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UPSTART
Oxford
Inspiring and supporting Britain’s startup community
Yes, Pieminister
STARTUP WOMEN
Turning your hobby into a business
How a small idea became a national business
Women who are taking a different approach to their startups
Enterprise Cities:
LOCATION IS EVERYTHING
Building your brand
Make your website count Top tips for SEO
Go Green
Become an eco-friendly business
Where should YOU base your business? UpStart meets the people behind
THE LATEST STARTUPS jomec.co.uk/upstart @upstartmaguk
APRIL 2012 £ 2.80
UPSTART April 2012 jomec.co.uk/upstart
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6 9
on the cover
enterprise cities: location is everything London isn’t the only business hotspot. Locate your match made in startup heaven turning your hobby into a business Three women are blazing trails with their own business ventures yes, pieminister Founder Jon Simon shares his recipe for success make your website count Send your site’s traffic through the roof with our expert tips go green Turn over a new leaf with tips from Britain’s greenest businesses
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news The latest developments affecting you and your business what’s on Your startup could be one event away from reaching the big time
18 24
success stories
26 30
“the business came from a personal need” Stuart Arnott turned his family album into a vision for 33 their future “i was in the right place at the right time” Matthew Parker is carrying the Olympic torch all the 34 way to the bank 35 Subscribe now and pay only £1.80 an issue Call 0844 770 0404 and
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which bank is best for you? We do the paperwork so you don’t have to keeping in touch Don’t let your signal go fuzzy with our pick of the best conference call services
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bright ideas: office lamps With our selection of the hottest office lamps, there will never be a dull moment day to day Ben Allen of Big Blue Bike takes us through the cycle of his day 24 hours in... Let our city guide help you get the most out of your flying visit to Oxford
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contributors We asked issue two’s create team...
How do you switch off?
JAMES GILL “Shouting at the telly as Scotland lose another Six Nations game... trust me, it helps.
AMY HALL “Cooking food, then enjoying it with good wine and good friends.”
CHARLOTTE KELLOWAY “Whisking eggs, flour, butter and sugar together to make cupcakes.”
CARYS KING
welcome
FROM THE TEAM
Offices may have changed significantly since the sixties, where the Joan Holloways of the world worked to make life easier for their male employers, but we’ve still got a long way to go in terms of gender equality in the workplace. Issues such as equal pay and female representation at executive level resonate with working women today as strongly as they did 50 years ago. With this in mind, this month our cover story looks at the rise of women entrepreneurs. Demands on working women, especially in terms of the work-life balance, are often very different to those placed on men. For our story, which you can find on page 14, UpStart spoke to three women who have each started very different business under very different circumstances about how they got their business off the ground and the challenges they face on a daily basis. Also in this issue, you can find our new and improved “Success Stories” section, profiling more of the people behind Britain’s startup businesses. Turn to page 19 to read our interview with Jon Simon, co-founder of Pieminister. A veteran by startup standards, Bristol-based Pieminister was launched nine years ago and has since gone on to become a nationally recognised brand. Simon spoke to UpStart’s Charlotte Kelloway to explain why he thinks the company has become such a success. Over on UpStart TV, the team has been busy to bring you more videos from behind-the-scenes of the magazine’s production, as well as interviews with fledgling entrepreneurs Marc Thomas and David le Masurier about their respective journeys creating their own businesses. Check them out at jomec.co.uk/upstart and let us know what you think.
“With a gin and tonic in front of some Friday night TV.”
EMMA POWELL “A night in with Eastenders and a cheeky glass of Jim Beam.”
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The U pStart team
Issue Two EDITORIAL TEAM Emily Bater Michael Brown
FRONT COVER
Carys Cross Aneira Davies Lucy Douglas DESIGN TEAM Jo Price Chris Smith Emma Vince
Photo: James Gill
4 | UpStart
Darren Wee
For video interviews, how tos and a look at how we make the mag, point your browser to UpStart TV
youtube.com/upstarttvuk
87%
switch on
Global competition finds world’s best startup
of Pinterest users are female
Government pressured to represent small firms
Top business organisation is calling for a Small Business Administration
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Startup World hope to discover the next Steve Jobs
Startup World is taking its global search to London
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he search to find the next big global startup is on. An online technology magazine will search through 36 cities across the world where competing companies will pitch ideas. Winners of The Next Web (TNW) magazine’s regional heats will travel to Silicon Valley to compete in the grand final. The panel of expert judges will judge the idea and pitch on innovation, scalability, global reach and human impact. TNW say they have launched the competition to find the next Jobs or Zuckerburg because, due to the cost of innovation going down, “entrepreneurship and startup culture is now a global story where
more people than ever are plugged in and switched on.” Entering startups must have launched within the last two years, be a for-profit business from any field and must be prepared to pitch their product or service in public. The most innovative startup will receive a three month incubation period at startup accelerators i/o Ventures worth $30,000. Regional heat winners will get a subsidised flight to San Francisco for the pitches. But why does it matter? As well as taking in Santiago, Dakar and Aukland TNW have teamed up with Seedcamp and Startup Britain to bring Startup World to London. Find out more at startupworld.com
Women to storm the boardroom The European Union justice commissioner aims to make more women board members
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iviane Reding plans to put timetables in place to increase the number of women on the boards of public companies. Speaking to The Guardian last week, Reding condemned countries without obligatory quotas as being too slow in progressing. She estimated it would take up to 40 years for women to get equal representation on boards with the current system. Reding has called for EU countries to set themselves a target of women making up 30% of board members by 2015 and 40% by 2020.
6 | UpStart
Turn to page 14 for our Women in Business feature
he Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is arguing there needs to be a seat within the cabinet to defend the interests of small businesses. Although there are many Governmental departments dealing with small business policy the FSB believe there needs to be a body focusing solely on small firms. The FSB argue a Small Business Administration would enable small firms to drive economic recovery in the UK, help with finance and improve procurement opportunities for small firms. John Walker, National Chairman of the FSB says, “The Chancellor has made clear that there will be no big tax giveaways in this year’s budget and that it is up to the private sector to drive economic recovery by creating jobs and growth. “The FSB argues that in order to do that, the Government must think small first by giving the UK’s 4.5 million small businesses a more prominent seat within Government.”
Helping mums start their own business Leading women in business give advice at a free event in London
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ebsite workingmums.co.uk has organised a free event designed to offer advice and guidance for working mums looking to start their own businesses. The event will take place on 27 March at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. Mentoring workshops and talks will run throughout the day, including keynote speeches from Mia Drennan, founder of Square Mile Communications, and BBC news anchor Joanna Gosling. For more information, register for free on workingmumslive.co.uk
Only one in ten FTSE board directors is a woman
£60 billion
Cash prize for green business innovations Businesses can win €10,000 for their eco ideas
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new business is looking for budding entrepreneurs to send in ideas for creating the next great sustainable business. The competition, sponsored by Ben & Jerry’s and supported by development charity VSO, is open to 18-34 year-olds who claim an innovative green business model. The five winning applicants will receive €10,000 and six months mentoring from social entrepreneur adviser Ashoka. Applicants must demonstrate a business with a positive social impact and a strong environmental awareness. Co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, Ben Cohen, says, “Business has a responsibility to give back to the community.” The competition closes on 15 April. For more information, visit joinourcore.com
Turn to page 28 to find out how to go green with your business
show pony – noun
You know the type. A new person on the team, or someone you meet at a networking event. They seem so clever, so bright, funny, and engaging, They talk the talk, walk the walk but in time, you realise that it’s a load of hot air and they may as well be standing munching hay.
404– noun
Used to describe someone who is clueless. For example: "Don't bother asking Ryan, he's 404". From the internet error message, "404 not found" which explains that the requested document could not be located.
al desco – adjective
New credit card helps small businesses
Describing any meal eaten at your desk, sadly a regular occurence for many of us. If you do find yourself engrossed in what you’re doing and can’t manage a quick half hour away from the computer, this not-so-inspiring dining experience may be for you.
A new Barclaycard enables entrepreneurs to earn back up to 3%
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arclays has introduced a new cashback business card, available online, which allows entrepreneurs to earn back 3% on admin-related purchases such as stationery and computer equipment. Businesses can also earn back 1% on fuel purchases and 0.5% on other business spends. The maximum cash back that can be earned each year is £400.
is contributed to the UK economy by women-owned businesses
Dennis Bauer, Managing Director of Global Commercial Payments, says, “We’re giving small business customers a more rewarding way to carry out their normal business spending with this card. “Barclaycard’s corporate card can also help smooth out short-term fluctuations in business cash-flow and give small businesses the option to pay over a longer term if required.”
Find the right app for your business
A new service from Verizon Wireless helps small businesses
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mall Business Advisor, a new free tool from Verizon Wireless, is designed to help small businesses boost their productivity and efficiency. The new online database application helps users quickly find apps to meet their company’s needs and requirements. The Small Business Advisor queries users on their needs before analysing the answers and offering a selection of suitable apps. Michael Schaefer, executive director for Wireless Business Solutions at Verizon Wireless, says, “The Small Business Advisor is a key part of our SMB approach, helping our customers better determine the right applications for their business and get the most from their mobile devices.”
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4/10
businesses worldwide have no women in senior management
£ 82%
In the UK, a woman working full-time earns 82% of her male colleague’s salary
Construction industry gives hope to economy
Survey shows highest growth in sector for 12 months
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weird and wonderful
survey into the strength of the UK construction industry has showed surprise growth in February. The Markit/CIPD Purchasing Index (PMI) for the sector rose to 54.3 from 51.4 in January but it had been expected to fall slightly. A reading above 50 implies growth. It is hoped that new life in the construction industry could help boost the UK economy, with less uncertainty around new and existing projects.
Entrepreneur with youth on her side
It seems new business owners are getting younger by the day
Catalogues encourage online browsing
Shopping from paper still popular with British customers
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lmost a quarter of UK consumers have ordered directly from a company after looking in a catalogue over the past year. Research by YouGov SixthSense found that during the same period, 13% of consumers ordered an item from a catalogue. But catalogues could also be a catalyst for online sales, with 77% of people who buy from shopping catalogues going on to order products via the internet for home delivery.
James McCoy, research director for YouGov SixthSense, says, “The key issue for retailers still using printed catalogues is whether continued investment in this channel is warranted. “This report highlights the newly evolved role of the catalogue, moving from its original mail order purpose to one that sees it act as a catalyst for online sales.”
FSB wants focus on non-bank finance
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t just eight years old, Evie Hobsbawm has taken it upon herself to solve your problems. For as little as 10p, Evie is willing to have a go at answering all of life’s little dilemmas, although she does increase her fee to £1 for the more difficult questions. Evie comes highly recommended by her entrepreneur dad, who says on her site, eveproblemsolver.com, “Eve solved all my problems. Amazing! Highly recommended.” With even the under 10’s trying their hand at startups, it really is child’s play, though you probably should work on a better finance model than Evie’s: if she set a target of earning £11,000 a year that equates to 110,000 problems solved!
8 | UpStart
New report calls on government to champion alternative forms of finance
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ith bank lending still low, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is calling for a focus on different forms of finance. Their report, Alt+ Finance: Small Firms and Access to Finance, says that the government should be promoting peer-to-peer lending models. It looks at practices in Germany and the US and aims to learn lessons from these countries on more reliable forms of finance. The FSB say the UK banking model has a lack of transparency and diversity of financial institutions and a limited local focus and control of lending decisions. National chairman of the FSB, John Walker, says, “Too much time has been spent tinkering with the existing system when it is perfectly
clear that we need to develop alternative routes to finance. “We need to accept that in its current form, our banking structure might never fully cater to the needs of the UK’s business community.” Between 2007 and 2012 there was a 24% fall in the number of successful loan applications for small businesses in Britain. But why does it matter? Some sections of the business community are getting impatient at the lack of lending for small businesses. This report follows research from Huddlebuy reported in last month’s UpStart, which claims almost two thirds of small businesses would be looking for alternative funding in 2012. Could change be afoot? Find out more at fsb.org.uk
What’s on
Are you hosting a business or networking event? Get in touch at upstartmaguk@gmail.com
UpStart has picked this month’s top business events from around the UK StartUp Saturday with Emma Jones, Sat 17 March, The O2 Centre, 229 Tottenham Court Road, London enterprisenation.com/events/startup-saturday-2012 FSB South East Wales Branch Member Meeting Joint Activity with Coleg Glan Hafren Tues 3rd April FSB Wales Office, Llanishen, Cardiff. 02920 615292/07711796574 sybil@slrmarketing.com fsb.org.uk/southwales/events/regionalevents
Women in rural enterprise (WIRE) 3 day business start-up course Tues-Thurs, 17th-19th April Harper Adams University College, Newport, Shropshire wireuk.org/events
Women’s Development: Confidence, Motivation, Skills & Self Esteem Sat 14 April, 11am - 5pm NOVOTEL London Tower Bridge findnetworkingevents.com/workshops-seminars/london
Launch48 event Fri-Sun, 27th-29th April Northumbria University, Newcastle £29.95 newcastle.launch48.com
Join
Meet and network with other business owners
at our first annual Business Masterclass Lectures from UpStart’s team of experts will include June 9-10 2012 • How to build your brand • • • •
Social media Make your business green Alternative funding Overcoming your business barriers
To find out more call us on 0844 7700 4004 or visit jomec.co.uk/upstart |9
tech news
UNPRECEDENTED DEMAND FOR RASPBERRY PI This little computer will make big changes to the future of programming
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t is only the size of a credit card, but the Raspberry Pi has quickly gained a reputation as the next big new tool in technology. The small computer is designed to encourage children and adults to take up computer programming. Simply plug it into a screen and a keyboard and start learning how a computer’s software is written. The Raspberry Pi costs just £22 and aims to make the language of programming fun. John Naughton, professor of the public understanding of technology at the Open University, wrote in the Observer, “We wouldn’t dream of teaching pupils
SUPPORT PROJECT FOR UK TECH STARTUPS O2 offers funding and advice to top UK tech start-ups
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2 is searching for the brightest tech startups in the UK, as part of a new project offering funding and tech expertise. The Wayra Technology Accelerator Programme invites UK startups to compete for the chance to win up to 50,000 euro funding, access to tech and business experts and the Wayra Academy. After submission, successful companies will be shortlisted and invited to Wayra Week where they will pitch ideas to a panel comprising representatives of Wayra, O2 and independent VCs and tech experts. With around 20 places up for grabs, projects that get through this stage will receive funding and spend six months in the Academy before choosing to stay on or look for VC funding. In exchange for funding, Telefonica, O2’s parent company, will receive a 10% stake in the company and first refusal on any products that may emerge from the Wayra Academy. Ronan Dunne, UK chief executive of O2, said: “There’s amazing entrepreneurial spirit
about German culture without expecting them to speak German. The same holds for computer science.” The first 10,000 units sold out within minutes of going on sale on 29 February, but you can register your interest to find out when new units are available.
SOCIAL MEDIA HEADACHE FOR UK BUSINESS
Social media strategies in chaos for 74% of UK businesses
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nly half (54%) of British businesses realise they carry legal liability for their social media content, according to research from information management firm Iron Mountain. A third of businesses in the study described their use of social media as ‘chaotic’ and ‘unmanaged’ and 74% said using social media at work was banned completely. Christian Toon, head of information security at Iron Mountain Europe, says social media causes difficulty to businesses as it is relatively new, comparing it to email a decade ago. “Social media,” says Christian, “also offers a wealth of possibilities in terms of customer engagement and market awareness. No business today can really afford to ignore it.
in the British small business community and we want to help them succeed. What we can provide them is a place and time to bring that commitment and passion for an idea to life, together with our business experience, network and technical support.” Startups can submit their project to Wayra via the website: wayra.org/en/wayra-uk-call-2012. Deadline for submissions is 22 April.
Don’t let fear hold you back.” Christian recommends developing corporate social media accounts and an information management policy for social media, including clear employee guidelines, “One of the first steps is to differentiate between social media for business and personal use,” he explains. But why does it matter? According to data from the Office of National Statistics over half of people aged 16 and over in the UK are now using social media, including 91% of 16-24 year olds. That’s a lot of potential customers. An efficient social media strategy creates a community for small businesses and is a cheap way to reach a large amount of people, adding a personal touch without a big PR budget.
Cities of Innovation The UK’s cities are ready to embrace your small business. The question is: where is right for you and your enterprise? By James Gill
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ew businesses are often told that the internet means it doesn’t matter where they set up their companies. We all interact through a network of online communities. Conference call services mean that companies can communicate face-to-face with people on the other side of the world and social networks allow startups to share contacts and information. So why do we continue to talk about enterprise zones for small businesses? Why do companies in the UK still feel the need to attach themselves to a particular location, and in some cases even move away from an area they know well in order to develop their business? Despite the connections and outlets the web offers, startups still find comfort in the local physical networks they find in particular places. UpStart looks at three areas of the UK that are currently enjoying a high profile to find out whether your company could benefit from moving to one of these cities.
Top: The Radcliffe Camera in Oxford Above: Giraffe statues in Edinburgh Left: MediaCityUK in Manchester
What’s there
Success stories
• Local angel investors Par Equity have a history of helping small businesses with big potential. Find out more on their website: www. parequity.com
• miiCard is the hottest new Edinburgh startup. Founded by James Varga, it’s on the cusp of international expansion this year as online identity security becomes a key new market. miicard.com
• The Scottish Seed Fund offers finance on an equity basis from £25,000 to £250,000. The fund is managed by the Scottish Investment Bank, and the competition is fierce – but the reward is invaluable for those who can get it. www.business.scotland.gov.uk
• It says it all that international games developer Rockstar chose to base one of its key studios in Edinburgh. Since 2002, Rockstar North has developed several famous game franchises, including Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead and Manhunt. rockstarnorth.com
• Startup cafe is a great local resource for startup businesses in the city. It provides a network of entrepreneurs, as well as a comprehensive list of meetup events where you can share ideas with other people working in the city. www.startupcafe.co.uk
Why it works
• There’s good access to the Scottish government’s enterprise fund. • The university provides a highly educated talent pool and an environment where new ideas are embraced and tested. • Edinburgh’s status as a historic capital is a real boost both domestically and internationally and trade shows are frequently held in the city, providing great opportunities to network and publicise your business.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh in his own words James Varga, chief executive officer of miiCard, tells UpStart why he loves Edinburgh
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iiCard is an online identity service. The easiest way to think about it is that it is a digital passport or virtual driver’s license. For the first time we can create a high level of trust online. Think about all those times when you’ve needed to show someone your identity, send in your driver’s license, passport, utility bills, or just wanted the comfort of seeing someone in person: we can provide the same level of trust online. In a lot of ways the internet has been born from anonymity and privacy and pseudo identities, and it is only now that we are getting to a point where we need to develop a better level of trust. I think Edinburgh is a brilliant city in many ways. In terms of startups, development communities and online services, over the last five years Edinburgh has really started to punch above its weight. If you look at Skyscanner (an online flight comparison website), if you look at Rockstar (the major video game developer), if you look at the banks and a lot of the projects and technology that have come out of the startup community itself, it’s actually incredibly strong in Edinburgh. This is my fifth project in Scotland, and I think the startup community and support is brilliant in Edinburgh. We’ve used Scottish Enterprise seed funding and grants along the way, which helps from an international viewpoint but also a local point of view. As a small company, we can get out and do things. Every little helps, as the saying goes. We’ve also worked closely with one of the angel investment syndicates here, Par Equity, and they’ve been fantastic, and good not only for the funding support, but also the expertise, connections and awareness they bring.
12 | UpStart
Regardless of whether you are a local or an international service, you still need to rely on the talent pool and community around you to support you. There’s no point in forgetting that, because you need every little bit of help and support and awareness you can get in this game. People make it happen, so without the right people it’s very difficult. I’m from Vancouver originally; I moved to the UK about 16 or 17 years ago. I lived in London and then went north. I’ve been here long enough to get used to the weather, but not enough to get the accent! James Varga has lived in Edinburgh for 14 years
What’s there
Why it works
• The area has an international reputation for entrepreneurial • The Oxford Investment Opportunity Network focuses on innovative innovation, particularly in high-tech industries. technology companies with high growth potential, so while not for everyone, its website is still well worth exploring. oion.co.uk • Travelling either locally or abroad is easy with good public transport networks and Heathrow less than an hour away. • Oxfordshire Business Enterprises offers new businesses free advice on starting and running their companies. oxonbe.co.uk Success stories RM Education is now an established international ICT education • The Oxford Business Elevator is a local that encourages small service, but it still values its Oxfordshire roots. Started in 1973 by businesses to share ideas and inspiration. The group is friendly and two local IT hobbyists, now it produces software, IT networks and informal, and meets regularly in person and on Facebook. classroom resources for schools all over the world. Company founder Michael O’Regan recently won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oxfordshire Business Awards 2012. rmeducation.com
Oxford Photo: All Souls College, Oxford Unversity (Tejvan Pettinger)
What’s there
• The Manchester Digital Laboratory is a useful online hub for Manchester’s creative communities where you can find a collaborator or talk about your new idea with like-minded people all over the city. Regular events and available office space come in handy too. madlab.org.uk • Techcelerate provides information for new tech companies, although you do have to pay a fee to join. They can provide access to investment opportunities, promote your company on their website and organise networking events. techcelerate.org
Why it works
• The city is well established as a location for innovative media and creative industries. • The city’s industrial heritage creates a fantastic working environment with great office spaces to be found in converted red brick mills and warehouses.
Success stories
MediaCityUK has completely transformed the Salford Quays area. Creative communities have sprung up around the large studio complex and the Greenhouse provides flexible and affordable workspace for startups with work stations starting from £50 per week. mediacityuk.co.uk Photo: MediaCityUK in Manchester (MediaCityUK)
Manchester
What a way to make a living
More women than ever before are taking the plunge and becoming their own boss. UpStart’s Carys King speaks to the business savy ladies leading the revolution 14 | UpStart
A
t the end of 2011, The Huffington Post reported on findings by UK online insurance broker Simply Business, which showed a 12% increase in female-run start-ups on the previous year. The findings showed businesses run by women accounted for 37% of all start-ups in 2011, up 33% from 2010. With Companies House estimating more than 400,000 new businesses are launched in the UK each year, women will run 148,000 of these. So what is driving women to quit the grind of the nine to five and working for ‘the man’, in favour of setting themselves up as boss? Is it all about empowerment? Has the message of Destiny Child’s finest song Independent Women finally broken through? Or is it quite simply a sign of the times? We no longer live in a world where men rule the office roost. This world now only belongs in films
and TV shows such as Mad Men where women are depicted as unambitious housewives or lowly secretaries. It is important to remember that we also now live in a time where unemployment is at a 17year high and many working mums are being pushed to make ends meet. It could have something to do with the popularity of programmes like Dragons’ Den, which now features two strong and successful business women. Deborah Meaden and Hilary Devey are prime examples of women who are doing it for themselves; the fact they feature on a prime-time BBC1 show displays the prominence of women in business and the exposure they now receive. With women across the UK launching and running their own businesses, UpStart asked three women to take some time out of their busy schedules to explain why they do it and what inspired them. | 15
Debbie O’ Connor Motivating Mum Debbie O’Connor is one woman who has turned her hand to running a business. She runs Motivating Mum, a website designed to help and inspire mums running, or thinking of starting up their own business. She does this by giving help and advice through affordable business mentoring schemes and networking events. An accountant by profession, Debbie left work nine years ago after the birth of her daughter. “I stopped work then because my husband got transferred offshore and we went with him.” After having a son a couple of years later and spending several years as a stay-at-home Mum, Debbie felt it was time to do something for herself. “I had a few false starts but eventually I came across this and it’s working quite nicely for me.” Debbie didn’t launch the site herself, instead she bought it from a former owner who had launched it as a life coaching business. She then adapted and developed the site to create a community for other entrepreneurial mums. Debbie says the reason she took over someone else’s business rather than start from scratch was down to a lack of experience with web design and, although she’d been thinking of setting up a website for a while, it was quite by luck she found one for sale that met her needs.
Lauren Powell Florence Blue Lauren Powell is the brain behind successful wedding planning company, Florence Blue. Coming from a totally different background to Debbie, Lauren started her career working for Cosmo Bride before moving into events management for Formula One. “Before starting my own business I ran events and PR for the Renault F1 team. This involved large scale, big budget events around the world. When my clients kept asking if I could help with their weddings ‘on the side’, I realised there was enough interest for me to start my own business.” Lauren decided to set herself up as her own boss after six years of travelling the world left her wanting to spend more time at home, closer to her family. She chose wedding planning thanks to her first hand experience of the difficulties involved in organising a unique wedding. “After planning my own wedding, I realised what a huge market there was for individual weddings. I found it very difficult to find anything ‘different’ so thought I could offer this service myself.”
16 | UpStart
For Debbie, running her own business allows her to run to her own schedule and allows her to spend time with her children, which means her routine changes daily. “Oh gosh, I don’t have a daily routine, I have the children in school from nine until three and during that time I’ll spend a lot of time at the computer answering e-mails, writing features, doing social media promotion. I do occasionally go out and give talks, workshops and attend events. There is absolutely no normal around here.” The fact Debbie can fit her working life around her family life is a big positive for her and she feels she has a lot to thank having an online business for. “The internet has a lot to do with it, the fact we can work with our children in the same room, that’s one of the joys of the business for me, that and I don’t have to pay child care costs.” One of the biggest obstacles Debbie had to overcome was her husband’s scepticism over the idea. “My husband thought it was a bit strange at first. He doesn’t use social networks the way I do, he doesn’t get Facebook and Twitter. I took a bit of time trying to persuade him this was viable and that there was some return in it; that’s perhaps the main opposition within the family: the fact he thinks it’s a bit airy-fairy.” Debbie thrives on the flexibility of being her own boss, along with the fact that all she needs for work is to have her laptop with her, allowing her to tend to her business wherever she may be.
Like Debbie, Lauren feels the flexibility, which comes from running her own business, is the main positive as it allows her to schedule in the things that matter. For Lauren, however, this comes as both a pro and con. “I’ve found managing my time very difficult. Originally, I assumed that working for yourself would mean more spare time, but this certainly isn’t the case. Unfortunately, I can’t clock off and will often find myself working at 1am, or on holiday, or at family occasions! Once you’re the boss, the buck stops with you. Managing my time successfully is still work in progress.” Citing her businessman dad as her inspiration, Lauren says women in business are viewed as equals by their male counterparts. “I think the times have certainly moved forward. I feel respected at work and viewed equally to male peers. I don’t think it’s more difficult for a woman to start or run a successful business, but I do believe there can be more pressure on a woman. It’s hard to keep all the plates spinning with regards to work, family, friendships etc.” Lauren believes many of those pressures come from women themselves and their desire to be superwomen that do everything and have it all. For Lauren, having strong support around you is essential for a woman looking to create a successful business.
Becki Jones Scarlett Parties The third female run business under the UpStart microscope is Scarlett Parties, a Sheffield-based party planning company run by Becki Jones. After being made redundant, mum-of-two Becki set up Scarlett Parties in 2010. She chose a party planning business after she organised a number of parties and events for family and friends. Much like Lauren, she was often complimented on her great parties and organisation skills. Realising that she clearly had a talent for it, Becki decided to turn her talent into a full-time business. Becki is one of the many women in the UK to take inspiration from Dragons’ Den; she even contacted dragon Theo Paphitis via Twitter for advice about how to get a new business off the ground. “I’m quite determined when I put my mind to it and I’m not one to sit back and not earn my own money, so it was the push I needed. I’d watched the
RECAP: THE PROS & CONS
Dragons’ Den and I thought, ‘I can do it myself.’” Like Debbie, Becki’s two children under the age of three meant she needed to flexible, which cemented her decision to go it alone. She says having children can make working life more difficult for women but by setting up on her own, she is able to work around them. This decision has meant that her work and home life can now easily work around each other. The only downside in Becki’s view is the lack of a regular wage and she says she would only consider going back to a regular job if times became desperate. “I love working for myself, the only thing I may do is change businesses.” Becki says a lot of her friends are going down this route due to a lack of available jobs; she says the only way to get money is to make it for yourself. Becki is currently in the process of embarking upon a second start-up with one of her friends. Coming from a scientific background she is in the early stages of developing a ‘meals on wheels’ inspired business on a local scale. It would promote healthy weight loss by delivering set meals to those who sign up.
So, where now?
The pros and cons of running your own business according to the women doing it themselves
Pros
“The flexibility. For instance, if I don’t want to miss sports day, I don’t have to. I can instead choose to work late that day and schedule in the things that matter.” Lauren “The internet has a lot to do with it. The fact we can work with our children in the same room, that’s one of the joys of the business for me; that and I don’t have to pay child care costs.” Debbie “I can work around the kids and spend more time with them.” Becki
Cons
“I’m always thinking, ‘I could do more’. If I’m not working to bring in more business, then no one else is!” Lauren “The lack of a regular wage. If you have a quiet month you don’t have as much in the bank.” Becki “I think my husband thought it was a bit strange at first. It took a bit of time trying to persuade him this was viable and there was some return in it. That’s the main opposition in the family.” Debbie
One thing all three of the ladies agree on is the fact working for yourself allows greater flexibility and freedom, particularly if women are trying to find an acceptable work/ family-life balance. Considering recent figures reveal female unemployment to be the highest it’s been for 25 years and the pay gap remaining firmly in place, it looks like we may be seeing a continuing increase in the number of women setting up on their own.
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success stories “The business came from a personal need”
The Mindings digital photo frame shows Stuart Arnott with his family
Mindings creator Stuart Arnott found a new way to connect with his family Mindings is a service which allows people to send captioned photos, text messages and Facebook content to a digital photo frame from a mobile phone.
Why did you create Mindings? Nearly four years ago, around the time my daughter was born, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. She lives in Scotland and since it was her first grandchild, we wanted to make the most of it. So we started sending photographs up to my mum. One day I thought, ‘I’m a geek, surely I can do better than this.’ My parents didn’t really use mobile phones or computers so I got them one of the first digital picture frames which you can send photographs to. Then I thought “Well, my mum and dad don’t read text messages, so if I could send text messages to that, it’d be pretty neat.” I realised I could help my whose memory wasn’t good by putting a calendar on it. It came from a personal need, which is where I think the best ideas come from. I think if you sit down and try to force an idea, you’re going to struggle to sell it. What stage of development is the business in? We’ve been working on the system for about a year now. When you make something like this, no matter how much I say to people ‘Don’t use this to remind your grandmother to take her vital heart medication, people will. So I have a responsibility to make sure that it is really robust. We’ve been doing a lot of testing with it and we’ve just started rolling it out to beta testers. At the moment, if people contact me to say I could really use it, then I’m letting them get on with beta testing.
Do you think making Mindings easy to use will be important in the success of the product? The brief when I was developing this was for my dad really. He didn’t use modern technology and there are a lot of people like him. But there are also people who have got physical impairments like arthritis, so even if they knew how to use a computer they physically couldn’t. I always thought of Mindings as something that will work passively, that can just sit on the mantelpiece. But we have built interactivity into it so when I send a text message to my dad, I get a text message back saying he’s received it.
“If you sit down and try to force an idea, you’re going to struggle to sell it”
What have you found most challenging about setting up Mindings?
Stuart Arnott speaks at the Cambridge Wireless Discovering StartUps 2011 (Photo: Alan Bennett)
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It really is about getting the relevant people on board. Last summer we talked to various hardware manufacturers about making a device for us. I’d go and show them my presentation and they’d say, ‘That’s great, how many people are using it?’ and I’d say, ‘My dad’. They’d tell me to come back when I had a few hundred people using it. But in order to get people using it I needed a device, to get a device I needed to get people using it. It was a chicken and egg situation. I’ve been funding the development of this and you do eventually reach a point when you need extra money.
What has been your most valuable business tool? I love Google docs. To be able to collaboratively write a document has been phenomenal, and the fact it’s free is mindblowing. Another thing would have to be Skype. We work with a team of developers in the Philippines. Years ago you’d have to write a word documents and email to a bunch of people and collate them all. But literally now you can have half a dozen people writing the same document simultaneously while you’re talking to them on Skype. How do you hope to develop the product further? The thing we want to focus on is the service; we want to connect more things to Mindings. We’re interested in connecting medical devices to Mindings because I think there’s a huge gap in the market for that. At the moment telecare products are for people who are very ill and are very expensive. But I think we could connect things like blood pressure readers to them and use it as a monitor for various alerts. Mindings will be rolled out from April onwards. To find out more about Stuart and Mindings visit mindings.com
The CV Name: Stuart Arnott Businesses: Mindings, Spark media production company and Form and Content Media Awards: Winner of Cambridge Wireless Discovering Startups 2011
Yes Pieminister
Jon Simon, Manager Director of Pieminister (right) with co-founder and chef Tristan Hogg (left)
UpStart talks to Jon Simon, co-founder of successful pie company Pieminister, to discover how he turned an idea into reality
I
n 2003, Pieminister was a small shop in a converted print works in Stokes Croft, Bristol. Fast-forward nine years: the company has seven shops nationwide, as well as 16 market stalls, and the Pieminister van which is a huge hit at summer festivals. Kate Moss, David Beckham and John Cleese are just a few of Pieminister’s celebrity fans. With delicious pies, a fun marketing strategy and a strong work ethos, Pieminister is a great example of a small idea turned into a successful reality. Co-founder of Pieminister, Jon Simon, first came up with the idea of a pie business while on a work placement year in Australia, where he came across pie and mash restaurant Harry’s Cafe de Wheels in Sydney. But it wasn’t until eight years later he felt the time was finally right and set up the business with co-founder and brother-in-law Tristan Hogg. On leaving university, where he studied Furniture and Product Design, and funded by his winnings from a national game show, Jon, at just 24-years-old and with no formal business experience at the time, set up a bar in Stockwell, South London. He quickly converted a rough local boozer into a trendy hot spot known for its great food, provided by chef Tristan. Following the success of the first pub, Jon opened a second
By Charlotte Kelloway and, after several successful years running these pubs, Jon and Tristan started to develop the pie shop idea. After pooling their savings, the pair created a business plan in March 2003. The first Pieminister shop opened in their home town of Bristol in December 2003. Tristan baked the pies while Jon looked after the shop and promoted the business. In 2004, the pair were invited to have the only pie stall at London’s Borough Market and the huge success of Pieminister spiralled from there.
Opportunities to expand
Although very pleased with the opportunities Pieminister has had to expand, Jon insists you must go out there and fight for success. He says, “These things never come to you. You’ve got to go out and get them. We were very much out there, banging on doors, seeing what opportunities there were and taking up every little one.” As well as market stalls and vans at over 30 summer festivals, Jon and Tristan also provide catering for weddings and corporate events. “We really do try and find a home wherever we
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can for our products. It’s been challenging as some things work better than others,” admits Jon, who says Pieminister has had bad as well as good months. Although Jon claims Pieminister wasn’t hugely affected by the recession, he admits, like many other businesses, its bottom line was impacted due to an increase in the price of ingredients, with the cost of some, such as flour and beef, going up by at least 40 or even 50%. Jon says, “The recession has had an impact on our bottom line because we don’t really want to put up the prices for our customers; we realise everyone’s struggling. So that’s been a bit of a challenge for us.” Despite the challenges running your own business presents, Jon claims he wouldn’t want to do anything else. “The best bit about having my own business is the unlimited supply of pies,” he jokes. On a more serious note he says, “Running your own business gives you flexibility. Your days are never the same, you’re always doing things and it means you get to guide the business in the way that you feel is right.”
Work ethos
One of the many things that has made Pieminister such a success is its strong work ethos, with Jon and Tristan developing the business around their personalities and beliefs. Not only do they support local farmers, use free range produce and only recyclable materials in their packaging, they also ensure their workers are happy. Pieminister has a relaxed work environment, with a giant cow painted on the wall of the main office and an allotment in the garden. The pair encourage and support their staff ’s ideas as well as hosting an annual barbeque and Pie Day Friday where everyone is given a pie for lunch and sits down together to eat. Pieminister has a strong workhard play-hard culture and describe their team as a sprawling family, like The Sopranos but without the politics and the gangsters.
“I’d love to introduce the Americans to some good old British pies at some point” Jon believes being happy and having a happy workforce is key to a successful business. He says, “The one thing we’re very protective over is making sure the business is an enjoyable place to work for us and everyone else. If we stop enjoying it then it’s going to become a difficult place for everyone to work; it’ll filter down.” As well as thoroughly enjoying working on Pieminister, Jon tries to spend as much time as he can with his two young children and wife Romany, travelling, surfing, snowboarding and cooking. Despite the growing success of Pieminister, it remains a family run business, with Jon and Tristan continuing to be very involved and hands on, personally overseeing the making of all the pies and other product extensions such as sausage rolls and mini pies (PieMINIsters). Jon has made sure he deals directly with all customer feedback and, through the use of social networks, the Pieminister team regularly invite customer suggestions on all areas of the business, from pie flavours to the design of the pie van.
“Running your own business gives you flexibility” They have also set up a VIPie club where members are invited to special tastings and receive newsletters and occasional freebies. The team hold frequent meetings with members of the VIPie group to receive feedback about the business and believe these sessions have been instrumental in developing ideas for new pie fillings, packaging and marketing campaigns.
20 | UpStart
The future for Pieminister looks promising. Jon and Tristan have recently released a recipe book, A Pie For All Seasons, and are hoping to open more shops nationally as well as expanding internationally. “I’d love to go and introduce the Americans to some good old British pies at some point,” laughs Jon, who is already in discussions to expand the Pieminister brand in Holland and Ireland. He says, “We want to carry on being very focused on the quality and the ethical stance of our business.”
Just do it
As well as pies, Jon also feels passionate about helping the startup community and believes there is plenty of support out there, especially from those who have already set up their own businesses. Jon is an enthusiastic ambassador for entrepreneurs and has advised many local start-ups as well as being a business mentor for the Prince’s Trust and a judge on the panel for The Pitch, the UK’s biggest small business competition. He says, “Other people who have started businesses are surprisingly open and keen to talk to other people who have started businesses and share skills because you never know where these relationships might end up.”
“These things never come to you.You’ve got to go out and get them. We were very much out there” For those who are thinking, or are in the process, of setting up their own business, Jon advises, “Do as much as you can as soon as you can. People can spend so much time pontificating about starting their business and actually all you need to do is start it.” He continues, “However small your business is when it starts, just start something rather than doing nothing or just talking about it. There’s no quicker way to learn than getting stuck into something. Just do it!”
Pieminister's Recipe for Success you’ve got an idea, don’t sit around talking 1Ifabout it, make sure you do something about it.
Look after your customers, listen to their feedback, 2 involve them in your decision making processes and use social media to engage them. Look after your staff and yourself. Make sure your 3 work space is an enjoyable place to be. The happier you and your staff are the more productive you will be. Stick to your values: make sure your business moves in 4 the direction you want it to go. Don’t lose sight of who you are and how you want to represent your business. fun! Be creative, be a bit crazy, try and think 5Have outside of the box.
For more inspirational success stories visit jomec.co.uk/upstart
CV: Jon Simon Business: Co-founder and managing director at Pieminister Awards: Pieminister has won numerous awards including gold medals at the Great Taste Awards, Good Egg Award, England’s Best Steak Pie Award, Baking Industry Awards, British Pie Awards Achievements: Founder and managing director of Circle Bars Limited; sales director, Business Mentor for the Prince’s Trust, Judge on the panel for The Pitch
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London will be in the spolight this summer when it stages the Olympic games
“I was in the right place at the right time”
M
atthew Parker began creating London Rent My House soon after London won the Olympic bid in 2005. Inspiration for the website came from reports predicting a housing shortage would be caused by the millions of visitors expected to flood into the city for the games. Opened to the public in December 2007, the website charges a one-off fee to London homeowners wanting to advertise their accommodation to visitors looking for a place to stay. What made you decide to set up London Rent My House? MP: I set it up four years ago mainly as a hobby but also, because I’m a web developer by trade, I wanted to do something that was challenging for myself. I’ve got a lot of friends in Sydney and, during the Sydney Olympics,
24 | UpStart
Matthew Parker capitalised on Olympics fever with a side project that has taken him down a new career path there was massive rental success. The initial idea was to put homeowners and visitors together for the Olympics and, because of the reported huge shortage of accommodation, the idea has caught on fast. At what point did you realise that you could keep the site running beyond the 2012 Olympics? MP: It was set up with the Olympics in mind originally but, in the last 12 months, homeowners have got in touch and asked if they could advertise for things like the Royal wedding. So I opened up the gates for that in March last year and the site was flooded. I’ve recently had homeowners ask about advertising for the Queen’s jubilee, so I’m going to open it up for that too. I think the good thing about the site is that the domain name is fairly generic; it’s not “Rent During the Games” or “London 2012”, it’s just London Rent My House. My aim, by the end of the
Olympics, is for the site to be THE London event private rental website. Has funding the startup of your business been difficult? MP: In terms of funding there are very little costs. The hosting fees are the main outgoing and I pay for the database but, apart from that, obviously I don’t pay developer fees because I can develop it all myself. It would be fantastic if I had a bit of a marketing budget for it because it could probably go to a whole new level. But I’ve got a few potential partnerships coming up which might change that a bit. You’ve recently partnered with Property Place. Has social media been important in the growth of your business? MP: It was in December that Property Place came along. I was sent an email asking me if I wanted to form a partnership, which would mean that if I provided data for their Property
Thousands flock to London for big events and need accommodation. Photo: Andy Matthews
The site is nearing completion
Place application, in return I would get exposure on it. Because I don’t have a big marketing budget, I’ve been looking at free ways to promote the business with things like Facebook, Twitter and Google+. For businesses like mine, which are funded very cheaply and especially online, social media is really valuable because it provides massive exposure if you use it correctly.
As your business is built around providing a service for special events, does it provide a steady source of income? MP: Obviously if there’s a big event coming up then that’s when things really pick up, but I’ve had a steady stream of income over the past three or four years. Last March, when the Royal wedding came along, I had a load of adverts, maybe 200 a month, and then things went quieter. This year, as soon as January 1 came, the website got smashed. I guess because the Olympic story is out there and always in the news, when 2012 came along all the homeowners thought ‘We want to have a piece of this’. I ended up getting about two million hits in January. What would you say has been the most important factor in the success of London Rent My House? MP: I would say most of all the initial idea. The success of a lot of websites is down to a unique
Inspiration for London Rent My House came from the Olympics
“The success of a lot of websites is down to a unique idea which catches people’s imaginations” idea which catches people’s imaginations. But I think what I’ve enjoyed most about doing this is that if I want to do something I can do it. I’ve had to pick books up, do a lot of Googling and looking at online forums to find out how to do things. But the best thing has been being comfortable doing things myself. For anyone who wants to run their own web business I think it pays to learn a bit of web coding and to be able to do it yourself. I think getting the word out and getting people talking about it has also been important. Fortunately, I think my site was the first to pop up and then the BBC picked up on it and did a story. So I think I was in the right place at the right time.
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toolbox
Which bank is best for you? As we all know, money doesn’t grow on trees. UpStart looks at what the biggest banks have to offer you and your startup
Natwest Barclays
Natwest offer a Startups package which provides: • • • • • •
2 years free business banking with a business current account £500 fee-free overdraft in the first year A business manager Free Regus Gold Card Membership worth £420 for 12 months Free unlimited transactions Free online, telephone and mobile banking
Barclays offer a Startup business account which provides numerous benefits including: • • •
Free business banking for up to 2 years Your own Barclays business manager Free consultations with an accountant, marketing professional and solicitor Free training packages on either time management, general IT, specialist IT and business management
They also offer a business startup course, natwest.com/business, which is divided into sections for those thinking about starting a business, those creating a new business or those wanting to grow their business.
•
A series of webinars are available in partnership with smarta.com where a panel of successful business people and entrepreneurs discuss issues relevant to small businesses.
Barclays also hold free Let’s Talk Business Ideas seminars giving you the opportunity to get expert advice about your business idea and how it can work (booking fee £40). A free downloadable startup guide and guide on writing a business plan are available from barclaysmicrosites.co.uk.
Lloyds TSB Lloyds TSB have a Business Startup Account which offers: • • • • •
18 months free banking Support from a relationship manager Free Sage Planning for Business software Free 90 day trial of Sage Startup, a day to day accounts package and up to 50% discount when you open a business account Free 90 day trial of Sage Instant Account used for bookkeeping
Lloyds TSB also offer free online banking for businesses. For more information visit lloydstsbbusiness.com
HSBC HSBC have a Business Current and Direct Accounts which offers: • • •
18 months free business banking 24/7 fee-free banking within transaction limits Free online support through their knowledge centre and business network
The HSBC website offers support on how to write a business plan. You can sign up for an email newsletter for tips and information on how to start your business at business.hsbc.co.uk
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For information on alternative funding options for your business, visit UpStart TV at www.jomec.co.uk/upstart
62% of users click a link on the first page of search results
Top Tips for SEO
Simple ways to make your website more visible Search engine optimisation (SEO) is about making your website more likely to be picked up by search engines and more likely to be viewed by your target audience. 58% of purchase decisions begin on search engines, according to GroupM, so being as high as possible on these results is important for all businesses to think about.
Meet Deri Reed,The Ethical Chef Deri has been running his Cardiff business for two years and regularly posts recipes, ideas, suppliers and developments to his blog. “It’s an active way of updating people, rather than having a static web page,” he says. “It’s clear that if I write something then my website hits triple. Blogging and the website is the only way that I advertise,” adds Deri. He says linking his blog with social media tools like Twitter keeps his homepage active and in turn keeps him ranking highly. In fact his SEO is so good that his recipe is first in a Google search for ‘vegan carrot cake’, which in the vegetarian food world makes him kind of a big deal.
1. Link and be linked to •
The more you link outside your site the more people are likely to link to you and increase traffic on your site.
•
Many blogs have trackbacks in their comments, so if you link to one of their posts, (hyperlinking is best)it may appear at the bottom of the post on their page and enable their readers to click back to your site.
2. Community involvement •
Any sector or interest group, no matter how niche it seems, has an online community. It is key to be discussed and linked to when engaging with the online community.
•
Joining Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook and starting a blog can help and adds a personal touch. Learn from Deri Reed ethicalchef.co.uk/blog
3.Think about what people search
4. Ensure your site easy to use
•
Websites like Google AdWords site can help you see what kinds of phrases and words people are searching around your topic area and how much competition there is.
•
There is nothing more frustrating than a site where you can’t find what you’re looking for. An easy to use website is more popular, people spend more time there, and it’s more likely to be linked to.
•
Include keywords and phrases on your home page and especially in your categories and tags. Deprioritise your business name as people are less likely to be searching this than the services or products you are offering.
•
Regularly updating your website with a range of content – including images, audio and video will make your website more exciting.
For more how tos and ways to build your brand visit us at www.jomec.co.uk/upstart
93% of all internet traffic comes from a search engine | 27
Go Green: how to create Being green doesn’t have to be a chore. Here are UpStart’s tips for capitalising on being more eco friendly Making steps towards a greener business is as much as about smaller changes as big ones. It can seem a daunting task but it’s better to do it sooner rather than later.
Being green is integral to Hollway Smith Noir
WASTE LESS This is one of the obvious things as it also saves money and increases efficiency. It’s also one of the easiest things to neglect. Even something as simple as going through your rubbish bin (not as gross as it sounds) can throw up areas where waste can be reduced. Buying, transporting and storing materials only to throw them away can be very disheartening and show where unnecessary packaging and materials are hiding.
LEARN from: Holloway Smith Noir Recycling and reusing things is one of the biggest ways to reduce on waste. Managing to make upcycled undies their thing, sisters Alice and Sophie, founders of Holloway Smith Noir, create limited edition lingerie inspired by burlesque. Alice Holloway-Smith says an easy first step to wasting less is setting up a recycling station in the workspace. Alice says being green is part of the value of what Holloway Smith Noir offers, “We’re selling a unique and good quality product to our customers so the material is part of the value of the product rather than a self righteous USP.”
CLEAN UP YOUR ENERGY Energy bills are massive these days so making savings is good all round.Your supplier may be able to supply you with an energy monitor but if not, they are easy to buy for £15-30. Watch out, this can get quite addictive; turning things on and off to see which appliances use the most energy is surprising fun. You can also save energy by improving insulation, and turning off and unplugging things when not in use. Taking advantage of natural light by reorganising your workspace can also save loads on lighting energy. Another option is finding a supplier that offers the cleanest, greenest supply.
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Ecotricity bill themselves as ‘the world’s first green electricity company’. Sutsu are a surf, skate and boarding clothing company who have switched to Ecotricity for their supply. Director Jon Wallhouse he says, “I wanted to have the most sustainable supplier I could. I chose Ecotricity because they did things like working together with businesses and seemed to be on the same wavelength as us.” He says the price of his supply didn’t change majorly from his previous supplier and that being green is important to the company, “We try and make everything we do carbon neutral at least, if not carbon positive, within reason,” he says.
£7,000
the amount the average small business could save if they improved their energy efficiency
a sustainable business BLOW YOUR OWN TRUMPET Publicise what you’ve been doing and get in contact with local regulatory agencies, many of which offer financial incentives to businesses that are getting greener. There are local and national awards ceremonies for all sizes of business and most have a category for green or sustainable businesses. Make being green another string to your bow, especially if it isn’t something unexpected from you sector. It can open up networking opportunities, and your customer base, which can in turn lead to more green ideas.
GwentCargo has the UK’s only purely electric logistics fleet
LEARN from:The Cooperative Group The Co-operative Group as a big supermarket business, is not something traditionally associated with sustainability and ethics.Yet the company won Green Business of the Year at the Green Business Awards in 2011, which it added it to a cabinet of ‘ethical’ accolades. Associated with Fairtrade, sustainability and community projects, The Co-operative know how to shout about their principles and continue to grow their market share as a result.
GREEN YOUR WHEELS Nearly all businesses, no matter how small require an element of travel. Is cycling or public transport a viable option? Maybe there is a way to save on delivery journeys through services like Shiply, which finds a driver already going the way of your product and saves money in the process. Using teleconferencing is another way of avoiding unnecessary journeys.
LEARN from: GnewtCargo Green Business of the Year at 2011’s Startups Awards, GnewtCargo, based in London, pride themselves in being the only UK company with a pure electric logistics fleet. Electric cars aren’t common just yet and Director and co-founder Sam Clarke says that is difficult, “If it was easy everybody would be doing it already.” Not everyone has a fleet of electronic vehicles on the drive, but Sam says that shouldn’t deter people from making changes. “The current climate means people are driven by cost not environmental concerns but never underestimate the power of your businesses’ environmental credentials. Furthermore environmental concerns will soon be environmental costs by penalising still further carbon emissions.”
For more tips on how to make your business green visit jomec.co.uk/upstart Surf and skate clothing company Sutsu rely on sustainable electricity
Turn over for UpStart’s pick of the best video conferencing services
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Keeping in touch: UpStart’s guide to conference calling
F
or small companies that regularly deal with clients over the phone, getting the right conference call package to suit your needs is crucial. Using a conference call service means you can get access to lowcost call rates and easily communicate with multiple contacts at the same time. As well as the price, you have to factor in how the service you use reflects on your business. What will potential customers think of you if they are constantly struggling with poor audio or video? With that in mind, UpStart brings you its top three recommendations for professional conference call services that won’t break the bank.
Top three conference call services
meetupcall The website is clean, pretty and to the point, and this sets the tone for meetupcall’s service as a whole. Its three pricing plans are easy to understand, and as two of them do not require a contract, there is no need to commit to draining price packages. The Select package is the most appealing – at 4p a minute per user the costs are more than competitive. Call recording comes as standard, audio quality is excellent, and if there is a problem their customer
service seems friendly and approachable. One drawback is that although the company prides itself on ease of use, the lack of more features means that there is little room to tailor their service to your specific business needs. Video conferencing is not currently available either.
recommends
meetupcall.com
Best for: simplicity and customer service But: lack of options to tailor to specific need
Skype Manager for Business Skype is the one service that almost everyone knows how to use; already the straightforward integration of video call services means that it is easy to hold a video conference. You can pay as you go by using the Skype credit service, but there is also a range of price packages available that work on monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription. However, because so many users are familiar with Skype as a personal
service, they may be unwilling to use it for business purposes. Some customers have complained that the personal contacts list on their own Skype account has been mixed with their business contacts.
skype.com/business
Best for: familiar service developed for business users But: confusing when used with personal Skype account
powwownow Powwownow’s easy setup means that you can use the service instantly after signing up. For businesses with specific needs, the Premium package offers great flexibility and personal support. However, this added customer care does not come cheap. Video conferencing is also available. Powwownow’s great advantage is that there are no bridging fees, which means that as the conference call chairperson, you don’t pay anything extra on top of the call charge. For
large numbers of participants, Powwownow’s value for money is unrivalled. Its website says that you only pay £2.58 for an hour’s conference with up to 30 participants. However, Powwownow does not currently offer a price plan between the basic service and the premium package. The company is developing their Plus package, which will hopefully fill the gap.
powwownow.com
Best for: low pay-as-you-go prices and no bridging But: still waiting for Plus package
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switch off PAGE TURNER
Karren Brady: Strong Woman - Ambition, Grit and a Great Pair of Heels Lord Sugar’s right hand woman proves she could give him a run for his money in her new book An inspirational story to say the least, But how did she manage to gain such Karren Brady’s first book documents her success is such a short amount of time? life as she moved her way up the business Through her own experiences, drive and career ladder at lightening speed. After ambition, Brady explains what you need to leaving school at 18 and joining the world succeed in business just like she has. This of work, Brady managed to become the book looks to inspire even the hardest youngest ever Managing Director of working businesswoman, or indeed man, Birmingham Football Club at just 23 years to that little bit harder to achieve Brady’s old, through sheer determination and good admirable working achievements. old-fashioned hard work. Now a household name, Brady puts her worldly and smart £10.99 (Harper Collins) advice to good use as one of Alan Sugar’s Available 23 March advisors on BBC 1’s hit show, The Apprentice.
COFFEE BREAK Itchy Feet app
What it is: a really simple music app, containing a brilliantly haphazard collection of music mixes and covers that will have you bopping around the train or your home office in no time. The app currently features eight different mixes from Itchy Feet’s house DJs. It is free and, unlike most music apps, won’t have you drowning in advertising. Instead, you’ll find just good clean dancing fun from one of the best alternative music promoters in the UK. Itchy Feet run alternative city club
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nights from St Andrews to Brighton, but recently they’ve been specialising in running private parties and events. As they say:, “Swing, Soul, Funk, Rhythm & Blues, Rock n Roll and Ska – at Itchy Feet parties, it’s all about the old.” Search ‘itchy feet’ on the App Store, or for more information, go to itchyfeetonline.co.uk
Bright Ideas: Office Lamps This month, UpStart shares its top pick of the best lamps to brighten up your desk
1.Teacups lamp Next, £50 Give your desk space a quirky twist with this cream teacup lamp which will make an interesting and creative addition to any office 2. Halo antique brass task lamp House of Fraser, £65 This contemporary lamp with a brass antique finish also has an adjustable head to help angle the light. 3.JANSYÖ work lamp Ikea, £9.99 This very reasonably priced futuristic silver lamp has an adjustable arm perfect for directing light and providing focus.
4. Neil Desk Touch Lamp John Lewis, £28 This sleek and chic black touch lamp has three lighting levels and would make welcome addition to any office space. 5. Anglepoise lamp John Lewis, £160 This top of the line, vibrant lamp comes in a variety of colours including pink, green and purple, guaranteed to bring style to any desk.
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Ben Allen
day to day
The founder of Big Blue Bike broke out of the office and onto the streets to launch his courier service. Speaking to UpStart, Ben reveals his hectic day-to-day schedule I get up around half six and get ready to go out. Me and my wife have just had a baby so the morning routine is a little bit different now. I try and get out of the house at about ten to eight to make our first collections at eight o’ clock. We’ll be collecting up until about twenty to nine and then the bike’s more or less full so we start dropping those items off. The first lot of clients are solicitors who need their mail early on in the day. We book clients in up to a few days in advance. By about half nine we’re finished dropping those things off and we start to get calls from our ad hoc clients. We regularly deliver for printers, other solicitors and design agencies but we also deliver more random things sometimes, like teeth or dental moulds.
Ben Allen with his Big Blue Bike
“It’s not nice to have to
We cover the whole of Cardiff because you have to do it but I think you have be seen to go out to all of these places, but we do suffer a to sacrifice a some of your little bit from some businesses being way out in Coryton or nearer Newport.You’ve got this small centre and then personal and family time to these long distances in Cardiff, which makes it a bit of a push the business forward” pain for us. Ninety percent of our business is in the city, within a mile or two. I end up doing around 60 or 70 miles a day on the bike; it’s very easy to clock up the miles. Our ad hoc work take us up to about four o’ clock and then we do our reverse collection and delivery of the post. It took a bit of time to get used to being outside in all weathers but it’s much better than being in an office. I did that for three or four years and it just wasn’t for me. Deliveries finish at about five, buthere is the opportunity to extend those hours so it’s not so constrained that I’m rushing to do everything. Things are at a nice pace because I don’t want to be putting myself under too much pressure. There is the opportunity to grow the business and offer later or earlier delivery time. When I get home I do all the admin, all the billing of clients, chasing up emails and make sure I’m up to date with all the things going on in the city, since we deal mostly with local businesses. We work out new offers and and the financial implications of those and then we plan for the future. It’s not nice to have to do it but I think you have to sacrifice a some of your personal and family time to push the business forward. I think it’s a good way to streamline your work so you don’t spend too much time doing it.
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Oxford Sleep Cotswold Lodge Hotel For something a little more upmarket, this fourstar hotel, north of the city centre, has its own restaurant with a menu of British and continental classics and a bar menu for more low-key meals. Room only prices start from £110 a night.
Eat Greens A lovely laid back café ten minutes walk from the train station. Greens has free WiFi and a menu sourced with local, organic and Fairtrade ingredients. greenscafeoxford.co.uk
Work
Play
WoCowork A coworking space with desk space, free Wi-Fi and hot drinks. Its coworking community includes people from a variety of sectors. Easy to get to and reasonably priced at £15 per day plus VAT.
Christ Church College Oxford University’s largest college boasts its very own Meadow perfect for relaxing with a picnic on a summer’s day, or for a brisk walk when it’s not so warm.
Oxford Centre for Innovation The Virtual Office option offers a hotdesk facility close to the city centre. From £99.50 a month, it includes a direct telephone number and 40 hours of private office access per month.
Ashmolean Museum There are countless grand buildings in Oxford but the Ashmolean, with its yellow brickwork and dignified pillars, is one of the best. The Museum of Art and Archaeology’s extravagant interior combines history with stylish modern design.
chch.ox.ac.uk
whiteoctober.co.uk
cotswoldlodgehotel.co.uk
Victoria House Hotel This plain, no frills accommodation is located near bars and restaurants and Oxford’s trendier hangouts on the lively George Street. Single rooms are £70 a night and include a full English breakfast. victoriahouse-hotel.co.uk
FREVD Housed in a beautiful 19th-century Greek Revival Church, FREVD serves freshly made pizzas and cocktails with occasional live music and DJs. Sit out on the terrace in summer and relax for the evening. freud.eu
ocfi.co.uk
ashmolean.org