UWTSD entrepreneur uses bugs to engage young people

With Covid-19 temporarily impacting his business, Cameron Reardon has turned his attention to providing educational tools for schools. Cameron is studying a Business Management and Marketing Degree at University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD). In addition to his studies, he has set up his own business - Bug Box.

Founded in 2017, Bug Box is an online entomology store that imports, breeds and sells exotic insects such as tarantulas, scorpions and millipedes all over the United Kingdom and Europe. The company’s main customers are amateur entomologists, schools, zoos and scientific research hubs.

With only limited schools open in the region, these materials have been well received with very positive feedback from the teachers and young people.

Cameron has donated over £180 worth of newly produced education booklets to Ysgol Y Felin Primary School in Llanelli. The books are designed around the primary school curriculum and teach core subjects such as Maths, Science, English & Art.

Cameron originally studied at Coleg Sir Gar where he was signposted to support from Welsh Government’s Big Ideas Wales initiative. With their help, he set up Bug Box when he was only 17. He won a Beacon Bursary entrepreneurship competition in 2019 and was awarded Highly Commended in both the ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ and ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ categories at Swansea Bay Business Awards 2020

Since joining UWTSD, he has been working with Enterprise Officer Dylan Williams-Evans who has been helping him evolve his business.

Cameron said: “Since meeting with Dylan at University, I have been able to have hands on help with the development of my website to make it look more professional, he has also helped me target the correct audience for each of my services. The help has been fantastic and has helped me towards gaining good margins in my business.”

Dylan said: “I’ve really enjoyed working with Cameron. His business is very unique and he’s such an inspiration to our other students who are thinking of starting their own business. We encourage entrepreneurial thinking in all our courses and offer support to help start-ups or in Cameron’s case, help existing businesses evolve and grow.”

If you are a UWTSD student or graduate who would like to access support and advice about your own business idea, please email Dylan.Williams-Evans@uwtsd.ac.uk or Kathryn.penaluna@uwtsd.ac.uk

To find out more about Bug Box, visit www.bugboxuk.co.uk