BOLLYWOOD NETS CASH FOR UK ASIAN BUSINESSMEN
(16th April 2003)

The current Bollywood boom has led to a greater demand than ever before for multi-cultural talent both in the UK and the Indian sub-continent, which presented a golden opportunity for Wembley entrepreneur Waseem Alyaz. Together with business partner Proby Patel, Waseem set up UK Talent Spot - a specialist "East meets West" talent agency - and is doing a roaring trade after only a few months in business.

"The explosive growth of film, cable, satellite, commercial channels and digital TV has led to a huge demand for fresh talent in the entertainment industry. Our speciality is providing models, singers, dancers and extras for the film and television industry, with an aim to supply the best talent to both mainstream and Asian markets," said Waseem.

But Waseem and Proby soon realised that even in the glamour world of film and entertainment, basic financial management can make or break a business so they turned to Business Link for London, the small business advice and support service for the capital. The European Social Fund and London Development Agency co-fund the Business Link for London Pre-Start and Start Up Service.

Waseem explained: "UK Talent Spot provides work to Asian artistes in Europe, as well as presenting opportunities for European artistes in the Asian sub-continent. Working with so many disparate suppliers and agents, it quickly became apparent that our financial systems had to be meticulous but, at the same time, easy to manage.

"We were referred to our local enterprise support agency, Harrow in Business (HiB), to seek advice on planning steady growth and guidance on cash flow and financial controls."

Waseem signed up to HiB's Up & Running scheme, a two-year support programme that starts with a one-to-one counselling session before providing on-going advice, training and mentoring.

He added: "To tackle our financial and cash flow issues, I took HiB's course Financial Forecasting to ensure that all our accounting and book keeping processes are watertight. Since then, our accounting processes have run without a hitch, even though we are dealing with scores of actors and models being sent halfway around the world.

"We also received invaluable advice on marketing on the Internet and, as a result, our website is now one of our most valuable assets. Our entire portfolio of artistes and models is now just a click away, making it easier for our clients to find the perfect person for the job."

Waseem concluded: "HiB's advice is impartial and honest - telling you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. As a result our business processes are in order and we're off to a flying start."

INTERESTED IN LEARINING MORE?

Click here to visit the Business Link website.
Click here to visit the Talent Spot website.
Click here to read about Asian Star Search.
Click here to read about the BBC's search for Talent.