A talented trio of entrepreneurs building and growing their businesses as part of the
Vulcan Works incubation programme have shared their experiences.
Vulcan Creatives supports ambitious individuals to develop their businesses through
dedicated workshops and business support activities, such as creating a business
plan and learning the skills needed to succeed in the world of entrepreneurship.
Two thirds of the way through the third round of the free six-month initiative, three of
the cohort – Rebecca Timmins, Simeon James and Danny Langford – have reflected
on their journey so far.
Rebecca is the brainchild behind the what’s on website Northants Families, a web
resource for families to discover activities happening in the area and online directory
for local businesses to get in front of those families.
She started the business in July 2025 and joined Vulcan Creatives just three months
later, looking for guidance on how to monetise the website and improve processes.
Rebecca said: “I knew how to set up and run a website, but I needed general advice
on how to develop the business further, market it, grow it and make money from it.”
Vulcan Works business growth manager Darren Smith, who leads the Vulcan
Creatives programme, is an invaluable support to the participants, who are the third
cohort in as many years.
Rebecca said: “Having Darren was a big selling point for me. He has a lot of
connections and having someone that we can talk to, bounce ideas off and who will
give ideas on direction is amazing.
“He helped me look at automating my weekly newsletter and shared his contacts at
the council. Darren puts so much effort and work into it. I have found it to be a really
positive experience.”
Rebecca, who is also a photographer, is also enjoying working alongside her fellow
Vulcan Creatives, sharing the same experience and pulling on each other’s strengths
and experience.
“Coming together as a group and all being in different industries has really helped.
Just sitting and talking to others in a similar situation has been great.
“As I work for myself and on my own it’s nice to have somewhere else to go and chat
with other people. It’s nice to be able to have somewhere to go to work around other
people. Vulcan Works are good at hosting events and creating a sense of
community.”
Danny Langford, who is developing an app called ReadingSpace, is also benefiting
from Darren and the wider group.
He said: “I heard about the programme through Barclays Eagle Lab, who
recommended the course. I was just starting out, and it gave me the opportunity to
get advice, guidance and a community.
“I’m in the business by myself and to have someone like Darren to bounce ideas off
and get business advice from is amazing. I want to soak in as much knowledge as
possible from as many people as possible and this has been the perfect opportunity
to do that.”
ReadingSpace aims to help children to build regular reading habits. As a former
primary school teacher, Danny has seen firsthand how parents struggle to
encourage their children to read for pleasure.
“There were lots of apps out there for reading comprehension but not a lot out there
for encouraging a love of reading,” said Danny, who now has three local schools
testing his app and 200 children using the platform.
“Being part of Vulcan Creatives has helped me to look at the whole picture of what
I’m trying to achieve. Darren gave me incredible advice and showed me the tangible
next steps to take. He connected me to other courses and recommended other
opportunities around Northampton that he thought I’d be a good fit for.
“Where you could find yourself feeling isolated as a sole founder, Vulcan Creatives
allows you to find people in the same boat as you and bounce ideas off each other.
It’s a ready-made community.”
The Vulcan Works community was something Simeon James had found well before
he heard about Vulcan Creatives.
The nutrition and fitness coach was coworking in Vulcan Works and looking for ways
to improve his business by identifying gaps in his strategy when Darren invited him
to join the cohort.
Simeon is the founder of The Wellness Collective, a community-based online fitness
programme for women over the age of 30 that want to be fit and strong.
He said: “The Vulcan Works building is a great place to be. It brings knowledge and
an extended network of people as you have access to other people in the building.
I’m always thinking about ways in which I can use the network here to expand and
I’ve got business from this building which is a bonus.
“The community between the Vulcan Creatives guys is really good as well. On top of
the events available we organise our own things including weekly Zoom catch ups
where we share ideas and come together and we have a WhatsApp group for
regular communication at any time. There’s lots going on but a lot of ideas just come
from sitting and chatting. It’s an underappreciated benefit.
“Everyone here is really nice and on top of that it’s great to have somewhere you can
go to connect with other people. The programme has a plethora of benefits.”
Darren Smith said: “Leading Vulcan Creatives brings me great satisfaction and
enjoyment. It is a privilege and a pleasure to be a small part of the business journeys
that begin here and Rebecca, Danny and Simeon are just three examples of what
can be achieved through the programme.
“We support business owners to grow and help to strategically plan their
development, with 1-2-1 advice, group workshops and useful information sessions
and our participants know that they will always have a home with us here at Vulcan
Works. I look forward to seeing how they continue to thrive long past their graduation
this summer.”
To find out more about ReadingSpace visit www.readingspace.app
For Northants Families visit www.northantsfamilies.co.uk
Find The Wellness Collective on Instagram @_simeonjames
To find out more about Vulcan Creatives visit www.vulcanworks.co.uk/vulcan-
creatives