Case studies - Adam Goodyer

Adam Goodyer, 29, established Concert Live with James Perkins in September 2005, recording live music concerts and selling the high quality CDs to the public.

To date, they have sold over 70,000 CDs and worked with some of the UK’s biggest artists including Keane, The Feeling and Faithless. In just three years, the business now employs up to 50 people and is set for an annual turnover of £1 million by the end of 2008.

Adam Goodyer is an Ambassador for Make Your Mark, the national campaign to unlock the UK’s enterprise potential, and supporter of Shine.

What was the most valuable lesson you learnt from your school days?
Make as many friends as you can – they’ll help you in later life.

What were you doing before your talent became your job?
I was at school and university – and working in a petrol station.

How did you get your break?
By having a drunken argument with my best friend from school about the last song played at a Massive Attack concert – we decided to set up a business after that!

Why do you think it’s important to support young people's talents?
Talent needs to be nurtured and encouraged. Growing up can be a difficult time of life but also an extremely important one. Giving young people support but also showing belief in them helps to foster the confidence to follow their ideas.

Who in your life has helped you to Shine?
My mother – the cleverest person in the world. I’m inspired by all people who start up their own businesses and do their own thing.

What other talents do you have?
I play the piano.

How do you think schools can help young people to develop their ideas and have the confidence to take them forward?
Schools can link up with programmes such as Shine, but most importantly schools should focus on being schools – there’s no substitute for a good, well rounded education that gives a solid grounding in many areas – with that grounding, young people can have the basic skills they need to build on to become great at whatever they do.

What do you think about the Shine festival of talent? Is it something you would have engaged with if it was available while you were at school?
I think Shine is a fantastic idea and would have loved to have taken part in something similar when I was at school.

What advice would you give to young people taking part in Shine?
Have fun, make friends and, if you’ve got a talent or a great idea, be passionate about it and tell everyone about it.