Thomas Staley left Hills Road in 2011 and went on to study BSc Economics at the University of Leeds. Upon graduating in 2015, Thomas has since launched his business Loggacy.
We've recently been able to catch up with him to see what he's been up to since leaving Hills Road.
1. When you were at Hills Road, what did you want to do in life and is this still the same?
"My favourite subject at Hills Road was Economics. I therefore decided to study this at the University of Leeds and always envisaged myself pursuing a career within Economics, for an international organisation such as the World Bank. However, whilst at University I developed a passion for all things start-up and founded my own business; Loggacy. After receiving an entrepreneurial scholarship from the University, Loggacy has become my main focus as I look to increase our user base and develop our service offering."
2. What was your fondest memory from Hills Road?
"I formed a good relationship with many of the faculty at Hills Road and established a large network of friends, with whom I am still in contact with today. It is those people who I became closest to that helped me craft my fondest memories; whether that be at the extra-curricular events organised by the Economics Society or on the football pitch at Luard Road."
3. Why did you choose this path and where has it lead you?
"Founding my own business was a result of my passion for the concept; believing that it is important that people can leave a digital legacy to inform future generations of who they truly were. Pursuing entrepreneurship also came as a result of enjoying the independence that I was afforded at University; being able to manage my own endeavours and timelines."
"Loggacy was launched on 5th February 2016 and is therefore very much still in its early stages of development. We are passionate about the service that we offer and hope to attract a large user base that will make the site financially self-sufficient."
4. What made you decide to set up your business, Loggacy, and how did you go about it?
"Loggacy was born from a personal desire to never be forgotten. I find it a sad reality that many only have a set of black and white photographs through which they may learn about their ancestors. We therefore aim to attach a story to every image, informing future generations of who their forefathers really were. Conceiving Loggacy in my first year at University, I pitched the idea to the enterprise centre who provided me with access to business mentoring and financial support through the enterprise fund. I then got Dominic Jackson, a computer science student from the University of Sheffield, on board with the idea and he developed the site from scratch for a share in the business. We therefore pursued Loggacy together in order to make the idea a reality."
5. If you could give one piece of advice to someone thinking about setting up their own company, what would it be?
"Founding a business is difficult, wrought with challenges at various stages that are as varied as finding people who believe in your idea to obtaining finance. One essential trait to overcome these difficulties is passion. A passion to find solutions to the various hurdles that you will face, and a passion to succeed even when you experience rejection. Every start-up experiences setbacks - it’s how you respond to these that will determine your success."
Thank you Thomas, for sharing your stories with the rest of the Alumni network! We would like to wish you every success for the future with Loggacy and hope that you can keep us updated on any new developments.
You can find the link to Thomas' website below by clicking the link:
https://www.loggacy.com/login
