Fraser Williams is a high achieving, ambitious individual in his second year here at Lancaster University. Studying Management and Entrepreneurship, he certainly has a passion for business and has put his expertise to impressive use by creating the successful proof-reading service Checkit- which I have a lot of fun working for as well!
1. What college are you in?
Bowland.
2. Where are you from?
Hereford.
3. How did you come up with the idea for Checkit?
Like most entrepreneurial stories – the idea for Checkit came to me when I experienced this issue first hand. I have a good friend who once asked me to proofread his work for him. I realised that, as a native (and no ‘expert’ in English I might add), I was doing my friend who is an international student a fair service. So I started exploring the possibility of connecting people who are experts in English language to students who wish to have their work proofread. Now, Checkit is a student service that does exactly that, and we are helping to improve students’ language and grammar through proofreading.
4. How long has the business been running for and what has the highlight been so far?
The business was officially launched in August 2014, however the idea and building took a fair few months before that. The highlight has been drawing such a great team together and seeing the business come to life in our first meet up as a team – where the LUMS effective learning team helped train us all up to scratch. Checkit also won an award for creative enterprise which was certainly a proud moment!
5. What does your role in Checkit involve?
I am the director of the business, which means I handle a variety of tasks – everything from marketing to finance! However, our team makes a big difference to our clients, they are the real experts within Checkit. Sounds cliche, but without a strong team we would not be the same business.
6. Any future plans for Checkit?
The plan is to expand Checkit until it is a national student brand. We want to be recognised in every university in the UK as a trustworthy and unique proofreading service. I hope to achieve this in the next 2-3 years.
7. What’s your favourite thing about Lancaster Uni?
My favourite thing remains how community-oriented we are as a university. Being in Bowland, we have the best facilities, best people, and the best location (just kidding). Being serious, the student community is very unique in Lancaster – which is why the collegiate system is my favourite thing about Lancaster University.
8. What else are you involved with at university?
I’ve just started learning Mandarin at the Round House in County College, which is a big challenge for me! I want to truly understand the difficulty of learning another language. Aside from this, I am into fitness and attend the gym regularly each week. I am also always interested in the events the debate society holds, which I attend every so often.
Thank you for your time, Fraser!
Don’t forget to check out Checkit on youtube: