customer base, and proving myself to be a worthy businessman that is worth investing in. As well as that, I’d like to utilise some of the funding options available to me here at Salford, to potentially travel abroad and explore international fashion.

Finally, What is your top tip?

Never make excuses. Just go and do it.