‘Iconic’ tenant thanks Unity Enterprise team for special business adventure

A longstanding tenant of a prominent Leeds enterprise hub has expressed her gratitude to the not-for-profit organisation that helped her business thrive.

Corinne Lapierre has been making high-quality craft kits and textile accessories at Unity Business Centre (UBC) in Chapeltown for over 12 years.

UBC is one of three centres managed by Unity Enterprise (UE), the subsidiary company of BME housing association Unity Homes and Enterprise. It provides affordable units for 93 diverse businesses collectively employing more than 1,200 people.

Corinne arrived at UBC as a sole trader, having spent a year working from her spare room and another in a shared studio.

“My business was very small and signing a contract for a unit for a year seemed like a very big step,” she explained. “I was delighted to find a place which was convenient, professional and affordable. It has always been a very friendly place where I made many connections with like-minded individuals.”

Corinne’s business started to grow and became a limited company in 2015, leading her to sign up for a second business unit.  The expansion gathered pace over the next decade and, when she departed UBC earlier this year, she was renting six units.

Reflecting on her time, Corinne was full of praise for UE staff including Manager Adrian Green and Enterprise Co-ordinator Pauline Macnamara.

“Adrian has always been very understanding of what issues and worries small business owners might face, and has organised many events such as breakfast meetings, one-to-one coaching with business advisers and presentations from guest speakers,” she said.  “This was a real catalyst for me in understanding how to scale up and having the confidence to change our systems.”

Corinne eventually accepted that running six different units was not the most efficient way to operate.

“Having Adrian and Pauline’s friendly support made me extremely reluctant to look for somewhere else, they both make a wonderful team,” she continued.  “I would never be able to find somewhere quite as unique as UE, but I did have to take the plunge and move to a bigger single unit. It has been a bittersweet change, both exciting and scary, comparable in many ways to leaving home as a young adult!”

Corinne added: “Being at Unity Business Centre has been a very special adventure for 12 years, full of special memories. I do hope many future tenants can benefit from the same kind of support I received from Adrian and his team.  In a society where many small businesses are struggling, especially in the early years, organisations like UE are invaluable.”

Her final day at UBC was marked with a small gathering of UE staff and tenants where she was presented with a bouquet of flowers.

Adrian Green, UE Manager, said:

“We are celebrating our 25th anniversary this year and Corinne stands out as one of UE’s most successful and celebrated tenants.

“As ever in business, there have been highs and lows – perhaps none lower than during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we worked closely with Corinne and her team to get them back to full production.

“She has become an iconic figure at UBC and will be missed by us all.”

Cedric Boston, Unity Homes and Enterprise Chief Executive, said:

“As a BME housing association, we passionately believe that entrepreneurship can change lives for the good, create new jobs, build prosperity and regenerate local neighbourhoods.

“UE’s mission is to support and enable people living in BME communities to start up their own sustainable business.  This includes the provision of holistic business support to largely fledgling entrepreneurs who would otherwise not have the opportunity.

“The team should be proud of their role in Corinne achieving her business dreams.”