PRIME business club

Angela Ricards, Purely Bowen

Angela, 55, is a qualified Bowen massage therapist treating horses, dogs and people to help them with pain relief. She discovered the Bowen Technique as a client, having chronic pain issues herself following a car accident. 

“It wasn’t a light bulb moment, more a growing awareness that this was possibly the way forward to work for myself”, says Angela. The Bowen Technique is a gentle, holistic and non-invasive therapy that promotes healing and pain relief.

Angela was unemployed when she contacted PRIME for help with setting up her business. But she’d already been studying for the professional qualifications needed to become a Bowen therapist while in work – selling homes then working for a major charity. “My working life in the past was a means to an end, to support my greatest love - horses”, says Angela.

Angela read an article about PRIME and decided to get in contact. PRIME told her about the ‘Test Trading’ Scheme, a scheme run by Jobcentre at the time to help people on Jobseekers allowance start-up their own businesses whilst still receiving their benefits until the business was making enough money to fully support the individual. Angela went back to Jobcentre and asked to be put on the scheme. She was assigned a senior advisor specialising in self-employment, who fast-tracked her on to the scheme. She was appointed a mentor who visited her every two weeks to ensure she had a business plan, advise her on marketing and ensure that she still received her benefits.

“I had never written a business plan before. From information on the PRIME Website and other sources of online help and support from my mentor, I managed to complete a Plan, which I still refer to now.”

Angela’s practice, Purely Bowen, continues to grow. She now has a website, www.purelybowen.co.uk.The unique selling point of the business is she is qualified to treat people, dogs and horses. There are less than twenty Bowen therapists in the whole UK qualified in all three modalities. She regularly keeps up to date with current information and developments in human, dog and horse health and attends seminars, training sessions and workshops.

“My advice to other potential Olderpreneurs is, don’t give up,  keep your focus and be prepared to find doors opening for you that you had never known to exist”.

 “Had it not been for PRIME’s help, I would not be the happy Olderpreneur that I am now. The written information pack was great - really made me feel supported, and I used the website many times.”

Bob Rawal, 57, contacted PRIME in April 2010 and was sent a free start-up pack. Later that month he went onto apply for a Zopa-PRIME Olderpreneur loan.

Bob decided to start up his own business after being made redundant twice in three years. Up until this point he had spent 35 years in the medical needle packaging industry. A number of those years were spent working for one company as a production director, responsible for 200 employees, overseeing the shop floor operations for packaging. In November 2009 Bob got made redundant for the second time and had to sign on to Jobseekers Allowance. “I got really down and disheartened at this point and felt like I was being treated as a number”.

Not wanting to be out of work for long he joined an agency and took on some temporary assignments. After the agency took its fee he was getting minimum wage (£5.85 per hour). This was not enough to live on. Bob had a small amount of redundancy money which he was using to pay the bills.

Bob decided he was going to start-up a business in an area in which he had over 35 years experience - packaging. His brother gave him some packaging equipment. But he did not have enough money to cover the start-up costs. He knew in the current recession the banks were not likely to lend to him. After searching the internet Bob came across PRIME’s website and immediately requested a free business start-up pack. Within three days the pack arrived in the post and he read all about the Zopa-PRIME Olderpreneur loan and decided to apply. After going through the application process with PRIME’s Loan Manager and providing a strong business plan, Bob got a loan of £3,500 with an interest rate of 8%. He also put what was left of his redundancy money, £1,600, towards starting up. 

Bob says “Without the help and guidance of the PRIME Loans Manager I would have found it very difficult to start the business up. She always kept in contact and chased me up on things I needed to do.”

Bob started up Bell Court Packaging Solutions in April 2010. The unique selling point of the business is offering a mobile packaging service where he will go to a company’s premises and pack onsite. Blister packing, skin packing and hand packing are some of the in-house services offered.  He also advises clients about the most cost-effective and environmentally-friendly ways to pack their goods.

Bob is continuing to get regular bookings coming in. “It’s hard work but I am really enjoying working for myself.”, he says. “The one piece of advice I would give to someone thinking about starting their own business is to keep your chin up and always take care of your finances”

PRIME’s innovative loan scheme with Zopa is made possible by a generous donation from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. Under the scheme ordinary members of the public lend directly to borrowers who have been pre-approved by PRIME and Zopa. To find out more go to our loans page.

Contact

Bob Rawal

Bell Court Packaging Solutions

bob.rawal@gmail.com

07722920305

Phil Butler, PJ Butler Sales and Marketing Ltd

Phil Butler 59, had spent 30 years working for various large companies in senior sales and marketing positions. He’d been responsible for negotiating and looking after major contracts in a long and varied career.

He wanted to use his 30 years of experience to do something different but was not sure which direction to go in. 18 months ago Phil decided to start-up his own business. The plan was to focus on his main area of expertise and knowledge and offer an outsource service in sales and marketing to the small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).  

Being a small business himself means Phil can be flexible and tailor his services to the specific requirements of his customers. He can do jobs that last a few weeks, or work with a business over several months. He can do anything from telemarketing to senior-level sales or marketing consultancy. The flexibility, variety and freedom that this way of working brings not only works for Phil commercially, but is also one of the rewards of being a one-man-band.

Phil was helped by his local Business Link in Wolverhampton. They suggested he contact PRIME. He visited www.primebusinessclub.com and booked onto one of our free events in the Black Country, funded by Microsoft. Phil had one-to-one sessions with PRIME which he found extremely useful.

“PRIME was very supportive and helped give me the confidence in what I was doing”, says Phil. “They were very on-the-ball and responsive, and also gave me loads of useful information and pointers to help build up the necessary contacts when starting out.” 

“I have felt a bit disappointed by a lot of the organisations I had approached for help. PRIME was not like that at all - they always got back to me and kept in touch.”

Phil’s unique selling point is his 30 years of experience. He completes all the jobs himself, as opposed to passing them onto a generic call centre or telemarketing company. He is offering a specialist service where he uses his expertise to engage with customers and deliver a more thorough and targeted result.

The next step for Phil is setting up his company website, which he hopes will become one of his main marketing tools. He is continuing to win more contracts.  

Contact details

Email: pjb.sales@btconnect.com

Tel: 01902 662 438

If you’ve started your own business or have become self-employed after the age of 50, here’s a chance to get some free publicity. We’d like to hear from you. We’re looking for stories to put up on the case-studies section of this web site.

There are two ways of entering. If you use Microsoft Word just download this form (in Word 2003 doc format), fill in some details and email it back to us at primebusinessclub@gmail.com

Or if you prefer you can fill in the form immediately here online. You don’t need to fill in every field in great detail - just enough to give us the gist of what you are doing. We’ll also email you a link so you can return to your online form later and alter or add details should you want to.

You story could inspire others - and also warn them of pitfalls to avoid along the way. And it could also drive traffic to your web site, from both customers and journalists looking for stories. We’ll link to your web site from any case studies we write up.

Ideally your business needs to have got to the stage where it has started trading and have enough customers on board to say something about how things are going. We are interested in businesses up to about two years old - but older is acceptable if you can still remember lessons learned from your the early days of your venture.

We don’t guarantee we’ll put every business submitted up. We’ll contact you to go through your story if it’s suitable. Since we are not sure how many great stories we will receive at the moment we can’t promise to respond to everybody.

When PA, Sharon Lawrence, was made redundant at 50, she decided to go it alone and set up her own business as a virtual personal assistant (VPA). Flying Changes PA offers independent secretarial support for £19 - £23 an hour. Sharon says, ‘The more you stick at it, the better it gets. I would never go back.’

Sharon, now 53, worked as a Personal Assistant at a large corporate company. After four years, Sharon was made redundant at the age of 50. She says ‘My boss came and told me he wanted to retire and play more golf. No one thought about me at all.’ Not wanting to go through the stress of being back on the job market at 50, Sharon decided to set up her own business.

Her main duties as VPA include producing documents, audio typing, and a telephone and e-mail correspondence service. The majority of clients are small businesses, sole traders and entrepreneurs, but she also helps larger organisations who need assistance with a backlog of administration to get through and a deadline to meet. Recently Sharon has taken on work from HM Prison Service and Social Services. Sharon says, ‘I have transcribed some digital recordings of interviews between prisoners and their mentors and often produce reports in preparation for court. Some of them are quite harrowing, but it is much more rewarding than corporate work and my aim is to take on more work within the social sector.’

Starting out

In October 2006, Sharon registered as a sole trader. The name and logo of Flying Changes PA are a nod in the direction of dressage, which Sharon used to take part in; a ‘flying change’ is a dressage movement. In her youth, Sharon took part in the competitive arena and says, ‘to be a good horsewoman, I needed to be patient, dedicated and impeccably focussed; coincidentally, all the qualities of being a good VPA.’

Sharon took a free, three-day small business course with Inbiz to get some support starting up and says: ‘They walked us through the basics - how to do your accounts, get a business logo and name, register with companies house and a multitude of other hugely important information for someone just starting out in business. It was incredibly useful.’ You can find out about other Inbiz courses at www.inbiz.co.uk

There was no business funding available in Wigan, so Sharon started from scratch. She began by doing favours for friends for free, who later became clients. Sharon says ‘It was difficult finding a balance of how many freebies to give out. You have to be careful not to get walked over.’

Marketing

Having an Internet presence is one of Sharon’s key tips for being successful. It is especially necessary for a virtual assistant, as a large percentage of communication is web based. Sharon used www.streamline.net to build her website. She says ‘It is under £100 for a year and walks you through the basic stages.’

When starting out, Sharon made a marketing mistake by forking out £400 for an advert in a magazine. She says, ‘A company approached me via the Chamber of Commerce, so I immediately trusted them. I was not sure if I could afford the advert, but was told I could cancel at any point and be refunded. When I did decide to cancel, I found that my less than honest salesman had left the company and I just had to pay the money; it was a hard lesson.’ Now Sharon markets via networking and word of mouth, which is much more cost effective. If she does place an advert, Sharon makes sure that all promises are agreed in writing.

Networking

Sharon joined Business Network International (BNI). But after paying for an expensive membership and a breakfast at every meeting, Sharon estimates the cost being around £1100-1200 annually. She says I did a lot of work to help the group but got very little in return.’

To get round the expense of networking, Sharon and a group of other business owners set up their own group, ‘Just Networking’. It costs just £50 a year, and goes towards equipment for the group. The group meets every Wednesday morning and after just two months Sharon already feels it is more productive than other networking groups. She says ‘I have already had a good deal of business interest from the group and I know I can refer other members with confidence.’

Wigan Borough Business Club hold a free networking session once a month. The event includes presentations and refreshments and brings in 20-100 networkers. Sharon says that her increase of networking in the last eight weeks has brought in three new clients.

Problems

Sharon became so dedicated, that she got into an unhealthy habit of missing lunch. ‘I would check my emails at 7am and before I knew it, it was 3pm and I hadn’t even had a cup of tea!’ Sharon explains. The problem got serious and she was taken into hospital with severe stomach pains. There was no permanent damage, but Sharon resolved to look after herself. She says ‘I make sure I eat lunch before 3pm, and force myself to have breaks and wind down. You have to look after your health.’

Future

Three years after setting up, Sharon has got a good selection of regular clients. She says, ‘In two more years I’ll be really comfortable. But I’m happy now and would highly recommend being self-employed..

Contact

Sharon Lawrence
Flying ChangesPA
Mobile: 07821288055
Email: sharon@flyingchangespa.co.uk
Web: www.flyingchangespa.co.uk  

Olderpreneur Suzy Kilgour, 53 has become a specialist fitness instructor, after seven years in the charity sector.

Suzy Kilgour runs Walking Workouts - a fitness business specialising in power walking and low impact body conditioning. Group sessions take place on Clapham Common and cost £14 an hour. Personal training comes in at £40 an hour, and is tailored to the client’s needs. Suzy says, ‘we workout in the fresh air, so you escape the gym and absorb more vitamin D!’

Walking Workouts was launched in 2007 when Suzy was 51. ‘I got into the fitness industry by accident, when I was invited to join the Fit for a Princess team in 2006′ says Suzy. ‘It was completely out of the blue.’ Suzy trained as a fitness instructor, and Walking Workouts was born the following year when Suzy thought of the idea while out power walking on Clapham Common.

One essential tool to Suzy’s power walking business, are her Masai Barefoot Technology shoes. Suzy describes her MBTs as ‘those rather-strange looking shoes that have been designed to improve your posture and gait, and activate neglected leg and buttock muscles.’ The shoes have their own ‘walking technique’, which is meant to reduce stress on knee and hip joints. Suzy found that power walking in her own MBTs improved her knee and back problems and changed her body shape. She says ‘I wanted to help others to improve their own health and fitness.’

Starting out

‘I didn’t want to take any business away from Fit for a Princess, so I started completely from scratch.’ Says Suzy. ‘I did some leafleting, and put up notices in the local shops and cafes.’

Suzy approached female fitness clothing and equipment store Sweaty Betty, to start an MBT Walking Club as a free service for their customers. This introduced her to potential clients and gave the business good exposure on the Sweaty Betty store and website. Suzy also introduced the Walking Workouts business concept to her GP practice and to local physiotherapists.

Another tactic was to write press releases, and send them out to local media. Suzy is always updating her releases, which enables her to send them out regularly. Contacting local or national media is a great way to create publicity, and is absolutely free to do. Make sure you include all your contact details and try to have photographs available to send on request.

Qualifications

In 2006 Suzy took her Central YMCA Qualification (CYQ) Level 2 in ‘Fitness Instructing’ (Exercise to Music).

In 2007 Suzy took Level 3 FitPro Advanced Instructor Modules in ‘Training in Different Environments’, ‘Advanced Resistance Training’ and ‘Exercise Prescription for Fat Loss and Fitness’. Suzy also gained a CYQ and Leki certificate in ‘Nordic Walking’.

The qualifications give Suzy accreditation as a professional fitness instructor, and give her a variety of styles to use in her classes.

Age is no barrier

Suzy’s mantra is ‘50 is the new 30.’ Suzy passed her fitness qualifications at 50, and leads an extremely active lifestyle.

‘When I was approached by Fit for a Princess’ says Suzy, ‘I said “You do know I’m 50, don’t you?” But it wasn’t a problem, and I haven’t looked back since.’ Age is certainly not a problem for Suzy’s clients, who can range from 30 - 88 years old.

Skill Voids

When Suzy first became self-employed in 1990, she had never used a computer. Suzy taught herself the basics, and gained experience as a freelance travel writer and marketing consultant. But running a business demanded a bit more.

Suzy used Mr Site (www.mrsite.co.uk) to create her basic website. You choose a package - £20-£100 depending on how much you want on your template. Then you select the style, number of pages, and edit the content. Visit www.primebusinessclub.co.uk for a Mr. Site discount. Suzy brought a local web designer on board, to personalise the site to her own specifications.

Most libraries offer free computer courses for the over 50s. If not, contact your local council, who will be aware of support in your area.

Bookkeeping and accounts were a worry for Suzy, so she employed an accountant. Hiring in a professional is one way of covering your weak points. If you have a small budget, you can offer to trade one of your own services instead of cash. Or you can employ someone on a temporary basis, and learn from them, so you can take over when they leave.

Business Support

Suzy took part in the free Enterprise on Track course, run by London Metropolitan University. ‘It was useful in lots of ways’ Explains Suzy. ‘I found a peer mentor group which has been a great support. Running a business can be very isolating. I would definitely recommend finding someone to mentor you as soon as possible.’

The course made Suzy think about what she wanted out of her business. ‘To make it fly, I would have to put all of my time and passion into it. It would have to be my ultimate dream’ says Suzy. ‘But in the end, other things were more important, and I decided to cut back on the business and spend more time with family.’

The decision to go part time means Suzy has a lot more freedom. She now runs just one group class per week, and takes on more private work, which is flexible. Suzy is financially stable enough to not need her business income for survival. So Walking Workouts is a ‘hobby-business’ that keeps Suzy active, and brings in some extra cash.
Contact
Suzy Kilgour
Walking Workouts
Tel: 0207 585 1344
Mob: 07980 650 951
Email: info@walkingworkouts.co.uk
Web: www.walkingworkouts.com  
Hilary Farnworth
Manager, Centre for Micro Enterprise
London Metropolitan University
Business School, Room 1-11
84 Moorgate
London, EC2M 6SQ
Tel: 020 7320 1573
Email: hilary.farnworth@londonmet.ac.uk
Web: www.londonmet.ac.uk

A group of crafty over 50s have proved that four heads are better than one, by setting up creative resource website www.makeitandmendit.com. Clare Flynn, Clare O’Brien, Anne Caborn, and Hillary Bruffell joined forces in January 2009, and have since established a strong following of almost 2,500 people on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter.‘The business is all about living sustainably and creatively by making things and mending them instead of buying and binning’ says Londoner Clare Flynn. The website is a collection of stories, resources and forums. You can learn how to make chocolate cookies, renovate bathroom tiles, knit a bag or go rubbish skip surfing (looking for gems to recycle.)

Flynn explains, ‘we want to pass on the skills we learnt when we were young - knitting, sewing, making jam. Today’s generation watch TV and go drinking, but these things do not relieve stress or give you a sense of achievement.’

‘Make it and Mend it’ earn their money via advertising and affiliate sales. They sell other companies’ goods and receive a percentage of the purchase cost. Clare Flynn says: ‘At first we measured our income by its equivalence in Primark shoes, but then the money started to come in.’ The recession has meant that reusing, recycling, and ‘make do and mend’ has got a lot more popular in the news and media.

Clare O’Brien says ‘I remember waking up at 6am to the voice of John Humphreys on Radio 4. He was about to do a feature on wartime slogan ‘make do and mend’. I jumped out of bed thinking “Not without a comment from me, you’re not!” Clare Flynn posted a comment on the Radio 4 website forum with a link to makeitandmendit.com. That day we received a huge surge of traffic and sign-ups.’

Starting up

‘Make it and Mend it’ came to life when the four friends were having lunch. The conversation turned to all the remarkable things that could be made with a little guidance. The ladies then decided to make some money out of the idea.

The four set themselves up as a private limited company. This means that the company has a different legal identity to that of the owners, unlike a sole trader or a partnership where there is no distinction. In this case the four businesswomen each own 25% of the business.

‘Make it and Mend it’ set up their first website for less than £100. ‘We pushed it as far as it would go,’ says Flynn ‘but we looked about as good as any other blog’. In July 2009 the team wrote a brief and gave it to four website designers to pitch. The ladies bought the current website from D3R for £7,500. ‘We liked the people, their work, and the fact that they stood up to us and put in their own ideas.’ Flynn explains. ‘As soon as it went up, people began to take us seriously. It was definitely worth it.’

Business support and networking

Clare Flynn attended a Business Link exhibition at the Business Design Centre in London. She saw two useful presentations, which covered sources of funding, and how to tender contracts for the Olympics. The group are now discussing both of these subjects as options for the future.

Flynn also registered with PRIME and was sent a free self-employment pack: ‘It was useful knowing all the bureaucratic legislation and what we need to apply for’.

Online resources have proved invaluable. Problogger.com runs a free program called ‘31 days to build a better blog’, which provides hints and tips to writing web content, while www.thirtydaychallenge.com teaches how to discover and exploit a niche market by finding keywords, monetising, and getting traffic to your website.

All four women are experienced networkers, and are comfortable in a crowd. Anne has a journalist background and runs a business in website content management with Clare O’Brien. Clare Flynn has 30 years experience in marketing, and Hilary runs a media production business. The ladies have a lot of knowledge, and a lot of contacts to further the business.

One tactic is to invite people round for lunch, and then quiz them for ideas. Another is to strike up individual conversations on Twitter.

Flynn explains ‘Hilary will say, “I have some crab apples, what should I do with them?” Recipes and suggestions will flood in, and Hilary will end up getting an article out of it. Plus the talk means that traffic is brought to the website.’

Problems

None of the ladies have skills in finance or technology. The team makes up for the former by hiring an accountant. Up until now ‘Make it and Mend it’ have used affiliate networks, and learnt the basics to manage the technical side of the business. But the team are now considering taking on an apprentice from www.enternships.com. Like interns, enterns offer their services for free while gaining entrepreneurial experience.

Another problem is time. Anne says, ‘the most difficult moments are when you run yourself in - when you find yourself working at 2am.’

Communication

The group know that communication is paramount. They meet every fortnight over lunch, and meet in pairs every week. They also talk daily on free video conferencing system Skype. There can be disagreements, but the group always confront them and talk them through.

Anne says, ‘It is frustrating when you can’t carry out all your ideas. But most of it is terribly upbeat. We are like The Beatles with knitting needles!’

Contact

Make it and Mend it
Clare Flynn: 0208 582 5372
Email: info@makeitandmendit.com
Website: www.makeitandmendit.com

After 30 years in finance and leasing, 58-year-old Robert White has started a new trade as a domestic energy assessor.

West Bromwich man Bob spent 30 years in finance and leasing, as sales manager, business development manager, and managing director. With the recession the market declined, and Bob found himself made redundant three times in three years. ‘I didn’t want to rely on others for my employment, and I didn’t want to be made to retire while I was still fit for work’ explains Bob. ‘Self employment was a way to take control.’

Bob’s business IDEAL (Independent Domestic Energy Assessors for your Location) provides EPCs (Energy Performance Certificates) and HIPs (Home Information Packs) for the Greater West Midlands area. IDEAL serves local estate and letting agents, housing associations, local authorities, private landlords and solicitor and conveyancing agents, as well as assisting private individuals who wish to get certificates or advice before making home improvements.

Bob says ‘since the 1st October 2008 regulation has changed to state that all properties must have an EPC.’ The certificate grades the building’s efficiency from A-G, showing how this could be improved after recommended modifications. Bob’s services cost around £60 for an EPC, and £250 - £350 for a full HIP’s pack.

Starting up

Bob researched several business ideas including energy assessment, franchising a travel agency, and finding cost reductions for businesses. Bob chose energy assessment because start-up costs were cheaper, and because the training college in Reading, The Energy Assessor College promised immediate work after qualifications had been obtained. This promise never materialised, and Bob has learnt to be wary of small print.

In March 2008, Bob attended a PRIME self-employment workshop. The event included where to go for local support, the basics about starting up, and a networking session. Bob says:

‘It was good meeting like minded people - finding out where they went wrong, and where they went right. We heard one couple talk about their curtain business, and it was interesting hearing about how they did their marketing.’

Business Link provided useful advice about how to manage cashflow and business costs. They provided a cashflow template, and gave Bob some contacts to ring about setting up a website.

Training

In February 2008, Bob did a Diploma in Energy Assessment costing £4,000. Bob studied for about six months, and covered five modules. Exams were taken at the end of each module, and Bob had to talk a lot of friends and family into offering their house up for a practice survey.

After passing his Diploma, Bob became accredited with the National Home Energy Rating scheme (NHER). The accreditation proves that IDEAL meets quality control standards, and allows him to trade legally. Bob pays an annual subscription of £250 plus VAT to be a member of the NHER. Bob’s contact details, website, and services are listed on the NHER site, and can be searched for via postcode.

Marketing

Bob’s main marketing tool is his website. He stumbled upon printing.com while researching local printers. Bob found that the company friendly and keen, and took up the offer of an all-in-one service. Bob says ‘I wanted a professional website to give me a presence. I spent about £1000 and got the website, leaflets, letterheads, compliment slips, business cards, and logo included in the package.’

Bob decided against newspaper advertising after realising it was expensive, and not used by others in the industry. Instead Bob got the word around by knocking on doors and introducing himself:

‘I went to estate agents and letting agents and gave them a business card and flyer. Whether they were interested or not, they all asked for a price.’

Bob’s tip is:

‘Never quote a price. Say “Can I come and see you?” That way, you can understand what the client needs, explain how you will deliver it, and negotiate a good price.’

Age is no barrier

Bob claims that age does not need to hinder, but can instead, be used as a sales tool. Bob is convinced that he got his first deal with a letting agent by emphasising his years and experience, and assuring his client that he would be respectful and professional.

Expanding

A year after starting IDEAL, Bob is looking for ways to expand. One idea is to become a sales agent for renewable energy products, such as wind turbines and solar panels:

‘The changing climate means that these products are already being recommended by the government. It is only a matter of time before they are compulsory’.

Contact

Bob White
IDEAL
64 Europa Avenue
West Bromwich
West Midlands
B70 6TU
Tel: 01215531770
Mob: 07950 786282
Email: robert@idealenergyassessors.co.uk
Web: www.idealenergyassessors.co.uk

Cousins Jackie Hatton, 52 and Denise Lever, 50 have set up a gift shop in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire. The shop offers affordable country lifestyle gifts, which can be anything from handmade soap to second hand furniture. Taking it in turns to man the counter, Denise and Jackie each enjoy a three-four day week, and split the profits of a full time business.

Manchester-based Jackie and Denise were selling at markets and trade fairs, when they realised they could open a gift shop for almost the same amount of expenditure. The shop opened in May 2009, and the ladies are now making profit and making themselves known to the Hebden Bridge community.

Starting Out

The cousins did some research a gift fair in Harrogate. They saw what was on the market, and what was selling, and the cousins began to get a picture of the stock they wanted to invest in. It was then a case of buying a small selection of products, and testing them out at trade fairs and markets.

The two complemented each other. Denise was the creative one out of the two, and made cushions and tablecloths to sell. She had worked in a gift shop before, and was always suggesting new ideas. Jackie dealt with the accounts, and made sure the ideas were realistic, before anything went ahead.

The cousins also differed in taste. ‘Denise will go for pink and fluffy, whereas I like anything with a cockerel on it!’ Says Jackie. The cousins have to get each other to agree to stock before ordering it in, which means nothing is bought on a whim, and there is little that does not sell.

Business Support

The cousins attended a Business Link workshop, but found the information too general. The help also seemed to be aimed at bigger businesses, as Jackie and Denise discovered they could not get a loan or grant unless their business could generate jobs. However, the networking session was helpful, and the two did take advantage of a free hour consultation with Business Link later on. Jackie says ‘The business advisor suggested the shop, but it was too expensive. Over time it became more realistic, and Denise gradually convinced me to do it.’

Jackie also signed up with PRIME, who sent her a free information pack. She says ‘It was reassuring to know there were support networks out there. I know we can contact them if we have any problems.’

Finding a premises

Jackie and Denise decided to rent, as this was cheaper and had fewer obligations, should the business fail. Jackie found a place on the Internet with reasonable rates, and the cousins looked into securing it. Unfortunately the premises was taken, but this gave Denise a kick to find something else. Finally Denise found an empty shop but Jackie believed the rent was too high. The cousins broke down the cost that they would incur when running the market stall, and realised the shop rent, at £11,000 per annum would not be much more. If things did not work out, there was a two-year clause where the ladies could negotiate. By selling the stock and working for a short period of time, the ladies would have a safety net to fall back on.

As the cousins could not attain funding to start the business, they had to improvise. ‘I had money saved some money for my son’s 21st birthday, so I’ve got a year to get that back!’ Says Jackie. ‘Denise had some savings as well, and my husband helped by making some cabinets and doing the painting.’ Jackie also negotiated a three-month rent-free period with the landlord. This meant that they had some extra time to get customers in and earn some cash.

Marketing and advertising

In May 2009 the cousins had a Grand Opening to encourage people to the shop. They gave out free cake and wine, and invited lots of family to make the shop look busy. The event created some chatter around the community, so the cousins are repeating the tactic this Christmas. The shop will stay open late while the Christmas lights are turned on and the festive drink Pimms is handed round.

Most of the cousins’ marketing comes from word of mouth. Jackie is naturally social, and cannot help but get to know the community. She has introduced herself to the neighbourhood shops, and spends time getting to know the customers. ‘Denise and I feel it is even more important to get to know the community, because neither of us live here.’ Says Jackie. The cousins have joined the local business association, which gives them the opportunity to network with other businesses in the area.

Not long after opening, the Halifax Courier did an article on the shop. This created a lot of publicity, gave the shop a good review, and was free of charge. The success of the piece encouraged the cousins to utilise other papers. The women advertise weekly in the local paper for £25. Jackie says ‘Every other business in the village is in it, so we thought we better be in it to!’ The cousins also spent £270 to appear in Yorkshire Life’s shopping guide, and £450 for six months advertising on the ticket sleeves of the local theatre. Although expensive, the advertising is well targeted. According to the website, Yorkshire Life is ‘aimed at those who aspire to a high standard of living.’ This description also fits the average theatregoer, and is the market audience of Country Cousins Lifestyle.

Just a few months after opening, the cousins are making profit. The next step is to get to website and blog to keep people in touch with Country Cousin Lifestyle news, and enable customers to buy online.

Denise and Jackie will be speaking about their business at the PRIME Olderpreneur Roadshow in Manchester on 9th December 2009. Click here to book your free place.

Contact
Jackie Hatton and Denise Lever
Country Cousins Lifestyle
21A West End
Hebden Bridge
West Yorkshire
HX7 8UQ
Tel: 01422 846317
Email: countrycousins@live.co.uk

Fifty six year old Janet Wilks is earning £30,000 a year after starting a business in Belief Therapy.

Janet, who lives in Leeds, helps people dismantle conscious and unconscious limiting beliefs, so that they can live a fuller life. Janet specialises in confidence building, personal development, and new businesses. Janet sees seven to ten people a month, enabling her to live comfortably and still have some free time for herself. She says ‘the key was knowing what I wanted to do, and persisting until it happened’.

Janet retired from her Manager Coach position at British Gas in June 2008. Her father was ill, and Janet wanted to go and look after him. By October he had recovered, and Janet was uncomfortable being the ‘lady of leisure’ her friends expected her to be. She began gathering business ideas.

Research

Janet approached PRIME and was sent a free pack on self-employment. The pack included a directory of local business support, and guides to Ideas for Business, Finance, and Working for Yourself. Janet says:

It was inspirational. The Working for Yourself booklet told me everything I needed to know in plain English. It gave me a bit of a kick, and I thought ‘I WILL do this.

Janet knuckled down and contacted everyone she could think of. She spoke to Business Link, where an advisor helped her brainstorm some ideas. At the time Janet was considering a social enterprise, but Business Link advised against this, and instead recommended a list of enterprise community centres that specialised in belief coaching.

Janet researched online and found out about Sharing the Success; a project run by Leeds Local Enterprise Initiative to put government funding into new and existing businesses in Leeds. Janet investigated the scheme and arranged some voluntary work for herself at Harehills and Beeston community centres. She continued to network and discuss her ideas at these placements, and when lecturing at other voluntary events.

Hedpop

Another venture was becoming a guest speaker at Hedpop, who specialise in business transformation and lifestyle management. This is similar to Janet’s old corporate coaching role at British Gas, and helps her keep a foot in the door. The company is run by former colleague Dave Newsome, and is aided by NLP trainer Mark Thompson. The three support one another. She explains: ‘I am the artist who comes up with new ideas, and Dave and Mark have the logic to shape them and make them work’.
Training

While Janet was at British Gas she took a course in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and became a practitioner. She also took the Life Coach Handbook Diploma at the Achievement Specialists centre in Bournemouth. These qualifications are popular in the personal development sector, and give Janet accreditation.

Advertising

Janet’s main advertising medium is her website www.adoptcoaching.co.uk.  The site was made by Phil Johnson who contacted her through the Leeds Chamber of Commerce. ‘He is the most amazing person in the world’ Janet says. Phil charges £500 to set up a website and £15 a month after the first year to maintain and update it.

Janet also uses Phil’s services to print her business cards. Janet has a different quote on the back of each one, which she says provides a talking point when networking. ‘I find that quotes are very inspirational, and can mean something to the person that takes the card’ she explains.

When Janet bought her first lot of cards the business was in its early stages. This meant that after a couple of months the cards were no longer relevant. Her advice is to wait until you are sure about your message and what branding you want to use.

In other advertising, Janet found that flyers were largely ineffective, but that networking and events were successful. Janet volunteered to speak at a number of events including Reach Further Coffee Mornings, Forward Ladies, and My Catalyst.

Problems

Janet’s main problem was negativity:

My family and friends would say ‘Don’t you think you’re a bit old to start a business?’ and ‘How are you going to make any money?’ I didn’t know how it was all going to work, but I wanted it so much that I just kept pushing.

Less than a year after starting, Janet has generated a good income and reputation.

Contact

Adopt Coaching
Janet Wilks
Tel: 07904 865 847
Email: janet.wilks@live.co.uk
Web: www.adoptcoaching.co.uk

Lynn Swift worked for almost 30 years for the same local law firm. Following redundancy, she now runs her own successful legal business in Walsall in the West Midlands.  Called H & B Inheritance, it deals with wills, probate, deeds of variation, lasting powers of attorney and changes of name.

 Lynn had been thinking about setting up on her own for about a year before redundancy presented her with the chance to take the step into self-employment.  She was scared at first as she had spent 30 years as an employee, “They just cut me loose”, she says. “It was such a blow and couldn’t have come at a worse time. Facing the real world after 30-odd years as a pampered pet is quite scary.”

Lynn saw an advertisement for a business start-up event at her local Community Centre. “PRIME arrived just at the right time with help and advice. Running my own business was only just an idea”, she says. “I was really interested in the mentoring and the PRIME computing programmes and signed up straight away.”

Following the event PRIME arranged for her to meet Gerry Walsh, one of PRIME’s volunteer mentors in the West Midlands. Gerry helped Lynn to refine her marketing literature. And he helped her to develop a ‘critical path analysis plan’ which she used to plan her year and to set goals and targets. So for example the plan helped make sure that her marketing literature reached the printer on time, and that she did her leaflet drop at the best time. 

“The mentor you recommended was very good indeed” says Lynn. “He gave me some excellent ideas at our first meeting. It was the most useful hour-and-a-half I’ve ever spent.”

Lynn also liked the computing course PRIME arranged with Moustraining Ltd, an offshoot of the University of Plymouth. This provides thorough training in standard Microsoft Office applications over the Internet, without having to attend in person. “I have completed my first assignment and achieved a distinction. The second one is under way. Thank you so much for your help and advice.”   

Susan Port, 57 from Warwickshire started her own business after retiring due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In July 2006 Susan became the UK and EU sole distributor for Babynobumps Ltd, a company which provides safety hats, to protect babies’ heads from bumps and scrapes. Three years down the line, Susan is in talks with multinational retailers Mothercare - a deal that could help babynobumps onto the high street.Susan worked for the Royal Mail for fifteen years, but was medically retired due to COPD. COPD is a progressive disease that makes it difficult to breathe, and so working amongst dust was hazardous to Susan’s health. Becoming self-employed and working from home means that Susan can be in a cleaner environment that is ‘without stress’.

Susan first spotted Babynobumps Ltd while trying to find a hat for her granddaughter. Susan tried to make one herself by copying the design; - a colourful foam safety helmet which prevents babies from harming themselves. Susan thought about how many other babies might need the same protection. Susan emailed the product owner in Canada and introduced herself. A series of phone calls and emails over a two-month period, won Susan sole distribution for the UK and EU. Susan says it was ‘her belief in the product’ and ‘friendly nature’ that clinched the deal.

Funding

Susan had her business plan in place, but there was no financial help to aid start up costs. Susan explains that there were no government grants or loans because Leamington Spa is considered ‘affluent area’. Even though Susan was not part of this affluence, her postcode meant she was ineligible for funding. Susan could not apply for a private loan, because her medical retirement suggested did not have the ability to work.

Susan overcame funding restrictions by borrowing money from her parents, and Babynobumps Ltd was launched in July 2006.

Starting Up

Susan’s first move was to approach Business Link. Unfortunately they were unable to provide much help, and recommended a subsidised consultant from their books. Susan paid money to meet up with the consultant, but found her own research to be much more valuable. Susan advises people interested in self-employment, to avoid using a consultant. She believes that good guidance can be obtained for free via business support groups, banks, and the Internet.

The Internet was an invaluable tool for all aspects of business. Susan used forums such as Giant Potential and UK Parents Lounge, to ask questions and soundboard ideas. The forums are great for research, advice and networking; especially for Susan who shied away from socialising at business clubs. Susan still checks the forums every Friday afternoon to keep her finger on the pulse, and continue to spread the word about Babynobumps Ltd.

Marketing

Susan acquired her own website through 19-year-old grandson Jamie Brown. Using basic html, Jamie was able to create a straightforward, easy-to-use site, which allowed customers to find out more information and buy online. Susan ships in stock from Canada every two months, and sends out her own orders via royal mail. If payments are received before 4:30pm, Susan will get the product out that evening.

In addition to the website, Susan markets the safety hats at baby shows. Similar to craft fairs, a pitch at a baby show will cost around £20, and bring in sales and publicity. Most of these events are local, but Susan has travelled as far as Sheffield to promote the business. The baby shows are a cost-effective way of marketing, and fairly reliable. They are now Susan’s main medium for advertising.

Susan did experiment with newspaper advertising, but suffered a blow when she paid for an advert in a mother and child’s magazine that was not distributed. Trading Standards are investigating the case. Susan found that it was too expensive to market ‘in the right places’, so stuck to word of mouth, exhibiting, and her own website.

Future

Since starting Babynobumps Ltd, Susan has achieved a gradual increase of customers. She has regular clients, and is now in talks with multinational retailer Mothercare. The well-known baby store is considering a new section, providing safety products for children. Susan tells me that 92% of baby items are bought from Mothercare, and that it would raise her profile considerably. But the deal is not straightforward. Wanting consistency and security in their business transactions, Mothercare insist that suppliers purchase a particular invoicing software, priced at £800. If Susan can negotiate a substantial contract, the deal should bring in good profit, get the product into shops, and move Susan towards her ambition of making Babynobumps Ltd a global brand name.

Susan believes that self-employment has brought her the best of both worlds. She loves her work, but does not have to shut her family out. Susan can work flexible hours, instead of being restricted by a 9-5 routine. This means she can take her three-year-old grandson to afternoon nursery school, while still maintaining the business.

Contact

Babynobumps Ltd

6 Denby Close
Leamington Spa
Warwickshire
CV32 7PS
Tel: 01926 739858
Mobile: 07875151651
Email: babynobumps@yahoo.co.uk  
Website: www.babynobumps.ltd.uk

Cecile Trijssenaar has secured the first loan under the Zopa-PRIME Olderpreneur loan scheme. She is using it to help her set up her dating site TopMatch West London, which she hopes to have live in August.

Cecile, who is just 50, requested £13,000 to buy into and develop an online dating franchise called TopMatch, which she will operate in the area of London where she lives. She got the loan at an annual interest rate of 9.86 per cent, just 0.46 per cent above what she requested.

Once Cecile decided to buy the franchise, she looked for ways to raise money. She spoke to her bank and found that the chances of getting a loan were minimal.

So she turned to Zopa - an online lending marketplace. Cecile knew about Zopa from previous research, and liked the fact that the money was lent by ordinary people, instead of a big corporate bank. Cecile read about the Olderpreneur loan scheme on the Zopa site, and decided to contact PRIME.

You need to pass a number of requirements to be accepted for the Zopa-PRIME loan. You must be over 50 (or just about to be so you will be when the loan is taken out), and can request no more than £15,000. You must have lived in the UK for the last three years, and have a UK bank account registered in your name at your home address.

You must also not have taken out a loan in the last four months, and vitally you must have a strong and realistic business plan.

Cecile describes her dealings with PRIME in the following way:

“PRIME were ruthless. They were very thorough, but really really good. It focused my mind. I realised that up until now I had been very fuzzy, but Siu (PRIME’s Loans Manager) asked for everything to be really detailed and precise and I thought that was fantastic, and very helpful.”

Cecile Trijssenaar

Writing a good business plan - where you have to outline things like how you are going to make a profit and detail both the strengths and weaknesses of your proposed venture, will help you to get funding. You also need to think about your marketing strategy, and how sales can be realistically achieved.

A good credit record is also a definite advantage, and this seems to have helped win the trust of many of Cecile’s lenders - who are ordinary members of the public lending via the Zopa exchange. If you have a county court judgement (CCJ), loan default, or have been unable to repay a loan, you are not likely to be successful.

Once cleared by PRIME, Cecile’s next step was to apply online for a Zopa listing. This involves three stages; registration, passing Zopa’s online credit score and risk asssessment, and finally getting your pitch for a loan up on the web site’s “listings” section, You can do this online or on a paper-based application if you prefer.

If you are accepted as a Zopa borrower, you are then able to promote your borrowing needs to potential lenders. Your pitch basically sells your business idea, and explains to lenders why you are a ‘safe pair of hands’ and why you can be trusted to repay them.

You can see Cecile’s listing here.

Potential lenders viewing your listing can ask you questions. “This probing by the public can be very helpful”, says PRIME’s loans manager Siu Woo, “and may reveal issues you haven’t thought of. But you are under no obligation to answer if you feel a question is too intrusive.”

Cecile made it through all the hoops. Within three days she got offers for the full amount. With money now in the bank, Cecile can get on with launching the business. The actual launch day is scheduled for the first week of August

Unlike other dating sites Cecile will be personally vetting each individual, which means she can get a more accurate view of what people are like, and what sort of person they are looking for, as well as filter out anyone who seems untrustworthy.

Cecile says “I had a friend who met up with a guy via a dating agency, and afterwards she got a lot of abusive text message. I want to cut out situations like that. TopMatch West London will also be cheaper than a lot of dating sites, costing £399 for a year.”

Cecile has a background in the TV and film industry, but wanted extra stability for her five-year-old son. She initially set up a support website for those trying to adopt internationally - something that Cecile is passionate about. But though this succeeded as a project, the site has too few members to become the basis of a profitable business. So Cecile decided she must look elsewhere to find an income.

“I set up criteria for what I wanted to do. I wanted to work from home. I wanted flexible hours so that I could be with my son. I didn’t want a boss breathing down my neck, and I wanted to do something that made people happy.”

Cecile searched for a job that fitted her requirements, and came across an advert for the Top Match franchise on www.workingmums.co.uk. She says “I immediately thought, ‘that’s what I want to do’, and started to get excited.”

The franchise costs £11,950. This includes a five year licence (that can be renewed at no extra fee), two days training, a laptop and software. The franchisor also promises £500 worth of marketing, £1,500 worth of promotion, continuous IT and business support, legal fees and office set up costs.

Cecile will have exclusivity for the TopMatch franchise in the West London area, which has an estimated 340,000 singletons. But she will have to pay the franchiser £69 whenever she signs a new member. There is a 90-day money back guarantee if the business does not take off, and an option to sell it back to the franchiser at any time for the same price.

Contact:
Top Match West London, www.westlondon.topmatch-uk.com

Further reading

1. More about Zopa-PRIME loan fund and how to apply.

2. More about franchising. Download PRIME’s free 70-page guide, which includes a jargon buster and warnings about pitfalls to avoid.

Exclusivity
The exclusive territory in which a franchisee enjoys freedom from competition by other franchisees in the same franchise network. It needs to be specified in the franchise agreement to have any force.

Franchising
A method of distributing products or services that involves independent businesses - or franchisees, doing business using a business name, trademarks and procedures granted to them by another company - the franchisor.

Franchisor
The parent company that grants, usually for a fee and other charges, the right to use its trade name, trademarks and system of business operations.

Franchisee
The person or company that pays for the right to do business under the franchisor’s name and system. They usually pay an initial franchise fee, then a royalty or service fee and other continuing charges earmarked for specific things such as advertising, rent or equipment.

Anne Walsh, 53 from Manchester, went from BT operations manager to quirky craftswoman, when she applied for voluntary redundancy.

BT operations manager Anne Walsh was the breadwinner for a disabled husband and three children. Fed up with her office job, Anne promised herself she would change her life when she turned 50. Anne applied for voluntary redundancy, sold her Porsche, and bought a van. She began to make gifts for family friends, and to sell on eBay. Anne made flowers out of socks, cakes and trifles out of soap and face cloths, and large cakes out of baby’s nappies. Anne says ‘the cakes definitely started as a hobby, but more and more people wanted them, and it soon became a business.’ My Unique Gifts now caters for a wealth of occasions from births and weddings to dog and cat pampering, with products ranging from £3:95 to £55.

Research

Anne’s first idea was the ‘nappy cake’. This is a fake cake made of disposable nappies, which Anne saw on holiday in San Francisco in 2001. Anne researched the product on the Internet and found that though extremely popular in the US and Canada, the nappy cake was barely on the British market. Anne purchased a ‘teach yourself’ DVD, and began to experiment. My Unique Gifts now boasts a whole range of nappy cakes from single to five tiered, complete with 96 nappies, two bottles, a pair of baby socks, baby suit and matching hat or bib, receiving blanket, crystal keepsake, photo frame, and soft toy.

Training

When Anne registered with PRIME, she was told where to go for business advice. She attended a free HMRC Business Advice Open Day, where PRIME hosted a seminar on working for yourself. Anne then booked herself onto a free HMRC workshop on self-employment tax issues. Anne says ‘both events were extremely helpful in getting to know the basics.’ But she did leave some things to the professionals, and hired a bookkeeper to document her accounts. The rest of Anne’s training was simply trying new things and learning as she went along.

Marketing and development

An early marketing tool was to circulate an email round Manchester College. A family friend, worked at the college, and sent out pictures of Christmas cakes that were on offer. This was very successful, and large orders flooded in. Anne now keeps her own mailing list, and sends out details of new gifts, or seasonal promotions.

Anne attended a craft fair with her Daughter in the Lake District, and was thrilled by the positive feedback her gifts received. The buzz spurred her on and Anne began to go to craft fairs and farmer’s markets on a regular basis. This brought in repeat customers, and the business began to expand.

Anne is now considering larger trade markets and has applied for her first two day event, the Stars and Stripes Classic American Car Show in Cheshire. Larger markets are £25 - £60 for the pitch; more expensive than the small craft fairs Anne is used to. But they provide a great opportunity to hit a larger and more commercial audience.

When going to get a logo painted on her van, Alan, the graphic designer gave Anne a tip. He recommended investing in a 0800 number. This means that if Anne’s real number (or ghost number) changes, the business line will remain the same, and customers will not be lost. The freephone number costs Anne about £60 a year. Calls cost an extra 4p a minute, but Anne keeps costs down by using her answer machine to take messages, then phoning people back from her landline, which has free minutes.

Anne’s main marketing weapon came in the form of stepson Steven Walsh. Steven is the Director of Marketing Success Unlimited, a company which specialises in branding and marketing campaign management, with a focus on online marketing. Steven provided Anne with business cards, letterheaded paper and flyers, and crucially created her website and online shop. This made Anne’s products more visible and accessible to customers outside Manchester. It also allowed people to pay by credit or debit card, which made the transaction process easier and safer for customers.

Problems

Anne’s main problem was finding suppliers that would keep the costs down. Where the Internet had proven an invaluable research tool in other areas, a lot of old warehouses were just not online. The Internet pointed to expensive and commercial manufacturers, and Anne had to dig a lot deeper to find wholesalers that provided a cost-effective price. Word of mouth became the best resource here. Anne asked friends that worked in retail, and got some good leads. Finally she was able to get her materials at a bargain, and bring down the asking price of her own gifts.

Future

Anne’s business is steadily growing and expanding. With each request, more socks and nappies are taking over the house. On 1st June 2009, Anne opened a shop and workshop, giving her business more space and achieving her target for 2009. Free Cobwebs (information factsheets) on renting, buying and choosing business premises are available from PRIME on request.

Contacts

Anne Walsh
53B North Road
Droylsden
Tameside
Manchester
M43 6NN
Freephone no: 0800 043 7156
Website: www.myuniquegifts.co.uk

Anne Walsh, 53 from Manchester, went from BT operations manager to quirky craftswoman, when she applied for voluntary redundancy.

BT operations manager Anne Walsh was the breadwinner for a disabled husband and three children. Fed up with her office job, Anne promised herself she would change her life when she turned 50. Anne applied for voluntary redundancy, sold her Porsche, and bought a van. She began to make gifts for family friends, and to sell on eBay. Anne made flowers out of socks, cakes and trifles out of soap and face cloths, and large cakes out of baby’s nappies. Anne says ‘the cakes definitely started as a hobby, but more and more people wanted them, and it soon became a business.’ My Unique Gifts now caters for a wealth of occasions from births and weddings to dog and cat pampering, with products ranging from £3.95 to £55.

Research

Anne’s first idea was the ‘nappy cake’. This is a fake cake made of disposable nappies, which Anne saw on holiday in San Francisco in 2001. Anne researched the product on the Internet and found that though extremely popular in the US and Canada, the nappy cake was barely on the British market. Anne purchased a ‘teach yourself’ DVD, and began to experiment. My Unique Gifts now boasts a whole range of nappy cakes from single to five tiered, complete with 96 nappies, two bottles, a pair of baby socks, baby suit and matching hat or bib, receiving blanket, crystal keepsake, photo frame, and soft toy.

Training

When Anne registered with PRIME in 2009, she was told where to go for business advice. She attended a free HMRC Business Advice Open Day, where PRIME hosted a seminar on working for yourself. Anne then booked herself onto a free HMRC workshop on self-employment tax issues. Anne says ‘both events were extremely helpful in getting to know the basics.’ But she did leave some things to the professionals, and hired a bookkeeper to document her accounts. The rest of Anne’s training was simply trying new things and learning as she went along.

Marketing and development

An early marketing tool was to circulate an email round Manchester College. A family friend, worked at the college, and sent out pictures of Christmas cakes that were on offer. This was very successful, and large orders flooded in. Anne now keeps her own mailing list, and sends out details of new gifts, or seasonal promotions.

Anne attended a craft fair with her Daughter in the Lake District, and was thrilled by the positive feedback her gifts received. The buzz spurred her on and Anne began to go to craft fairs and farmer’s markets on a regular basis. This brought in repeat customers, and the business began to expand.

Anne is now considering larger trade markets and has applied for her first two day event, the Stars and Stripes Classic American Car Show in Cheshire. Larger markets are £25 - £60 for the pitch; more expensive than the small craft fairs Anne is used to. But they provide a great opportunity to hit a larger and more commercial audience.

When going to get a logo painted on her van, Alan, the graphic designer gave Anne a tip. He recommended investing in a 0800 number. This means that if Anne’s real number (or ghost number) changes, the business line will remain the same, and customers will not be lost. The freephone number costs Anne about £60 a year. Calls cost an extra 4p a minute, but Anne keeps costs down by using her answer machine to take messages, then phoning people back from her landline, which has free minutes.

Anne’s main marketing weapon came in the form of stepson Steven Walsh. Steven is the Director of Marketing Success Unlimited, a company which specialises in branding and marketing campaign management, with a focus on online marketing. Steven provided Anne with business cards, letterheaded paper and flyers, and crucially created her website and online shop. This made Anne’s products more visible and accessible to customers outside Manchester. It also allowed people to pay by credit or debit card, which made the transaction process easier and safer for customers.

Problems

Anne’s main problem was finding suppliers that would keep the costs down. Where the Internet had proven an invaluable research tool in other areas, a lot of old warehouses were just not online. The Internet pointed to expensive and commercial manufacturers, and Anne had to dig a lot deeper to find wholesalers that provided a cost-effective price. Word of mouth became the best resource here. Anne asked friends that worked in retail, and got some good leads. Finally she was able to get her materials at a bargain, and bring down the asking price of her own gifts.

Future

Anne’s business is steadily growing and expanding. With each request, more socks and nappies are taking over the house. On 1st June 2009, Anne opened a shop and workshop, giving her business more space and achieving her target for 2009.

Contacts

Anne Walsh
53B North Road
Droylsden
Tameside
Manchester
M43 6NN
Freephone no: 0800 043 7156
Website: www.myuniquegifts.co.uk

Free Cobwebs (information factsheets) on renting, buying and choosing business premises are available from PRIME on request.