Since Laura joined the team at Invisible (Manchester) she has gone from strength to strength – from delivering award-winning walking tours, to starting a new degree at the Open University, she is proving the sky’s the limit for her and launching her own business!
Laura’s up-and-coming brand, The Eye, encompasses Eye Gaming as well as a fashion subdivision. While our Invisible Cities tours were closed to the public for much of 2020, Laura took the opportunity to design The Eye’s website and develop the accompanying YouTube channel. “I started the company during the pandemic, with the view to show that businesses can start within the times of uncertainty.” Laura says.
Inspired by the ethos of Invisible Cities (a social enterprise), Laura also wants to give back to her community: she hopes to commemorate observances such as Autism Awareness Month and Black History Month by donating a share of profits to relevant charities. Moving forward she will choose causes that are close to her heart and even wants to diversify into the digital economy, and aspires to offer sponsorship and memberships as her business grows.
Having experienced homelessness on three occasions since the age of seventeen, Laura has gained valuable insight into the realities of homelessness. She has used her past experience to make her tours unique and a favourite of customers! Customer reviews always mention how her entertaining and interesting perceptions of the city make her tour so special and remark that they feel privileged to have encountered her personal insights.
Invisible Cities Founder, Zakia Moulaoui Guery says:
“Laura has shown incredible resilience during the pandemic by deciding to work on her personal goal of setting up her own business. At Invisible Cities, we support all of our team members on a one-to-one basis and make our resources available to help them through their personal projects. The team in Manchester has helped with ideas, business planning, website, copy writing and moral support so Laura feels confident launching her business and we are all so proud of her journey.”
Each product is made by hand and operates on a print-on-demand basis and a pre-sale event is anticipated to go live on 1st February. Current ranges include The Eye Gaming fashion as well as exclusive Invisible Cities merchandise. Visit the store here.
