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Summer 2018 | Issue 1
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is delighted to be one of three recipients of the Huawei ‘Make It Possible’ Bursary 2018! Thrive has become a reality, thanks to the generous support of Huawei, as well as our fantastic advertisers and guest contributors. We would like to thank all our advertisers, who took the bold step in investing in a new magazine. The Thrive team would also like to thank our guest contributors and interview participants, who gave up their valuable time to make our content of such a high quality: Olasumbo Adeleke, Kelly Angood, Candice Armah, Tori Bodine, Maria Fox, Ali Golds, Lola Hoad, Amy Lishman, Chloe Meineck, Cleo Quinlivan, Fiona Shafer, Heidi Swinyard, and Kerry Watkins. A special thanks to Pamela Murphy for all her expert guidance and support. Co-Founder and Editor: Clare Griffiths Co-Founder and Designer: Lau Moracchini Distribution: Xiomara & Co. Enquiries and Advertising: clare@thrivethemag.co.uk 07952 914 937 www.thrivethemag.co.uk
Whilst the greatest care is taken to ensure that the information in the magazine is correct, neither the publisher, nor its editorial contributors, can accept liability to any party for loss or damage caused by errors, inaccuracies, or omissions. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the express permission of the Editor. 3
The Story of Thrive
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was in two minds about whether to start up Thrive. I asked myself, ‘Is there really a need for a business magazine which only features female founders?’ As a business support practitioner, I am familiar with the benefits of femaleonly business support, having managed a charity project enabling women into self-employment in some of the most deprived boroughs of East London. I witnessed first-hand the benefits of providing women with tailored support to enable them to realize their entrepreneurial ambitions. But that was more than a decade ago. ‘Surely times have changed?’ I thought. And then, as if by chance, a few things happened in early February which caught my attention. One of my female students asked me,
‘Should I concentrate on setting up my own business, before even trying to have children?’ It was a bold question, which I answered openly and honestly, based on my own personal experience of juggling work and family life. Around the same time, one of my self-employed friends invited me to a women-only networking group, which got me thinking about her motivation for going to such an event. It was only whilst I was there, that I discovered there is still a genuine thirst for female-only business support initiatives. I soon came to the opinion that some women – not all – but a significant number prefer to surround themselves with other female founders for inspiration, guidance, and support. 4
Photo by Charisse Kenion
After, what can only be described as a serendipitous February, I talked to friends, female founders, and professional contacts, as well as guest contributors, to gather their feedback on my idea for a magazine exclusively featuring women in business. Whilst a couple of my emails were ignored, the response was overwhelmingly positive – from young millennials in their early twenties, to women with a thirty-year-old career behind them. I then looked further into the subject of female entrepreneurship. It is here that I came across some really striking data. Whilst the rate of female start-ups has increased considerably over the last decade, there are still far fewer women setting up businesses than men. And in terms of access to finance, only a small percentage of women are successfully raising the investment they need to grow their own businesses. So,
whilst the numbers are moving in the right direction, there is still an enormous amount of work to be done, to ensure that female-led businesses not only survive, but thrive. Through the work of our magazine, we intend to inspire, inform, celebrate and support the diverse range of female founders who aspire to start up, or grow, their own small business, with the ultimate aim of boosting female entrepreneurship in Brighton and beyond. We are delighted you can join us at the start of our own entrepreneurial journey, and hope you enjoy reading the first issue of Thrive! Clare Griffiths Co-Founder and Editor of Thrive 5
CONTENTS START 08 Diary of a Start-Up By Cleo Quinlivan 14 The Secret Ingredients to Crowdfunding Success By Kelly Angood 22 Starting Lean With Candice Armah 14
26 The Business Model Canvas By Clare Griffiths 32 Six Networking Tips for Entrepreneurs By Amy Lishman
GROW 40
36 Innovating for Business Growth With Maria Fox 40 Teddy Brighton and Lessons in Business Growth With Heidi Swinyard 44 Business Growth Powered by Peer-to-Peer Support With Fiona Shafer
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50 How to Build an Effective Social Media Marketing Strategy By Kerry Watkins 6
CONTENTS
REFLECT 54 Why Women? By Ali Golds 58 Creating Brighton’s Only Co-working Space for Female Founders By Lola Hoad 62 ‘I assume that man in your slide deck is your husband?’ By Chloe Meineck
DISCOVER 66 Shea Butter Production in Nigeria By Olasumbo Adeleke 58
CREATE 70 Tori Bodine Artist and Illustrator
CONNECT 66
80 Small Business Resources
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Leftfield Work
Diary of a Start-Up By Cleo Quinlivan, Founder of Stuff On Walls
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START idea, that I actually started taking some action. My daughter had turned one a little while before, and I was filled with a burning desire to do something for my own sense of personal fulfilment, and also hopefully to one day make my girl proud of me and inspire her to follow her own dream. This sudden urge to start making this happen luckily coincided with my discovery of the fantastic entrepreneurship support service at the University of Brighton (where I have my day job at present). I attended my first evening seminar entitled ‘Marketing on a Shoestring’ and left with my head absolutely buzzing with ideas and inspiration. In fact, I don’t think I really slept that night! I knew then that taking a leap and starting my own business was really what I wanted to do. It felt right.
Cleo Quinlivan
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y business offers a bespoke mural and feature-wall painting service aimed at a broad range of clients, from parents who want to add a sense of fun and wonder to their little ones’ bedrooms to businesses and venues.
‘I furiously scribbled down loads of different ideas which could make up a portfolio of services.’
I never seriously considered trying to turn my artistic interests into a business until about four years ago, when I quit my job in London and went away travelling for six months for my honeymoon. For the first time in my life I had enough time and headspace to really think about what I wanted to do with my future. I have always enjoyed drawing and painting as a hobby, so when I struck on the idea of painting murals I furiously scribbled down loads of different ideas which could make up a portfolio of services. It felt like a really exciting plan! I still have the very battered notebook containing those thoughts, which survived all that Asia could throw at it.
Initially I offered free portfolio pieces to friends, so that I could build up some examples of work and get to know the processes and pitfalls. I completed three projects in this way, all with very different design briefs. What has been absolutely wonderful is the reaction of these friends when they see the finished mural, not to mention the faces of the kids who now have these designs adorning their bedroom walls! As I write this, I am currently working on my first paid commission, for a fantastic group of people who are about to launch a company called ‘LeftField’ in Brighton. They asked me to design something with nods to their common interests
It wasn’t until just over a year ago, however, when I finally returned to this 11
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Woodland
in engineering fields, as well as with specific elements to represent each of the businesses. This commission has been a huge learning curve, from producing a design which appealed to each of the members, to working out what to charge for my services, and trying to ascertain how much time the job would actually take me on site. I still don’t have all the answers, but I have a better understanding of how to make educated guesses!
that talking to people about ideas can open up paths you would never dream of. I am learning to be braver every day. Who needs a comfort zone?! A huge challenge has been trying to fit all of this in around a full-time job and raising a toddler. Parenthood is relentless enough as it is, and I did honestly question my own sanity when I thought this would be a good time to add to all of that by starting a business venture. But in a strange way I think that perhaps now really is the best time to be doing this. It seems to be true that the busier you are, the more efficient you have to become, and you do find ways to just get stuff done. I am far from the only woman trying to forge a path like this, and it
The biggest lesson I have learnt so far is just how wonderfully supportive people will be if you share your journey with them. People often genuinely want to help and offer their insight. I am a fairly shy person by nature, but I have learnt 12
START hotel or a beautiful house. I have some ideas for themes on those, which I hope will bring together some fun, traditional elements with a modern twist. I will be using my own walls as the test canvas very soon! My advice to anyone who is thinking about starting their own business would be that if you find that idea which really excites you and which gives you that feeling in the pit of your stomach, then follow it and see where it takes you. You can never really be ‘ready’ to start a business, because the goalposts move as you go. Start as small as you can, and be a sponge for new skills and advice. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes (because you will), and definitely don’t be shy about asking people for support. One thought which really drives me is that even if my business ends up being an enormous failure, at least I can look back 10 years from now and be damn proud of the fact that I gave it a shot. To quote the Frank Turner song: ‘It doesn’t matter where you come from, It matters where you go, No one gets remembered, For the things they didn’t do’.
Woodland
inspires me every day to see what others are achieving, often with even more demands on their energy than I have. (But regular nights out with the girls are an absolute must, to blow off steam and help keep things in perspective.)
‘If you find that idea which really excites you and which gives you that feeling in the pit of your stomach, then follow it and see where it takes you.’ Over the next 12 months I would like to secure some more commissions, gradually build my portfolio, and hopefully get my name out there a little more. I hope to develop the second strand of the business which will focus more on feature walls for grown-ups, rather than children’s bedrooms. I would also like to develop a range of high-end designs as an alternative to wallpapers, the kind of thing which would work in a boutique
Find out more
If you would like to see more of Cleo’s work, or commission her for a mural, please visit her website: stuffonwalls.com, facebook.com/StuffOnWallsUK, twitter.com/StuffOnWallsUK, instagram.com/stuffonwallsuk 13
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The Ingredients of a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign By Kelly Angood, Founder of The Pop-Up Pinhole Company
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omen own or run a small proportion of British businesses, only around 20%, which means that the importance of female entrepreneurship is often overlooked.
Having started my own business, The Pop-Up Pinhole Co., I am all-too familiar with the challenges of raising finance for a brand-new company. I did a lot of research, and found out that the traditional funding route wasn’t for me. It wasn’t just because of the nature of my company, but also because I was a young and inexperienced female entrepreneur, which meant that banks and venture capital firms would likely turn me down. Open platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo have completely removed the gatekeepers to traditional finance methods that usually keep women and other under-represented groups from receiving funding. Instead, the crowd decides which ideas deserve to become a reality.
The reality is that women often find themselves unable to access traditional forms of finance, and, as a result, many brilliant ideas never evolve into anything more than ideas, simply because they are refused the necessary capital to get going. There is evidence to suggest that venturebacked companies led by women earn 12% more revenue than male-led companies (TechRepublic, 2016), but in 2017, only 9% of venture-backed start-ups had female founders (City AM, 2017). So, despite the fact that companies run by women are more profitable, there are not nearly enough women in those positions.
If the crowd likes and believes in a project, they will fund it – regardless of the gender, ethnicity, or religion of 16
START ‘Women often find themselves unable to access traditional forms of finance because they are refused the necessary capital to get going.’
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Kelly Angood
START ‘Focus on why this project is important to you. People fund people, not projects.’
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A portrait taken with a pinhole camera
the entrepreneur behind it. Women are incredibly successful in crowdfunding. On Indiegogo, for example, around 47% of the campaigns that reach their funding goals are run by women, which is nearly four times higher than the number of female-owned businesses that receive venture-capital funding.
on the written word, which makes language more important than many of the unconscious biases that otherwise come into play in other business pitches. With this in mind, my advice to female entrepreneurs looking into the crowdfunding route is that they develop a compelling story, and carefully select the language they use in their pitches. However, there are many other crucial pieces of a successful campaign that cannot be disregarded.
A study by UC Berkeley Haas School of Business in 2016 discovered that the reason women outperform men on crowdfunding platforms boils down to the type of language they use on their campaign pages. Women use more positive, inclusive language, which makes backers feel like an important part of the project, and thus more likely to contribute.
Research and plan Look at successful and unsuccessful campaigns to see what has worked and what hasn’t. The more prepared you are, the more likely it is that your campaign will reach its funding goal. Your campaign needs to be planned from day one, and timing is incredibly important. For instance, make sure you choose a starting date at the beginning of the week, and choose an end date on a work day.
These findings are underscored by research by Andreea Gorbatai and Laura Nelson (2015) in their paper, ‘The Narrative Advantage: Gender and the Language of Crowdfunding’. They explain that crowdfunding relies heavily 19
START Use a video, and make sure it is right
claimed, funders appreciate a variety of perk options. The trick is to make each perk distinctly different from the others.
The best videos run two to three minutes in length, and catch the viewer’s attention from the first second. Save most of the technical talk for the copy on your campaign page. From my experience working at Indiegogo I have found that, on average, campaigns with a video raise 370% more than campaigns without one. Keep it as short as possible, and focus on why this project is important to you. People fund people, not projects.
Communicate with your backers Campaigns that post three or more updates raise on average 531% more than campaigns with two or fewer updates. The people who have contributed to your campaign want to know how you are using the funds, and where you are in the process. Even if you experience a setback, be transparent with your backers.
Rewards
The fact that women are outperforming men in crowdfunding campaigns reveals that there is a world of untapped opportunity out there for female entrepreneurs, and we should be actively encouraging women to take the plunge, and develop their amazing ideas.
Campaigns that offer perks raise 143% more money than those that don’t. Rewards have the power to make or break a campaign. The most common advice from experienced campaigners is to make sure your rewards strategy is airtight. Perks are offered in exchange for donations, and there are many variables at play (such as fulfilment, shipping, and feasibility) which are complex, and require careful consideration. Around 70% of successful campaigns offer between five and seven rewards. Start with at least five rewards, and add more throughout the campaign, if necessary.
The more role models we have that prove that women are just as successful, if not more, than men, the easier it will be to remove gender bias from the funding equation.
Featured perks, and limited edition perks, are a great way to keep up the momentum of your campaign. Although ÂŁ25 perks are the most frequently Find out more
If you would like to see, and purchase, any of the products that Kelly has successfully funded via crowdfunding, please visit her website: thepopuppinholecompany.com 20
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Candice Armah and Matthew Hamblion
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Starting Lean With Candice Armah, Co-Founder of Health Bar What business have you started up, and with whom?
How did you come up with this idea? It was fairly easy to come up with the idea. Matthew and I wanted to go and hang out with other gamers, without the pressure of competition or having to worry about encountering casual sexism or racism, which can frequently be the case when gaming online. We noticed quite a large gap in the market in Brighton for video game events aimed at people like us, where we would feel comfortable even being ‘bad’ at a game. We decided to brainstorm the kinds of values a gaming space that would appeal to us would uphold, and how that kind of space could be made welcoming to newcomers.
I started up a pop-up video game company called Health Bar with my best friend Matthew in September 2016. We create social gaming spaces for firsttimers, women, people of colour, and LGBTQ+ folk. We also see Health Bar as a way of offering a space for experienced gamers who want to discover niche or obscure games – ultimately, we would love to create a service where we can matchmake people with their perfect games.
What are the perceived problems Health Bar has set out to solve?
How have you adopted a lean start-up approach during the early stages of starting up Health Bar?
With Health Bar, we want to encourage the full breadth of the gaming community to come out, plug in, and play. This includes women, LGBT+ folk, and others who have traditionally been discouraged by the regressive attitudes that can sometimes be encountered within video game culture.
Our approach to Health Bar embodies the lean start-up approach, as we decided to launch as a pop-up, so we could develop a substantial audience with the view to crowdfund for further development once we had accrued enough of a following. Our ambition is to open a permanent venue in the future, but in the meantime we have used the pop-up model as a way of testing out different ideas, to see what will and won’t work in a permanent venue.
We also want to normalize playing video games socially. Just as people visit local cinemas to catch the latest indie flick, we want to be an additional option for entertainment seekers, not just some niche haunt for the select few. 23
START What have been your achievements to date?
How have you found the experience of being a female founder?
Since September 2016 we have secured approximately £300 from funding competitions at the University of Brighton (of which Matthew and I are both alumni). This enabled us to commission a logo and to run our first pop-up for LGBTQ+ gamers in July 2017. Since then, we have run approximately six events at different venues across the city. We are now planning future events in London, and a bigger pop-up for queer people timed around Pride Season in August 2018.
As someone who identifies as non-binary and queer, it might be expected that being of a marginalized gender I would have encountered some pitfalls by now. However, I have to say the beginning of my career as a start-up founder has been quite smooth. It is quite fortuitous that during my time at university I was President of my Students’ Union and Chair of the Board of Trustees for two years, which I believe has given me an invaluable amount of business experience, as well as confidence. This has enabled me to feel comfortable in settings and environments that I might not have otherwise been comfortable in. I am not afraid to speak up if I think someone is overlooking what I have got to say because of my gender.
What are the biggest lessons you have learnt since being in business? I think one of the biggest things I have learnt about running pop-ups is not to expect everything to go to plan. There will be something you haven’t accounted for, whether that is the equipment failing, or the venue not being to specification. The most important thing in those kind of situations is to be able to keep your calm and adapt, so that you are still able to deliver your event.
Having a business partner like Matthew, who is also queer, means we are able to run Health Bar from an entirely authentic perspective. If people aren’t on board with what we are trying to do, or how we are trying to change the industry, they are already behind the curve. The tide is shifting, and the silent majority of gamers (who are 50% female in the UK, by the way!) are tired of the played-out stereotype of gamers as a particular kind of young man, and the kinds of games that go along with that stereotype. Video games are growing up, and Health Bar wants to be their new home.
Another lesson I think Matthew and I have learnt is to work to your strengths, and divide up tasks and responsibilities in a way that accommodates each other’s abilities as well as any other commitments. We both work other jobs, and have an understanding that sometimes this may mean taking on more or less of the workload. Knowing we can rely on the other person means we can still accomplish whatever needs to be completed.
What start-up advice would you give to someone who is thinking about starting their own business? Stop thinking about it and just do it. Take the first step today, whether it is 24
START having a brainstorm with some scrap paper on your living room floor, or booking a meeting with someone to give you some advice. Do something to get you closer to starting up because it might not be as difficult as you think it is.
Candice Armah and Matthew Hamblion
Find out more
To receive the latest news about Health Bar, visit their Facebook page @healthbarbrighton and follow them on Twitter at @HealthBarBTN.
If we all live a thousand lives, which life do you want to live today and tomorrow? 1 to 1 Life/Personal coaching packages Business Mastermind sessions Scaredycat communications training Susan B. Bentley Qualified Coach - Skills Trainer - Cake Eater 07719 849 297 suse@susanbbentley.com susanbbentley.com
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The Business Model Canvas Explained By Clare Griffiths, Co-Founder of Thrive
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hatever stage you are at – whether starting up, or growing your business – the Business Model Canvas (BMC) is an extremely handy tool, which can help you map out how your business creates, delivers, and captures value for your customers.
entrepreneurs in 52 countries worldwide, and provides an accessible and effective alternative to writing a lengthy, text-heavy business plan. Consisting of nine building blocks, the canvas enables you to analyze and describe your business model easily and succinctly. Once you have completed a canvas for your own business, it is also worth filling out a canvas for each of your main competitors, to help you identify how they operate, generate revenue, and deliver value to their customers.
The BMC and accompanying book, ‘Business Model Generation’, was written in 2010 by doctoral student Alexander Osterwalder and his professor, Yves Pigneur, and was co-created with 470 practitioners from 45 countries. The canvas is now used by thousands of 26
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Photo by Aaron Burden
Below you will find an overview of the nine blocks of the BMC, and prompting questions which will help you complete your own. You will also find a blank BMC to fill in, on page 29.
comprises those main customer segments? Categorize your customers into groups, and make sure that each segment reflects the different needs, behaviours, and other identifiable attributes of each group.
Customer Segments
Value Propositions
This building block encourages you to think about your customers. Who are your products and services aimed at? It is important that you develop a customercentred business; without paying customers, your business will not survive in the long-term.
This building block contains information about the value you are creating, capturing, and delivering to your customers. This section prompts you to think about how you are answering your customers’ needs, and solving their problems. Ask yourself in what ways your products and services benefit your customers. What are you offering them?
It is likely that you will have created specific products and services to meet the individual needs of certain customer segments. If that is the case, who
If you are serving more than one customer segment group, you should 27
START prepare a value proposition for each customer segment.
When you are thinking about your customer relationships, it is worth exploring what is driving those relationships. How are your customer relationships shaped by your customer acquisition strategies, your customer retention strategies, and your up-selling strategies?
Channels The Channels building block prompts you to analyze the channels you use to communicate about and deliver your value proposition to your customer groups. It includes everything from raising awareness about your products and services to your post-sales customer support. For this section, you should consider all your marketing channels, sales channels, distribution channels, and – importantly – customer service.
Revenue Streams Revenue streams are the various income streams you can generate from your customer segments. You may have one revenue stream, or you may have a range of revenue streams depending on what you are selling. There are two different types of revenue stream to be aware of: one-off transactions, and recurring revenues.
Think about how your customers want to find out about your products and services. Which channels do they use to buy your products and services? How do they access customer support? Are these channels your own channels, or do you need to partner with other companies to serve specific customer segments?
When you are identifying your revenue streams, think about what your customers are prepared to pay for. How much can they afford to pay, and what payment methods do they prefer to use?
Customer Relationships
There are many ways to generate revenue. For example, you could sell your products and services outright, or you could charge your customers each time they use your products and services. Alternatively, you could charge your customers a regular subscription fee in return for their use of your products or services. You could rent out your products to generate income, or you could license your intellectual property so that other businesses can commercialize your technology. You could act as a broker between your customers and other parties, and charge commission on each sale. You could also generate advertising revenue by allowing other companies to advertise
You will have a different customer relationship for each customer segment group you serve. For example, you may offer products and services to one customer group which can only be delivered by personal assistance, whereas you may sell others via an online selfservice system. In order to increase your understanding of your customers and create better value for them, you might choose to build long-term customer relationships via online communities, or you may develop content which is cocreated with your customers.
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KEY RESOURCES
KEY ACTIVITIES
BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS
COST STRUCTURE
KEY PARTNERS
VALUE PROPOSITION
REVENUE STREAMS
BUSINESS IDEA: DATE:
CHANNELS
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
CUSTOMER SEGMENTS
START their products, services or brands to your customers.
impact on your key activities. Your value proposition, channels, customer relationships, and key resources will all determine what your key activities are.
Key Resources
If you are a product-based business, your main activities will be designing, making, and selling your products. If you run a service-based enterprise, your main activities will be solving customers’ problems via activities such as consultancy, training, and knowledgesharing. Finally, if the core element of your business is an online network or website, then your key activities will be more centred on managing, updating, and marketing your network.
Your key resources are the physical, financial, intellectual, and human assets you require to create and deliver your value proposition to your customers. You have already identified who your customers are, and the different types of relationships you wish to establish and maintain with them. To complete this block you must determine what key resources you need in order to get your products and services to your customers. When you are working on this section of your BMC, think about the physical resources you need to develop your products and services. Do you need a specific space or manufacturing facility to create your products? Do you require any specialist equipment or vehicles? In terms of your intellectual assets, what intellectual property have your generated? How can you protect your intellectual property so that other companies do not use your brand name, copyrighted material, designs, or technology? For human resources, do you need to employ a team of staff, or can you buy in the required expertise? Finally, for your financial assets, do you need to raise investment prior to starting up? Who could help finance your venture during periods of high growth?
Key Partnerships Increasingly, businesses form partnerships with other companies in order to strengthen their brand, enhance their value proposition for their customers, share assets, or reduce risks. The Business Model Generation authors have identified four different types of partnership: 1. Strategic alliances between noncompetitors 2. Strategic partnerships between competitors 3. Joint ventures to develop new businesses 4. Buyer-supplier relationships to assure reliable supplies Consider where your potential partnerships might come from. Who are your key suppliers and distributors? Which established organizations can help you perform better, and strengthen your brand? Which companies can help you reach new customer segment groups?
Key Activities Key activities describe what a business must do in order to successfully deliver its value proposition to its customers. Other sections of your BMC will 30
START Which organizations can help you acquire new knowledge and assets?
give your business the best chance of success. You will also have an accessible document you can use when you need to communicate about your business model – either to funders, key partners, or staff. Remember to update and tweak your canvas regularly to reflect your business development.
Cost Structure The last building block of the BMC addresses the costs incurred in running your business. Once you know how you intend to create, capture, and deliver value to your customers, you will be able to calculate the costs involved to operate successfully. Ideally, you want to minimize your costs, although this is more important for some businesses than others. Depending on your business, you may want to focus on reducing your costs as much as possible (like budget airlines), or you may want to focus on delivering premium value to your customers (like high-end shops). When analyzing your costs, it is important to remember that some costs will remain fixed, whilst others will be variable, and dependent on the numbers of products or services produced.
Further Reading Osterwalder, A. and Pigneur, Y. (2010), Business Model Generation, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. strategyzer.com
Once you have worked through all nine building blocks, you will have a great understanding of your business model, and what you need to do in order to
Biography Clare Griffiths is a university educator, business adviser, and social entrepreneur, all rolled into one, whose passion is to enable individuals to achieve their professional ambitions. Clare’s strength lies in innovating accessible learning resources for small business owners, educators, and students of higher
education. All her products are informed by contemporary thinking in the fields of entrepreneurship education, innovation, and employability. To learn more about Clare’s work, visit her website: theideaspeople.co.uk, or connect with her on LinkedIn. 31
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Six Networking Tips for Entrepreneurs By Amy Lishman, Membership Manager, Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce
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etworking. It is something lots of us loathe, but something we all have to do, whether it be with an industry body, a networking group, or a Chamber of Commerce.
is go to a networking event, walk into a room full of people, and talk to people you have never met before. When I put it like that it doesn’t sound appealing, but you know that once you get there you will have some great conversations that could help your business. Showing up to networking events is often half the battle. We are busy people, but networking is part of doing business, not separate from it. Networking is a vital part of growing businesses, and face-to-face networking is still the number one way to build trust. Here at Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce we are on hand to make sure that showing up counts – with
Here are six top tips to revamp your networking, and reignite your enthusiasm for getting out there.
1. Show up It is 7.00 a.m., it is cold, the rain is pouring sideways, and your umbrella is redundant against the Brighton wind. The last thing you probably want to do 32
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Photo by Katariina Jarvinen, Light Trick Photography
inspirational speakers, introductions, and a good variety of networking opportunities to help you sustain and grow your business.
to talk to you is to smile. A smile can be an invitation to join a conversation, and makes you so much more approachable.
3. What makes you different?
2. Body language matters
If you get asked what you do in your business, make sure you are telling people what really differentiates you from your competitors. It is quite common for me to hear people say ‘We’re different because we put our customers first’, or another generic statement that could apply to ten different companies. Practise talking about your business, and even ask your customers what they think makes you different from the rest, as this will also help you when you are out networking.
Phew! You have managed to start a conversation with someone, and it’s off to a good start, but you would like to meet some new people now. Why is no one coming over? One thing I have found is that it is often body language that puts people off. When two people are talking, they will often turn to face each other head-on, making it almost impossible for someone to join the conversation without having to make a significant effort to interrupt. It’s remarkable the difference you can make to the number of people you meet by opening yourself up, literally, by moving into a ‘V-shape’. Another fairly simple way to encourage people
4. Ask for introductions At the Chamber, I often get asked to make introductions to people at events. 33
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It is a great way to connect with the people you really want to meet, especially if you don’t have much time and you know who you want to talk to. Having an introduction from someone who has taken the time to understand what you need, or what you are offering, is invaluable. If you are a Chamber member, why not ask one of the Chamber team for an introduction at one of our events? Look to see who is coming, and let us know if there is anyone you would like to meet. Similarly, can anyone else in your network make an introduction for you? Don’t be shy. My favourite saying as a Membership Manager is, ‘If you don’t ask, you don’t get’.
Networking gets easier the more you do it. Honestly. Firstly, as you network more, the bigger your own network gets, so the likelihood of you walking into another event without knowing someone is dramatically reduced. Secondly, practice makes perfect. The next time you go to a networking event, you will know how to describe what makes you different, which events work for you, as well as your networking style. And you will get to find out which venues do the best breakfast (Carluccio’s, obviously)! Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce offer over 100 events a year to choose from, for business of all sectors and sizes, so there is always a networking event coming up.
5. Follow up, follow up, follow up Once you have left the networking event, it is all too easy to get back to the office, and get sucked into your inbox, and forget about the mound of business cards piling up on your desk. It is an easy mistake to make, but not following up could be costing you some important connections and business. A short e-mail within a day or two of the event, following up on something you discussed, or even just sharing a helpful bit of information, can go a long way to build and develop your network. Even if you don’t think a contact can directly help you now, keep an open mind. Get into some good follow-up habits, and watch your networking fortunes change!
Amy Lishman by Shoot Me Now Ltd.
Find out more
If you would like to know more about Brighton Chamber and our networking events contact me, Amy Lishman, at membership@businessinbrighton.org.uk, give us a call on 01273 719097, or visit businessinbrighton.org.uk. 34
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www.parkerpartnership.co.uk | reception@parkerpartnership.co.uk
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Innovating for Business Growth With Maria Fox, Founder of Maria Allen Boutique
Maria Fox in her studio
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rom an original investment of only a couple of hundred pounds in some charms, chains, and business cards, Maria Fox, of Maria Allen Boutique, has succeeded in building her part-time student venture into a fast-growing business with a team of eight employees, (increasing to 12 staff members during busy periods), and an annual turnover of £500,000. So, what is Maria’s key to success? I popped over to her Hove-based studio to find out.
1,000 of them! Maria sells online directly to customers, as well as wholesale to stockists across the UK and worldwide. To reinforce her strong British brand, she and her team create the products in her Hove-based studio, using as many British suppliers as possible, and wood that is reclaimed and sustainably sourced. Her most significant investment to date has been purchasing two laser-cutters. Whilst the laser-cutters have proved invaluable for accelerating turn-around times, they have also been influential in the speed at which Maria can innovate. For example, it only took Maria 24 hours to make her concept for an illustrated wooden coaster into a commercial product ready to be sold online. She is always looking to push the boundaries to see what other interesting objects she can develop with the laser cutters.
Maria first started her business in 2008, working part-time, whilst studying for her degree in Graphic Design at the University of Brighton. With little initial investment, Maria reinvested any income she generated, and grew the business organically. Upon graduation, she immediately started to work on her business on a full-time basis, and embraced the opportunity to develop new product ranges and expand into new markets.
She has undoubtedly proved that she has a knack for innovating, and states, ‘I love experimenting, and seeing what new things I can come up with. I am always on the go with new products and ideas. I don’t ever stay still’. Not only has she developed new product ranges, but she has also expanded into new markets. Her innovation strategy, however, does not stop with her. She encourages her whole team to find better ways to do things, and also uses her customers’ feedback to input into new designs. One of her most popular products – cufflinks with personalized baby handprints – actually came from a customer’s request.
Originally selling women’s jewellery, Maria has diversified her product range and transformed the business into a gift company, which now sells jewellery, gifts, and homeware. Some of her most popular products are those which are personalized, and customers are now able to buy gifts ranging from guitar plectrums to honeymoon luggage tags. Maria has been recognized nationally for her innovativeness; her mini loveletter necklace with a personalized photo inside was awarded Personalized Product of the Year by Not On The High Street. This award-winning product has been responsible for over 200 marriage proposals since its inception, and during December 2017 Maria’s team sold over
Her fearlessness and constant drive to test new products seem to be amongst her key attributes for making her business a success. When asked whether she had 38
GROW any advice for other founders wishing to innovate, she gave me these five fantastic tips: 1. Don’t feel you have to invent something completely new. Just try doing something a bit different, or put two things together which you have not seen done before. 2. Visualize exactly where you want to be. Have a very clear picture in your head, and write it all down. Believe in yourself that you can make it happen. Then, work backwards to see what you need to do in order to achieve reach your vision. 3. Break down big, daunting tasks into the exact steps you need to take in order to get there. It is then much easier to take that first step – even if it is to google something, or send one email to someone who could help you. 4. When you achieve your goals – either big or small – remember to take a step back, and celebrate them. Really acknowledge all of your hard work before setting new goals. 5. Remember to look after yourself. It is really important to take the time to look after yourself first – physically and mentally – in order to be able to run your business successfully. The ‘Headspace’ app is great for calming your mind each day, for just 10 minutes, when you have so many ideas in your head all the time. Words by Clare Griffiths Find out more
Visit the Maria Allen Boutique online store: mariaallenboutique.com, or follow her on Instagram at maria_allen_boutique. 39
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Teddy Brighton and Lessons in Business Growth With Heidi Swinyard, Founder of Teddy Brighton What is Teddy Brighton?
we have been purchasing homewares depicting other people’s pets. I noticed a gap in the market to eliminate these make-dos, and created an affordable service for pet owners to commission quality homewares featuring their own pets. Originally, I was producing mugs featuring an illustration of my Dachshund, Teddy. After realising the gap in the market, we pivoted to provide bespoke illustrations and customizable ware. We now offer an entire ceramics range.
Teddy Brighton is a bespoke homewares company. We create illustrations of customers’ pets through a pet ‘pawtrait’ commission, and then create bespoke homewares featuring those illustrations of their own pet. The Teddy Brighton collection was inspired by my childhood growing up in the Potteries, and my not-so-little Miniature Dachshund, Teddy.
What lessons have you learnt so far from your entrepreneurial journey?
I spent my childhood watching the decline of the factories in Stoke-on-Trent. The Potteries was once the world centre of ceramics, and I was determined from a young age to find a way to give back one day. This is my attempt at making a small difference, and a celebration of British manufacturing. I set myself the challenge of providing 50 jobs at the start of the company, and that is how I began designing the business plan and company vision. We now support a factory of five workers, as well as freelance videographers and photographers, and my mum is now my personal assistant.
We diversified far too quickly, including furniture and accessories via a partnership. We now have a limited number of products which we do well, all in-house, and we will expand slowly as the team grows. We also sold internationally from day one. This was a complete headache, as we had to meet so many different regulations, and fulfilment was increasingly difficult for such fragile ware. We are now focusing on the UK first, with a select few international customers.
Any pet owner will tell you that their own pet is the best, the cutest, and that no other pet can compare, yet for centuries 40
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Bespoke homeware by Teddy Brighton
How have you experienced being a female founder?
therefore I have declined their offers. I don’t feel that being female, young, fairly new to start-ups, and self-funded, has affected my start-up experience. I used to get hung up about this in my previous profession, but it no longer matters to me. I had an idea, and just got on with it. You do not need to be a particular race, age, or gender, nor be an expert in everything either. Play to your skills, learn fast, and do not get distracted by any opposition or hurdle. If you are
Start-up life is tough. At first, the factories did not take my business idea seriously. As so many start-ups fail, you are tasked with proving lots of people wrong. I have been offered investment on various occasions, but everyone, so far, has wanted to take the business in a different direction to the way I want it to go, 42
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keep communicating with them, and make them feel appreciated and irreplaceable.
What tips can you give our readers to help them grow their businesses?
• Start now! A lot of people are under the illusion that you need to be an expert in everything, and their business ideas constantly get shelved for another day, using the excuse ‘when I’m ready’. You only need to know the basics to start. Start your business focusing on your strengths, and learn the rest along the way.
• Stay focused. It is easy to get carried away, and numerous opportunities will present themselves to you. Be clear with your goals, and apply lasersharp focus. That said, you also need to listen to what the market is telling you. Set aside any ego, and don’t be afraid to pivot numerous times.
• Always be the student. Invest your time in books, online webinars, TED talks, lectures, conferences, meet-ups, business coaches, and online courses. Without these, you will not grow. Find a way to afford the investment – it is worth it. Don’t just focus on business skills; success comes from having the right mindset too, so work on this just as hard.
• Be adaptable, and keep your process lean. • Develop a sales funnel right from the beginning. • Be smart with your time. Small business owners can be guilty of trying to do everything themselves. Automate processes wherever you can, and start bringing in staff whenever possible. • Know your value. Under promise, and over deliver. • Customer service is the key to success. Keep it personal. Involve your customer in the sales process,
Find out more
You can have a look at what Teddy Brighton are currently up to by visiting www.teddybrighton.co.uk. Heidi is currently recruiting for illustrators and designers: www.teddybrighton.co.uk/join-the-team.html. You can also access free learning materials from Heidi at www.heidiswinyard.co.uk. 43
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Business Growth Powered by Peer-to-Peer Support With Fiona Shafer, Managing Director, MDHUB
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GROW entrepreneurial business owners. Each peer group typically comprises between four and six business owners who share ideas and experiences, and provide solutions. Innovation is often a very natural byproduct of these discussions. We hold an annual leaders’ event, where we provide inspirational speakers, and we also hear the stories of our own members; innovation is a theme that runs through the event.
What is MDHUB, and how long have you been involved with the network? MDHUB is the premier peer-to-peer support network for Managing Directors, CEOs, and Senior Managers in the South of England. We provide a confidential learning environment for entrepreneurs to develop personally as individuals, and to grow their businesses. We also provide leadership and management training in areas such as understanding the finances in business, writing a great business plan, and successful negotiating skills, as well as offering a Non-Executive Director consulting service.
In what areas do your members tend to grow their businesses? MDHUB members come from many different sectors – manufacturing, social media, accounting, online retail, construction, IT, law, environmental, wine-making, leisure, and professional services – to name but a few. Strategic planning for future growth, staff training, and coaching are some of the main areas that companies require assistance with, the majority of business owners are not trained to be Managing Directors, and they do not have all the answers – so working with others in a peer environment really does help them grow their knowledge base, and realize that they are not alone.
The MDHUB has an excellent team of facilitators, coaches, and trainers who cover all aspects of business, and who are also very down-to-earth, practical, and great fun to work with. I joined the organization in 2004 as a facilitator, and was thrilled to have been invited to become Managing Director in January 2015.
Do your members face common challenges when implementing their business growth strategies?
How does MDHUB support its members to learn, innovate, and grow?
Business owners face a myriad of issues when growing a business, too many to mention all of them here, and each stage of growth brings new challenges with it. A couple of key issues faced by everyone at the beginning of business growth is when to recruit that first member of staff,
We are a place that solves your problems, lifts the pressure, and finds ways through the blocks to grow your business with the support of the only people who really understand what you are going through – your own peer group of like-minded 46
GROW ‘Each peer group typically comprises between four and six business owners who share ideas and experiences, and provide solutions.’
MDHUB members
and how to afford that person. Once they overcome this, and if it is done well, it can provide a great template for future recruitment. Funding growth is another key issue, and MDHUB members have a wealth of experience in finding different funding sources, and what works and what doesn’t. Managing personal energy levels, whilst working very hard over a sustained period of time, is also a common challenge.
‘I’ve found the entrepreneurial spirit and collaboration of MDHUB to be invaluable.’ Nikki Gattenby, Managing Director of Propellernet ‘Without fail, everyone comes out of a workgroup with more insight and ability.’ Rob Day, MDHUB Board Member
Approximately what percentage of MDHUB members are female-led businesses?
Why do you think the peer-to-peer learning model works so well with your members?
We are very proud that currently 48 per cent of our member companies are female-led. This figure has grown year-onyear, and we are incredibly encouraged by this.
Well, the best people to answer this question are our members: ‘I find MDHUB workgroups an invaluable source of feedback and inspiration.’ Su Hardy, Founder of Mooncup, and MDHUB Board Member
The high cost of child care is one of the biggest challenges to women setting up more businesses, just as it is for those women who are employed in the 47
GROW workplace. It is a massive barrier to women progressing, and any financial assistance or innovative ideas (more likely given the current strains on the public finances) that the government can provide, the more encouraged and supported women will feel to set up new businesses.That said, maybe we should not be so expectant of the government to come up with all the ideas. Through research, lobbying, and sharing best practice from overseas, new solutions could be presented to the government by female entrepreneurs.
in some cases, has been directly related to MDHUB companies moving out of the city, due to the lack of commercial property available, increasingly high rents, and parking issues. Members started asking us if we could run groups in Mid Sussex, Crawley, Lewes, Uckfield, Eastbourne, Chichester, and Bognor Regis, and that is exactly what we have done. We have also worked in partnership with East and West Sussex County Councils and some district councils on business growth programmes, which has also extended our reach right across the county.
What are your growth ambitions for MDHUB?
We have had requests from business owners to run our business model outside Sussex, which we have started to do, in Edinburgh, and we are running some groups in Berkshire from March 2018.
Originally, we started in Brighton, but are now pan-Sussex. This growth has been fairly organic, and interestingly,
Find out more
Fiona would love to hear from entrepreneurs who are committed to growing their businesses, and who are happy to share their experiences with others. For further information, please visit mdhub.co.uk or email Fiona at fiona@mdhub.co.uk.
Thr!ve Advertise with us! clare@thrivethemag.co.uk 07952 914937 48
Portraits - Events - Products
Commercial - Landscapes - Weddings
Contact us for information on photographic services www.philipbedford.co.uk philip@philipbedford.co.uk 07984349058
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Kerry Watkins
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How to Build an Effective Social Media Marketing Strategy By Kerry Watkins, Founder of Social Brighton
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ll businesses can benefit from using social media. But unless you have a strategy in place you will struggle to realise those benefits. Just ‘doing’ social because everyone else is doing it is not strategic, and will ultimately end up in wasted time and effort and uninspiring results. The key to succeeding on social is to have a strategy that outlines what you want to achieve, how you are going to do it, and how you will measure if it’s working. It doesn’t have to be a neverending document; a simple strategy can take many forms: a wall of Post-It™ notes, a spreadsheet, or a simple list answering the following key questions:
be specific and measurable. To do this, start with broad goals such as ‘engage our customers’, or ‘drive website traffic’, or ‘drive online conversions’. Then look at previous data to help you establish targets. A social media audit or, as I prefer to call it, health-check, is a great way to look at what has worked well for you before, and what your competitors or peers are doing on social. This can provide an excellent context for building a new strategy.
‘I urge all businesses to think less about what you want to say, and more about what your audience wants to read/hear/see.’
1. What are your objectives? 2. Who is your target audience? 3. Which networks will you use and how? 4. What content will you publish to market your business and engage your audience? 5. How will you grow, manage, and engage your online community? 6. What resources do you have to implement your strategy? 7. How will you measure success and improve?
Then we move on to your audience, which is the most important thing when it comes to building an effective strategy. I urge all businesses to think less about what you want to say, and more about what your audience wants to read/hear/ see. By understanding your audience, not just in terms of demographics, but in terms of their circumstances, values, interests, and challenges, you can create content that resonates with them and so engage in communication that is worthwhile. When you work out how to
The first, and essential, step is to set your objectives, which really need to 51
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Kerry Watkins delivering a training course
add value to your audience’s social media experience and cut through the noise, you will stand out and make an impact.
topics do you want to cover, and what message do you want people to receive? Then, think about a variety of media including photos, videos, live-streaming, blogs, gifs, and user-generated content. (Get your customers making content for you!) Finally, bring this all together into a content plan which includes publishing frequency guidelines.
Understanding where your audience is on social, and what they want, informs the choice of which networks to use. Use networks that your target audience uses, and that are also aligned with your business content. It is also important that you treat each network differently, if you have the time. Cross-publishing exactly the same thing on each channel will start to annoy people.
Sadly, this is where many businesses stop. They push content out there, and hope that it works! I believe it’s just as important to have a community management/communications plan, which should include growing your networks, interacting with others, and generally being social. This is where you can add real value. It is key to have a consistent and authentic brand voice to build engagement. This can be tricky if you are representing an organisation, because it is not just your personality, it
Next you need a content strategy: what will you create and publish to engage your audience, and help you achieve your objectives? A content brainstorming session is a great way to kickstart your creativity, and to think outside the box. First, think about all the different areas of your business, and your USPs. What 52
GROW has to be the personality of your brand. Your community management plan should also include how you will monitor notifications, and how you will handle questions or comments from the public.
Finally, it is important to review your strategy regularly. The market will change, your business will grow, and the social media landscape will evolve. So your social media strategy must adapt to be aligned with your business strategy, and to make the most of any new features that social media regularly throw our way.
Your strategy will only work if you have the resources to implement it. Consider your resources in terms of people, skill, time, and budget. Time is precious in any business, and so whilst an ambitious content plan might be very exciting, be realistic with the time that you have. Budget is increasingly important in order to promote some content on your social channels, so include a monthly or seasonal budget in your strategy to help you promote key content. The step that will really help you to nail social media is measurement. Social media success is a long game; it won’t happen overnight. It is a case of implementing your strategy, and then seeing what works and what doesn’t. There is a huge amount of data available to us to analyse, some might argue too much! So, refer back to your objectives, and only use the metrics that will help you understand performance in the context of your goals. If something works, do it some more. If something doesn’t, tweak it or try something else.
Find out more
Social Brighton’s Simple Social Media Strategy One-Day Course is one of their most popular training courses, and the best course to start with. socialbrighton.com/social-media-course/simple-social-media-strategy-course socialbrighton.com facebook.com/socialbrightontraining twitter.com/social_brighton instagram.com/socialbrighton 53
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Why Women? By Ali Golds, Growth Coach, Speaker, and Author
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he world of business is male-centric; the terminology, the way business is done (in and out of the office), even the way that everyone communicates. As a result, the unspoken belief has been – for many years – that for women to succeed in a commercial setting, they need to act like men.
and I built my business on them. I did it, proudly, as a woman, being a woman. I used my business skills, and I also called upon my own personal traits of intuition, empathy, and curiosity; and it is that combination which enabled me to be successful.
‘I used my own strengths, skills, and experience, and I built my business on them. I did it, proudly, as a woman, being a woman.’
I disagree. I first became successful in my career by meeting men in their playground, and beating them at their own game. I was confident, determined, and focused, and always got the deal I wanted. I overachieved my targets, brought in new client after new client, and gained a reputation for top-class customer service, which resulted in 100% repeat bookings and many word-of-mouth recommendations.
It is universally recognized amongst those who work with and support female founders, that women make fabulous entrepreneurs. Alongside being naturally collaborative and co-operative, which means they find working with others less difficult, women are detail-focused, meticulous planners, and able to read people quickly – all vital in business. Whilst they might sometimes need a bit of a push to take that final leap into the unknown (and I have done that for many of the female start-up founders I have worked with over the years!), they develop innovative, well-thought-out ventures with great potential.
When I started my first solo business after my marriage broke down, I polished up those traits, put them into action, and immediately replicated my previous success. And how did I do it? I did it by being authentically me. I didn’t try to emulate the way men did business, and I didn’t set out to be a male version of me – I used my own strengths, skills, and experience,
As a business growth coach, I have worked with hundreds of women over the last seven years, starting all 54
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REFLECT kinds of businesses – from hairdressers to decorators, lawyers to social entrepreneurs. They have all had varying reasons for wanting to be their own boss, but they have also all had one thing in common: an innate determination to succeed. They have seen the challenges, considered the practicalities, and planned how, despite all of that, they can still build their own empire.
to succeed. Watching them learn, and laugh, together was a joy, and a privilege. More recently, I coached another group of women who wanted to start their own businesses. Having put in an extraordinary amount of work, both in our workshops and at home, not only are they now starting on their business journeys but they have also exponentially increased their confidence in themselves and their skills. They meet up regularly as a group to share their successes, and have also collaborated together on business events, and even talked about partnering up.
I didn’t set out to work exclusively with female founders – in fact I spent a long time working with men too and still do sometimes; women sought me out. Single mums, women who had experienced challenges such as domestic abuse, or women who just wanted to learn from another woman, all told me that they saw me as a role model, and wanted to work with me because I was ‘like them’. I understood their worries, and their concerns, and they felt that I would be able to give them much more targeted, considered support.
Women don’t need the support of other women to succeed, they can do perfectly well on their own; they want that support. They like to be able to share challenges, take advice, hear other founders’ stories, and offer help and a listening ear where needed. It is part of being a woman, and what gives women – without doubt – the potential to be successful entrepreneurs.
As a result, I developed a range of start-up programmes written just for women, including my flagship StartUP programme, and also wrote my bestselling book ‘How To Be Your Own Boss As A Single Mum’ – and I have been supporting women of all ages and backgrounds ever since. I will never forget the first group of women I worked with; the youngest was 16, and the oldest was 72. They all had brilliant business ideas but were nervous about sharing their plans for fear of being judged on their perceived errors or mistakes. It didn’t take long for them to realize that this was far from the case, and, in fact, every woman in the room wanted every other woman in the room
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Biography Named as one of The Independent’s 20 Extraordinary Women of 2017, Ali Golds is a growth coach, speaker, and author who helps women to achieve their best – both personally and through their business. She has worked with startups through to multi-million-pound companies, as well as advising awarding bodies and other leading educationbased organisations on enterprise and entrepreneurship, culminating in being appointed lead adviser on a UK government review of entrepreneurship education, ‘Enterprise For All’, in 2014. Ali specializes in coaching female founders, particularly single mums and women who have experienced domestic abuse, and is passionate about
empowering them to achieve economic independence. She is also Founder/CEO of The Juno Project, a charity that supports vulnerable girls aged 14–16 to achieve their career and personal goals, in spite of their challenges. In addition, Ali is the author of the bestselling book ‘How To Be Your Own Boss As A Single Mum’ (2014), and recently published her e-book ‘88 Ways To Make More Money In Your Business Starting Today’ on Amazon. She is currently writing her next book, ‘Today I Stopped Running’, which is due out next year. aligolds.com 57
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Creating Brighton’s Only Co-Working Space for Female Founders By Lola Hoad, Founder of One Girl Band
Lola Hoad
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One Girl Band Co-Working Space
What is One Girl Band, and what motivated you to set it up?
passion, and that they were wondering if they could actually do this. I knew I needed to get them into the same room in real life, to show that we really are all in the same boat, and that we are all capable of amazing things. So, I started hosting meet-ups in a restaurant in Brighton, which sold out instantly every time. We then set up the co-working space, One Girl Band, in March 2017, and I closed down LH Design in order to focus on One Girl Band and my coaching. I am now working at getting investment so that we can acquire new premises, as we have massively outgrown our current space.
One Girl Band is a collective and coworking space created for, and by, female entrepreneurs and creatives. It is a positive space focused on connecting and supporting like-minded women who are tired of working from home and alone, and who crave some interaction with someone other than the postman. It is for freelancers, designers, writers, developers, photographers, makers, and start-ups – anyone who can work remotely. One Girl Band started as monthly meetups back in 2015, after I had been in business for a year with my first company (LH Design, a paper goods design studio) and was feeling incredibly lonely and isolated. Spending (quite a lot!) of my time on social media, I was seeing all of these badass women doing their own thing, and who were also feeling the same as me – feeling like they had no one who understood what they were trying to do; that self-doubt was overtaking their
The reason why I wanted to start the One Girl Band space is simply that Brighton needs a dedicated home for selfidentifying female creatives and business owners to feel comfortable, supported, and empowered. They need a chance to move their businesses out of their homes, off their kitchen tables, to a place that is reasonably priced, and doesn’t take all of their hard-earned income. They need 60
REFLECT the opportunity to meet women just like them – to see that others are in the same boat as they are, and that they are not alone. They deserve to create the life that they desire, and they deserve to do that in a safe, inclusive environment.
I first started, so I knew I wanted to ease that stress for our members and make sure our prices were as reasonable as possible to reflect the typical freelancer income (i.e. not a lot!). We also host Expertise Sessions for all of our community, not just members of the space, where we have speakers come in and deliver workshops on a specific topic, like social media, accounting, copywriting etc., so that we are giving the community as many tools and resources as possible to ensure they can reach their version of success.
In what ways does a female-only coworking space benefit its members? The main purpose for these kinds of spaces is to give women an opportunity to access a safe and comfortable environment, where they feel able to be themselves, and be surrounded by likeminded people who ‘get it’. Something that I think sums it up pretty well is that I feel this incredible power and invincibility when I come out of a room that was filled with powerful, exciting women. You get a real feeling of community, empowerment, and support when you are in an environment that was ‘made’ for you, and I think every woman deserves to feel that. When we first opened, female-only spaces were more prevalent in the United States of America and Australia, but now we are seeing them here in the UK, which is great. However, I do feel we need to do more work to make these spaces accessible to all self-identifying women from all backgrounds.
What do you consider to be the most effective business support for female founders? More access to funding and investment. In 2017, according to research firm PitchBook, female founders in the USA got only 2% of venture capital funding. Meanwhile, male-founded teams received about $66.9 billion – roughly 79% of the total funding pot. (Of the remaining 19%, 12% of funds were raised by mixed-gender teams, and 7% was raised by teams whose gender PitchBook was unable to find out). There definitely needs to be more help and support for female founders who wish to receive investment. I think just showing your support for female entrepreneurs can make a huge impact. Buy from female-led businesses, support your friends who are doing their own thing, and tell everyone about them; it makes such a difference!
Are there any common challenges which your members face whilst starting up, or growing their own businesses? When starting your own venture or brand, lack of income is obviously the biggest challenge. I definitely felt it when
Find out more
To find out more about One Girl Band, visit onegirlband.co.uk, email hello@ onegirlband.co.uk, and follow them @onegirlband (for Instagram and Twitter). 61
REFLECT
Chloe Meineck
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REFLECT
‘I assume that man in your slide deck is your husband?’ By Chloe Meineck, Founder and Director of Studio Meineck ‘No, no he isn’t.’
Globally, there are 47.6 million people living with dementia, and this figure is set to double every twenty years. The complex care needs that people living with dementia can face need to be addressed with tested, creative, and personalizable products.
And why would you assume that? Yes, he is on the team as Sales and Marketing Adviser, but no, he is not my husband. Would that change whether you are interested in investing in the company I founded?
I have been pitching for investment to manufacture Music Memory Box, to fulfil the interest we have from care home groups and families. My team and I have already created 50 boxes for the pilot, but now I need to upscale. I also need to build the Studio Meineck team.
Recently, I have been pitching a lot for investment, and I wanted to share some reflections on the highs and lows of my experience so far. Maybe it might help me to write it down, and maybe it will help people in a similar position. First, an introduction. I am Chloe. I am Founder and Director of Studio Meineck, a design studio set up for social good. We create tech products that benefit people’s lives. Our first product is Music Memory Box, which enables people living with dementia and their families to reminisce, reawaken, and reconnect. It is currently in a pilot with three UK care home groups, and the evaluations are looking great. Using the product can reduce anxiety and confusion, and improve communication, enjoyment, independence, and wellbeing. This all contributes to a higher quality of life – not only for the person living with dementia, but for the family carer and care staff too.
‘I believe I have a great product, and a great business model, but I have come up against prejudice in the investment community in three ways.’ It is well known and documented that gender bias heavily influences investment. In a study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania (2014), researchers found that investors preferred entrepreneurial ventures pitched by a man to an identical pitch from a woman at a rate of 68% to 32%. The researchers found that male-narrated pitches were rated more persuasive, more logical, and more fact63
REFLECT
Music Memory Boxes
based, than the same pitches narrated by a female voice.
collection was the incident where a potential angel investor assumed a picture of a man in my slide deck was my husband, asking the question out loud. I thought, ‘Bloody hell! Surely he didn’t just say that!’ Is it because he assumes a female founder has to have their husband on their team? Or is it because he assumes a woman can’t found a company on their own?
This is certainly my experience, but age (real or perceived) is also a factor. Just before I started another pitch, the organizer asked, in front of potential investors, if I was over 18. He said if I was not over 18, I was not allowed to pitch. I have won many awards for design, innovation, entrepreneurship, and I have spoken internationally about the Studio, dementia, and our work. I set up the Studio from nothing at the age of 22. As a professional adult, I am unclear about what precisely the organizer was hoping to achieve. What he did do was needlessly embarrass me, and add awkwardness to the room.
‘The plan is to do a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to launch the product, but we need investment in the team now.’ I could not be bothered to blow the angel investor’s mind by actually stating that I have a wife, and no, she is not on the team either.
The third incident in my growing 64
REFLECT
End User with Music Memory Box
Another issue I have come up against is the balance of the social side of the business with the commercial side of the business, but I will leave that reflection for another day.
that my battle to have, or is there a larger organization that can help? I am sure it must be possible. I know that a young woman can invent tech products, found companies, get investment, create successful businesses, and benefit people’s lives. I know I am not the only one. And, if anyone out there reading this cares about health and wellbeing, is passionate about social and creative entrepreneurship, is commercially aware and driven, and has money to invest, please get in touch.
I need investment to set up the manufacturing of this product, as people want to purchase it now. The plan is to do a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to launch the product, but we need investment in the team now. Should I just give in? And get a 56 year-old white man to do the pitch, and see what happens?! Or are there more forward-thinking investors out there? Is
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To get in contact with Chloe, or to find out more about Studio Meineck, and the Music Memory Box, please visit her website: studiomeineck.com 65
DISCOVER
Shea Nuts 66
DISCOVER
Shea Butter Production in Nigeria By Olasumbo Adeleke, Founder of Hayloft Limited
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DISCOVER supplied as a basic ingredient for beauty and haircare products, or supplied to the pharmaceutical industry as a base for ointments and massage creams. It is tough to be an entrepreneur in Nigeria, and even tougher being a female one. Recently, however, the Government passed an Enabling Environment Bill whereby all Government agencies are harmonized. It now takes about 48 hours to register and incorporate a company, unlike previously, when it took two to three months. Getting certification, access to market, access to affordable finance, and logistics are the challenges. We get customers through referrals and social media, and engage the services of dispatch riders to distribute our products.
Olasumbo Adeleke
S
kin cancer and blemishes are a menace ravaging the world because of the harmful chemicals used in cosmetics and personal care products, and everyone is on the lookout for products that will solve body and haircare issues without side effects. Worldwide, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of using organic products like shea butter, and are willing to pay a premium for products containing even a small percentage of organic materials.
‘It is tough to be an entrepreneur in Nigeria, and even tougher being a female one.’ I am the Executive Director of the Initiative for Gender Empowerment and Creativity. We started our work with the women, female and young shea nut pickers and processors in the local sheaproducing communities in Nigeria. We train them on improved shea processing techniques in order to get consistent premium quality shea butter. They are registered into cooperatives, which allows them to pool their resources to buy more shea kernels. We want to set up shea processing centres with medium-scale machines and water treatment plants, as well as cloakrooms with crèches, to ease the drudgery of shea handcrafting.
Since shea butter is well tolerated by all skin types, it does not trigger off any allergic reactions, making it ideal for persons with sensitive skins. It smoothes and moisturizes the skin, and can be used in all kinds of ways – as an aftershave product, for example, while also being suitable for baby’s tender skin. It also promotes hair growth and silkiness, preventing itching and dandruff. Our business is self-financed to date. Our ambition for growth is to be the preferred supplier of organic shea butter for the cosmetics and personal care industry, either packaged raw in its unrefined form,
http://www.sheablossom.com.ng
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DISCOVER Olasumbo’s tips for female founders • As a female founder, you have to be focused and work with your vision, be consistent, and persevere, especially when presented with challenges.
Build good support systems. • Set the tone for your business, what are your core values, credibility, integrity? For example, one of our core values is honesty. We process and package pure organic shea butter without mixing it with vegetable oils to cut corners and our weights are always correct.
• Draw up plans – short-term, medium-term, and long-term, and be ready to execute or implement them, even if it means taking baby steps.
• Be vocal about your rights especially in a gathering with unequal gender balance.
• Join a business association for easier access to information and collective action, and advocacy for small business owners.
• Make your own contribution, by sharing information and resources with other entrepreneurs.
• Never underestimate the power of networking and relationship building.
Biography Olasumbo Adeleke is Executive Director of the Initiative for Gender Empowerment and Creativity, and an experienced shea value chain and community development practitioner. She has extensive skills in Community Development, Agribusiness/Business Service Market, Cluster Development, and capacity-building of cooperative societies through technical and entrepreneurial training. She is the Managing Director of Hayloft Limited, which specializes in shea processing, and the distribution of shea butter and black soap to cosmetics companies, supermarkets and stores. She holds a BSc in Industrial Chemistry from Ogun State University, and an entrepreneurial course (GEL) from EDC-Pan Atlantic University, Lagos.
She is an Alumna of the prestigious United States Government International Visitors’ Leadership Program, and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. She is also Women Group Captain, Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON), a member of Global Shea Alliance, African Business Roundtable, African Women Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP), District Representative of New Faces New Voices (Nigeria Chapter), a Vital Voices Lead Fellow, and member of the Women Thrive Alliance.
Shea Butter 69
CREATE
Tori Bodine Artist and Illustrator, Brighton and Hove
E
very quarter, in the Create section, we feature an artist or illustrator who has caught our eye. Why? Because we could all do with more creativity in our lives! For Issue 1, we are delighted to introduce you to Tori Bodine. Tori is an artist and illustrator based in Brighton. Her work is multidisciplinary, focusing mainly on drawing with pen and marker, as well as gouache-based collage. Her hyper-detailed drawing style focuses on the ridiculousness and mundanity of the everyday. Tori’s work has appeared in GIRLS/CLUB Zine, Cubed Magazine and Whip Zine, as well as being used as album artwork for Anushka and Annaca. You can view more of her drawings on her Instagram account @tvpickles and on her website toribodine.com. She is currently taking commissions. You can email Tori at tori@toribodine.com.
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Girl Smoking
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Girls Relaxing
Summer Daze 74
The Special Today Is You 75
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West Pier 77
Brighton Summer
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Thr!ve Call for contributions! Artists, illustrators, and photographers are invited to submit their artwork for a chance to feature in the next issue. clare@thrivethemag.co.uk 07952 914937
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CONNECT
Small Business Resources There are a range of Sussex-based organizations, as well as national ones, which offer business support – online and at events – for aspiring entrepreneurs and founders of established businesses. Below, we have listed some of our favourite resources. We have also included a range of valuable community resources which may be of interest to you, or someone you know. Business Support for Small Businesses
Support for Green Businesses
businessinbrighton.org.uk c2cbusiness.org.uk enterpriseexchange.org.uk enterprisenation.com entrepreneurhandbook.co.uk fsb.org.uk ioee.uk/affiliate-membership letsdobusinessgroup.co.uk mdhub.co.uk mentorsme.co.uk mymas.org princes-trust.org.uk prowess.org.uk smarta.com startacus.net startupdonut.co.uk virginstartup.org
brighton.ac.uk/business-services/greengrowth-platform/index.aspx
Support for Creatives artscouncil.org.uk businessinbrighton.org.uk/events/creativehub craftscouncil.org.uk designcouncil.org.uk fabrica.org.uk
Support for Women in Technology brightondigitalwomen.co.uk SheSaysBrighton wiredsussex.com
Support for Social Entrepreneurs
Accelerator Programmes
socialenterprise.org.uk theplatform.org.uk unltd.org.uk
business.natwest.com/business/services/ accelerator.html 80
CONNECT Brighton Women’s Centre
Legal Information and Advice
womenscentre.org.uk
companieshouse.gov.uk gov.uk/browse/business hmrc.gov.uk ipo.gov.uk
Mental Health Support mindcharity.co.uk samaritans.org/branches/brighton-hoveand-district-samaritans
Co-Working Spaces labs.uk.barclays/locations/brighton onegirlband.co.uk platf9rm.com spacesworks.com/brighton/trafalgar-place werksgroup.org.uk
Support for People Affected by Domestic Abuse and Violence galop.org.uk riseuk.org.uk
Grants and Loans
Services for Families and Children
fredericksfoundation.org fundingcentral.org.uk fundingcircle.com fundingoptions.com gov.uk/new-enterprise-allowance innovateuk.org nesta.org.uk startuploans.co.uk
allsortsyouth.org.uk brighton-hove.gov.uk/ frontdoorforfamilies rainbowfamilies.org.uk
Crowdfunding and Investment angelsden.com crowdcube.com crowdfunder.co.uk indiegogo.com kickstarter.com seedrs.com syndicateroom.com 81
Notes & Reflections
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Our Manifesto for Female Founders Create something the world needs Keep it simple Engage your customers Start lean Dream big Be yourself Get a mentor Be a mentor Set goals Experiment Innovate Be confident Celebrate your successes Be proud of what you achieve Be kind to yourself 83
Do you like what we do? Then, let’s collaborate! Become a guest contributor, and create content which showcases your expertise. Become an advertiser, and raise the profile of your brand among female founders in Brighton and beyond. clare@thrivethemag.co.uk 07952 914937
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