12 March 2015
A business boost for libraries
The Department for Communities and Local Government and Arts Council England announced that they will dedicate £400,000 funding to support the British Library’s ambition to transform UK city libraries into hubs for small businesses and entrepreneurs. The British Library will also make a contribution of £253k in cash and non-cash resources.
The funding will provide a boost to enterprise in Exeter and Northamptonshire, enabling Exeter Central Library and Northamptonshire Libraries to pilot a Business & IP Centre service to support local entrepreneurs.
It will also enable the British Library to consolidate the network of Business & IP Centres already operational in six cities across the UK, and reinforce the important work the Centres do to engage local communities and disadvantaged groups in innovation and entrepreneurship.
The success of the British Library’s own Business & IP Centre service is evidence that libraries have an important role to play in helping businesses to innovate and grow: the London Centre has helped to create 2,775 businesses and an additional 3,345 jobs in new and existing businesses from 2005-2012. Overall, these businesses increased their turnover by £153 million, which in turn made a contribution of £47.1 million in GVA to London’s economy[1].
Libraries also have a strong record of attracting communities from a wide range of backgrounds; an estimated 41% of Enterprising Libraries participants are women, 38% are from BAME groups and 10% are currently unemployed.
In the six Business & IP Centres already open around the UK (in Newcastle, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield), local entrepreneurs can receive face-to-face advice and training on how to start, protect or grow their business, and can access market research databases and other information out of reach for most SMEs.
Entrepreneur and recent success story of the Business & IP Centre network, Marsha Brown, used existing Northamptonshire business services (Library Plus Enterprise Hub and Northampton Enterprise Partnership) to set up her dress-making and design business ‘Solo Flair’ in 2012. As a result of the support she received, Marsha successfully expanded her customer base and now employs 3 part-time staff, while working around her family. She now supports other new business start-ups and gives talks to local schools about starting a career and following your dreams.
The British Library’s vision is that there will be a UK-wide network of Centres in libraries by the end of the decade, supporting local economic growth and innovation and providing free business support across the country.
Roly Keating, Chief Executive of the British Library, said
“Public libraries are of huge value to local communities. As familiar and trusted public places, and access points to vast amounts of free information, libraries also have powerful potential as engines of innovation and growth.
As outlined in the Living Knowledge vision published earlier this year, our ambition is to open 20 Business & IP Centres in public libraries across the UK by 2020.
It is hugely exciting to welcome the library teams in Exeter and Northamptonshire into the Business & IP Centre network, and I extend our thanks to both the Department of Communities and Local Government and Arts Council England for enabling us to take another key step towards our goal.”
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said:
“The formal business environment can be an intimidating place, but it needn’t be. Enterprising Libraries give people from all backgrounds the opportunity to go and get free expert advice from their library, and receive the support they need to make the most of their great ideas.
“Local communities are untapped business resources – filled with capable and bright individuals who just need a helping hand. By extending the Enterprising Libraries funding today, we can help grow Britain’s ever expanding pool of entrepreneurial talent and ensuring that local economic growth is supported across the country.”
Brian Ashley, Director, Libraries, Arts Council England, said:
“Libraries are an important part of all our lives, bringing communities together and also providing a vital hub for knowledge and information exchange. The success of the Business & IP Centres illustrates their important role in providing business support to those communities and we are pleased to be able to continue to support this work. This additional funding will build on the success of the Enterprising Libraries programme, sustaining the impact of this project to support more entrepreneurs across England.
1. Source: Adroit Economics, based on Seven Up Census, April 2012
04 March 2015
Hiring – The Hardest Choice
When is it a good time to employ someone for your new and growing business? This can be one of the most agonising decisions to make as a business owner and it can feel a risk that outweighs the reward.
In the last three years we’ve supported over 200 businesses on our Innovating for Growth programme at the British Library, and as a Relationship Manager I’ve had the privilege of seeing first-hand how this key decision can be the very thing that allows the business to grow to the next stage.
Why Employ?
There are only 24 hours in a day and we need a few of those hours to sleep, not least other commitments like family, friendships and dare I say some time to enjoy life outside the business! I’ve met a good number of super-heroes that some how juggle the lot, but the reality is that with so many spinning plates, one of them will eventually drop. Just hope that one of those plates doesn’t break the business itself!
So if you want the business to grow beyond being an artisan/owner, it’ll be you that needs to recruit.
Strategy advisor for Innovating for Growth, Uday Thakkar believes that what holds people back from employing people is a perception of too much risk.
“Is employing someone a cost or an investment? Your language often guides your perception of risk. An employee frees you to do more. An employee can do things better in areas where you are uncomfortable or unskilled. They assist the business to grow and increase profits. They should be regarded as an investment.”
Who to Employ?
Writing a good job description is of course vital. It’s the means by which you attract the right candidates and it serves as defining what the job is all about by clearly outlining the required qualifications, experience and abilities you expect from the jobholder. This acts as a safeguard if you find a recruit doesn’t fulfill expectations too.
But it’s not always possible to get recruitment right first time because it’s not just finding a good employee; it’s finding one that fits the values and behaviours of the company itself. Not finding that match can take away time and energy rather than add it. By having a clear expectation of the role means you can measure performance and take action appropriately if needed.
Terry Morgan, Director of Debaere, a business who has been on Innovating for Growth, acknowledges this and says recruiting can be time consuming, especially if applicants aren’t necessarily committed. He has some hard earned advice.
“When we go through this process we try to provide as much information as we can on the style of business we are, the type of work expected and the general conditions of employment.”
But there is an up-side. “When we do get a new starter it does work out for the better. It is good to add new blood to the mix of employees and sometimes they bring new skills or ideas that help the business grow. Patience is definitely required in recruiting and I would suggest using an agency for senior staff as they tend to do all the vetting for you.”
Richard Marshall, owner of Pall Mall Barbers, has grown his business from 1 employee in 2005 to 25 employees in ten years, expanding to three locations in central London with a fourth opening up soon in Liverpool Street. Richard knows all about the difficulties and benefits too and has some sage advice around selecting the right people.
Crucial for him are employees with the right attitude. “Choosing the right person pays dividends and will multiply the time you have.”
How to Employ?
Richard has found that having a robust selection process really helps. He advertises, receives CVs, will find out more about the applicant by phone and then interviews them face to face. By then he’s satisfied he’s got a good match for the business. Richard offers more advice around managing recruitment, “wherever possible outsource. I’ve outsourced my HR functions to a company and receive proper advice on issues if any come up”. This gives Richard the time to build and expand the business which of course helps to safeguard the very jobs he’s created.
Getting it right with the right advice
I mentioned the risk of no return at the outset. Of course taking someone on is not without its risks but seeking out the right advice at the right time will save you hassle and money in the long run.
Uday again has a view on this;
“Most employees are taken on with at least a three month probation period. If someone isn’t performing or is good at disguising major shortcomings, despite CV reviews and interviews, we all reckon that within a few days we can make a pretty good judgment as to whether the person will fit in or not. So the maximum risk to you is 3 months – that is £9,000 even if you are reticent about showing them the door earlier. If you are brave (and you have to be to be a business owner) then you should be dealing with poor performers immediately. The cost is then likely to be a month or less – say £3,000. On the other hand a good employee will rapidly cover their “cost” and generate profits.”
There is, of course, help along the way. As a business owner you needn’t take the plunge in isolation. Stay connected with other businesses your size, talk to other business owners who have done what you’re doing. Where needed seek out legal help or HR advice.
The recent Business is Great campaign also provides some helpful guidance around what you need to know.
The Business & IP Centre already has a solid track record of supporting employment for our business users. Based on a 2012 survey we’ve helped created an additional 3,345 jobs, while on the Innovating for Growth programme each business on average has created at least one job and helped to secure their own sustainability. This allows for even more employment medium to long term. A good place to start in the Centre is to check out the COBRA business advice database. It has some useful checklists for first time-employers.
And with a growing network of Business & IP Centres across the country that’s even more reason to check out what help you can receive at your local Centre. And if you’re an established London based business the Innovating for Growth programme could just be the thing for you to take to the next stage of growth.
Micro-businesses’ massive contribution
There’s also something a lot bigger at play here and it has everything to do with the health of our economy. A whopping 96% of businesses in the UK are micro businesses that employ up to 9 people, with small businesses in total making 48% of private sector employment (source: BIS Business Population Estimates 2014).
But we shouldn’t forget that statistics are real people, with hopes and dreams. Employment provides people with a future, an identity, self-esteem and opportunities to progress in life for them and those around them. And working for an SME can be a great opportunity to pick up a broad range of skills and insight if the employee is motivated to learn and be resourceful.
Recruit, yes or no? If you’re running out of hours in the day, am spending too much time on tasks that take you away from what you really want to do then it’s a question that can’t be ignored. With the right advice and timing, employing someone could well be break that brings new talent, time and opportunities.
Jeremy O’Hare is a Relationship Manager for the British Library’s Innovating for Growth programme. Since joining the British Library in 2005 he has worked with countless businesses, facilitating advice and research as well as providing workshops and information advice for start-ups and established businesses.
Innovating for Growth is run by the British Library and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund
Take part in our survey and help shape our future!
As a valued user of the British Library Business & IP Centre and its services, we would like to hear from you about the difference we have made to you and your business – by taking part in our survey.
Your participation is crucial in helping to secure future funding and ensuring that we continue to meet your needs.
We would be extremely grateful if you would spend 5-7 minutes to complete this questionnaire, which aims to evaluate the Enterprising Libraries programme, jointly supported by the British Library, Arts Council England and Department for Communities & Local Government. The Enterprising Libraries Programme includes the Business & IP Centre national network and ten satellite library projects.
The findings will be analysed by Adroit Economics (an independent market research company) and used to demonstrate our economic and social impact and generate funding for future projects and services. Your responses and contact information will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be shared in any form with anyone else without your permission.
As an incentive, your name will be entered into a prize draw and you could be one of 5 people to win an iPad Air 2.
Click here to complete the survey by 14 April 2015.
If you have any questions about the survey please contact Christina Murphy [email protected]
02 March 2015
Inspiring Entrepreneurs: Growing Pains and Gains
Last Monday’s Inspiring Entrepreneurs: Growing Pains and Gains event at the British Library brought together founders of the Cambridge Satchel Company; Julie Deane, Ella’s Kitchen; Paul Lindley and Naked Wines; Eamon Fitzgerald to share their experiences of fast growth, including the challenges and rewards.
All three businesses went from zero to multimillion pound turnovers in a relatively short period of time, aided by digital technology.
- Ella’s Kitchen, is the biggest baby food business in the UK, turning over circa £100m last year and sold in over 30 countries
- The Cambridge Satchel Company, which started in 2008, has a £13m turnover
- Naked Wines, which started the same year, has 250,000 prepaying customers, 120 wine makers on the books and a £67m annual turnover
Julie Deane noted passion was important for a business' success. She was very geeky at school and no-one who knew her would have thought she would end up at the helm of a company which featured at London Fashion Week. “It shows that you can change direction if you have a passion for something."
Deane's motivation for starting a business was to get her children into a good private school, a goal she achieved with only £600. Her mum had always told her it was bad to borrow, so she never has. “Borrowing money makes you scared so you cannot be as free to do something fantastic.” The limited budget meant she had to be creative and learn new skills. She built her own website through a free tutorial and saw exporting as “a different label on the parcel.” She used her children to model the bags and paid them with a Mars bar each. They also starred in her Google advert.
Deane contacted fashion bloggers who were attending New York Fashion Week to generate word of mouth and since then the bags have been seen on the shoulders of Taylor Swift and Alex Chung, and featured on hit TV shows Girls and The Good Wife.
Deane now employs 120 people, producing over 900 bags a day in a factory based in Leicester, selling to Harrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdales.
Eamon Fitzgerald spoke about the business model for Naked Wines being built upon customers grouped as ‘Angels’ investing £20 a month in the company, in return they enjoy insider prices of 25% - 50% off retail wines prices. The longest serving customers are involved in the consultation of new ideas, with opportunities to taste new wines.
Fitzgerald recalled how Naked Wines’ ‘Angels’ raised £2,500 in one afternoon to help an independent wine producer whose stock had been vandalised. He said campaigns like these motivated staff and customers and set aside his brand from competitors.
Fitzgerald had the following tips for business success:
- Have a product that is better than your competitors
- Cut out overheads for customers and build a fan base based on strong values such as supporting small wine growers
- Invest in talent rather than sales
- Treat your best customers well
Paul Lindley, founder of Ella’s Kitchen, finished the panel recalling how he was inspired by his daughter Ella when he used games to make food fun and entice her to eat. He was working at Nickelodeon at the time, which meant he had a good knowledge of what children like and how they relate to brands.
Lindley noticed most baby food was aimed at parents, Ella’s Kitchen is different. It is healthy organic food, but the packaging and combination of foods makes it appealing to children. The bright pouches the company uses were unique at the time, “it was important to me to engage all their senses and to think like a child.” He wanted to be “different and create the next generation of toddler and baby food. The other brands had not changed and were very functional. We created a brand that was emotional because when you have a baby you are at your most emotional.”
Customer values were at the heart of his brand and Lindley’s mission was to improve children’s health by giving them a good relationship with food. Lindley is now focusing on a new start-up, Paddy’s Bathroom. It’s a range of fun organic bathroom products named after his son and the social message is much more upfront. For each drop of water children uses to wash themselves a village in Rwanda gets a drop of clean water.
Lindley’s five steps to success echoed Fitzgerald’s and Dean’s advice earlier in the evening;
- Strong brand values
- Putting the customer first
- Building an “awesome team”
- Going on instinct
- Promoting social responsibility
All three speakers stressed how important it was to reward their employees, for instance, by offering them shares in the business or giving them stock. Lindley said it was vital to recruit based on mind-set rather than skillset and all said their first recruits were the most important, promoting the “need to invest in recruiting the right people.” Equally important in the success of each of their businesses was story-telling. Lindley said “A story is so important to a business and telling that story is so important to the success of the business.”
Inspiring Entrepreneurs: Growing Pains and Gains was broadcast live via webinar and screening events in the Leeds Business & IP Centre and the Manchester Business & IP Centre. Also, featured introductions by local speakers Eric Hawthorn from Radio Design Ltd and Chris Bird from Bird Consultancy.
You can now rewatch, Inspiring Entrepreneurs: Growing Pains and Gains on our YouTube Channel BIPCTV. On this channel you can further find out about some of our success stories, and also watch some of our celebrity speakers during our Inspiring Entrepreneur events.
The British Library’ Business & IP Centre offers workshops and resources for anyone looking to start a business. The Centre’s Innovating for Growth programme provides free customised help to small businesses based in London, helping them to grow and flourish.
Hanna Fayaz on behalf of the Business & IP Centre
27 February 2015
In Conversation with Kell Ryan: The Ryanair Story
Last November as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, the British Library Business & IP Centre had the unique opportunity to hear from the co-founder of Ryanair, about how he and his brother revolutionised air travel in Europe.
Long-standing Business & IP Centre partner, business-life coach and author of ‘Soul Trader’ Rasheed Ogunlaru talked to Kell about the inspiration behind Ryanair, the early years of the company and how it grew to become the leading low fares airline in Europe.
Kell, born and bred in Ireland, says times were tough at home; his father died when he was ten and all they were thinking about was survival. His older brother, Tony, got a job with Irelands national airline Aer Lingus and became the family breadwinner at 21 years of age. Tony went to New York with Aer Lingus and Kell believes it was there that the seeds were sown in Tony’s mind about filling a gap in the aviation business.
Tony loved New York and said ‘You should live in New York but have your weekends in Ireland’. He believed the world was a big place and that there are lots of opportunities out there if you could travel easily. So he embarked upon his entrepreneurial journey by forming a leasing company and thus started his involvement in the aviation industry on a much larger scale.
Kell describes how in the early 1980s, before cheap air fares, if you moved to England you didn’t get back to Ireland unless it was to be buried! Tony believed that travel was expensive and restrictive, but it would be possible to travel for low fares if airlines operated differently, and this was the foundation of Ryanair. He understood that tourism only works if there are low fares and access to travel for everyone. In the 1980s tens of thousands of people had left Ireland and he wanted to increase tourism and create jobs in Ireland to bring people back.
Kell at the time was working with Aer Lingus and Tony asked him if he wanted to be involved in Ryanair. The early days of the business were tough. They started with one leased airplane, a Bandeirante aircraft that had eight seats with a height restriction, meaning cabin crew had to be no more than 5’2’’. They eventually got a bigger aircraft and then started doing the London – Dublin route for a lower fare. To fly from London to Dublin cost £500 with other airlines, but only £100 with Ryanair. People saw this and loved it, and so the company grew.
The competition thought they couldn’t sustain this model, but Ryanair stood the test of time because nobody could match them on the low fares they offered. However, Kell admits that Ryanair couldn’t match other airlines in terms of speed and comfort. In the early days the business lost a lot of money, accumulating losses in the range of £20 million and Tony’s leasing company was running into difficulties. It was then Michael O’Leary got involved to try to rectify some of the problems. His solution? Shut it down, it will never make money. Tony, however, had a different view – he never took no for an answer.
Tony met Herb Kelleher, CEO of Southwest Airlines, the first successful low-cost airlines based in the US – they brought the Southwest model back to Ireland and there were real changes in Ryanair. They stuck to one type of aircraft, didn’t employ cleaners, charged for meals and drinks, and removed lemons from your G&T!
Finally, Ryanair became a serious competitor to Aer Lingus and other airlines. With the introduction of deregulation they started expanding into other European countries and it grew from there. They carried 10,000 passengers in first year of operation and now they carry 100,000 a day. The model worked and they continued to grow with more aircrafts and increased profit.
A small island of 3 million people became a big player on the larger scene thanks to Tony’s vision and drive. Despite the tough times and the criticism Ryanair has faced, they have succeeded with their model and grown into the largest business of their kind in Europe.
Diane Kelly on behalf of the Business & IP Centre
06 February 2015
From Google to Poet in the City: London’s Knowledge Quarter to lead the UK's knowledge economy
The Knowledge Quarter in King’s Cross is the newest buzz in London. The project started two years ago and was officially launched in December 2014. It is a partnership of over 35 knowledge-based institutions within a three-mile radius of King’s Cross, who are united by the shared purpose of creating and disseminating knowledge.
The Knowledge Quarter’s mission is to promote the area around King’s Cross as one of the greatest concentration of knowledge institutions anywhere in the world, raising awareness of their outstanding facilities, expertise and cooperation. To find out more check the newly launched Knowledge Quarter website and Twitter feed @KQ_London. Fran Taylor, Marketing Manager at the British Library, has also written a blog post London's Knowledge Quarter: Five things you need to know.
With the British Library as the Chair, the Knowledge Quarter includes an array of organisations such as the Art Fund, the British Medical Association, the Guardian newspaper, the University of the Arts London, Google London, Poet in the City, University College London, the Royal College of Physicians, the Francis Crick Institute and many more.
At the official launch by George Osborne the Chancellor of the Exchequer it was also announced the new Alan Turing Institute will be housed at the British Library. This will help to ensure that Britain leads the way in big data, algorithm research and to recognise the contribution of Alan Turing to mathematics, computing and wartime code-breaking.
That week also saw the launch of the British Library’s Living Knowledge Strategy to 2023, which will bring all elements of this to life.
What is striking about all of this to me, is that King’s Cross has seen a phenomenal regeneration in recent years. It is quite a turn-around considering the previous gradual decline from its grandeur as a transport and commuter hub in the late 1880’s, to a run-down ‘red light’ district a hundred years later.
One tweet heralded the announcement of the Knowledge Quarter with: What was once the “wrong side of the Euston Road” is now the Knowledge Quarter
Coincidently, a couple of years ago I went on an official guided walk around the King’s Cross area, given by Rachel Kolsky of GotoLondonTours. And even though I thought I know the area fairly well, I was still impressed with the history, regeneration and investment in the area.
It was on this walking tour with fellow information professionals, that I first heard about Google’s UK Headquarters moving to King’s Cross. I remember looking at the vista from the temporary viewing platform - I could see buildings housing the Guardian, The University of Arts, the Crick Institute, the amazingly rebuilt St Pancras Station, and of course my workplace the British Library. There are too many planned developments to share here, but I have written a blog post all-change-at-kings-cross which serves as a nice memoir. It also acts as a guide for those of you who haven’t visited as yet even for a leisurely stroll or to dine out in the area’s many eateries.
Business clusters and cultural hubs like the Knowledge Quarter can be a good way to give organisations with a common vision, opportunities to collaborate, connect and co-locate. Some other examples of ‘quarters’ are the Cambridge Science Parks, the ‘City of London’ Financial district, the Jewellery Quarter in Hatton Garden, the Inns of Court in Chancery Lane and Holborn, print and publishing in Clerkenwell and the Southbank for cultural activities. Tech City hub, also known as Silicon Roundabout in Shoreditch has been well documented. And in the north of the country is Liverpool Knowledge Quarter. London Council’s report on business clusters attributes this clustering to the “critical mass in skills, services, knowledge and institutions which can underpin economic competitiveness and advantage”.
In an internal British Library presentation, I was pleased to hear that another objective of the King’s Cross Knowledge Quarter project is to increase local community engagement. Other targets are to develop further local schools engagement, apprenticeship, internships and training with organisations, such as with digital skills. We also heard that by 2020, up to 50,000 people will be studying, and working in Kings Cross, and that the population of 225,100 is expected to increase by 2023 to just under a quarter of a million.
Without a doubt, one of the main objectives of the Knowledge Quarter is to increase economic growth and development in the area, but also to reach out beyond London and the United Kingdom. In our digital connected world, it is a lot easier for organisations to be collaborate, connect and innovate across national boundaries. So to say that the Knowledge Quarter’s ambition is global is not an understatement.
Here in the Business & IP Centre we have been doing our bit over the years to help companies start and grow into international businesses. And we have been using internet technologies to deliver webinars and our Inspiring Entrepreneurs events to an international audience. This month we have a host of events on ‘The Web in Feb’ and we have a London Business Information Guide to assist you to find information about setting up or doing business in the capital.
Welcome to the Knowledge Quarter from Knowledge Quarter on Vimeo.
Seema Rampersad on behalf of the Business & IP Centre
30 January 2015
CMI Management Book of the Year
We’re looking forward to announcing the winners of the CMI Management Book of the Year at the Awards Evening here at the British Library on Monday 9 February 2015. The competition aims to celebrate the best of management and leadership books published or distributed in the UK, from the most inspiring to the most useful.
This year, 24 books have been shortlisted across the five categories, including five books in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship category. Find out about the shortlisted books and join the conversation on Twitter using #managementgold
23 January 2015
The Power of Partnerships in PR
There are many different business titles used to describe the coming together of two brands with the ultimate aim of reaching a new audience, improving their service or to create a new PR angle.
When we talk about partnerships we are referring to collaborating with like-minded brands which share a brand ethos and target market in order to reach a wider audience and create newsworthy PR angle.
One of the most common mistakes small and medium-sized businesses make is limiting their own potential by thinking too small. Partnering is absolutely key to growing any business. A small business does this by standing on the shoulders of bigger and more established brands for mutual benefit.
If you want to partner with big brands then you have to think like them - and be sure that you can cater to the increased demand that your partnership will likely deliver!
So, what do you have to offer as a small brand? The answer will be personal to you and your business, but it’s certainly not necessary to have deep pockets. Big brands will expect you to demonstrate your capability, so you’ll need tangible indicators of your company’s ability to create results. As we are talking PR, perhaps the most important element of your pitch should be how you intend to promote your partnership and the benefits it will deliver.
Which brands can you partner with for mutual benefit, and in turn generate press coverage from? Ask yourself the following questions and you’ll emerge with a list of target partnership brands:
- Which brands share your target market but are not your competitors?
- Which brands share your company ethos?
- Which brands are vocal about wanting to cater to your target audience?
In this global market competitive advantage depends not only on what you can do but of equal importance, who you work with! Partnerships have become a critical part of any successful business strategy.
Lastly, remember that your currency could be a free product, access to your database, and of course the all-important benefit of free positive publicity for the big brand.
Everyone loves a story of David partnering with Goliath, and the media will too. It makes the big boys look good, so think big and get out there and capitalize on all of the partnership opportunities for your brand just waiting to happen!
If you are interested in hearing more watch this video on how to get your ideas to spread with marketing mogul and best selling author Seth Godin for TED Talks.
Jessica Huie, MBE founder of JH Public Relations previously hosted the event How to generate PR for your business on a limited budget on Thursday 26 February 2015 at the Business & IP Centre, British Library. Sign up for future workshops and events now, to receive valuable advice from experienced mentors and experts on Public Relation themes and more.
20 January 2015
And the award for Celebrating and Promoting Your Business goes to…
The much anticipated Hollywood awards season is in full swing with big events taking place, including the infamous Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. But there are many awards that you, and your business, can be included in without heading for the Hollywood hills. But why get involved? Jeremy O’Hare is a Relationship Manager for the British Library’s Innovating for Growth programme, which provides £10,000 of fully-funded and tailored advice for businesses looking to grow. Jeremy tells us why awards are a sure fire way of creating a buzz around your business and enhancing your brand.
A challenge for every business is how to distinguish themselves from their competitors, often on limited resources. This means maximising your marketing and PR impact through endorsements, social media and regular referrals. But you should also be considering using awards to boost your business.
Awards are one of the simplest ways of getting great PR and there’s a reason why it’s so effective. It’s endorsement from a judging panel of business ‘experts’ and having the title of ‘award winning’ is confirmation that consumers can trust you. And that’s a giant leap forward to closing sales and generating leads.
And the nominees are…
Meredith O’Shaughnessy of Meredith Bespoke is winner of Home Based Business of the Year, 2014 and of Event Magazine’s “50 Fab Newcomers”. She believes, “if you operate in a saturated market, such as ours, awards help differentiate you and put a ‘stamp of approval’ on the work that you do.”
Nicola Gammon of Shoot Gardening recently won the People’s Choice awards at the Good Web Guides Awards 2014 and gardening category best website and knows the importance of attracting customers to her website, “if you’re a start-up then customers will be trying to size you up as to whether your company is worthwhile dealing with. When you win an award they'll think to themselves, ‘I should really consider doing business with that company.’”
There are many other real benefits that come from winning an award. Meredith has also found that being an award winner is an important part of contributing to company culture. “We like to celebrate successes internally and having external recognition really helps with that. It encourages the whole team.” Another upside is that it’s easier to recruit the right people, as is Nicola’s experience, “winning an award shows you have a winning idea and team. People want to work with winners.”
Top tips from our award winners:
- Invest the time properly to apply for each award. Make sure you pitch your application to the specific judging criteria outlined for each one. Applications can be quite detailed, so make sure you gather all the information you require well in advance so you are not rushed as the deadline approaches.
- Try to think what the award is really celebrating and then highlight this aspect in your application.
- Have your application reviewed by a copywriter who knows how to sell the benefits of your product or service or at by at least two other people who can correct any mistakes.
- Have the passion of what you do shine through in the application. It’s not all about dry facts and figures, important that those are in supporting your application.
- And if you win, make sure to get a photo on award night to circulate on social media and to share with your customers!
Nicola and Meredith’s businesses are two recent award winners that the British Library has been able to help on our Innovating for Growth programme. Other award winner’s we’re proud to have helped are Today’s PA, Living the Dream and Lend Me Your Literacy, read more about them here.
Best SME goes to…
So, where can you find out about awards? There are some well-known awards profiled on our COBRA database here at the Business & IP Centre and listed below are some of the major awards that SMEs enter, including:
- The British Chamber of Commerce Awards
- Federation of Small Business Awards
- Great British Entrepreneur Awards
- Start-up Awards
- Growing Business Awards
Keep an eye out for sector awards. For example, awards for Social Enterprise include:
Other specialist awards include those for young entrepreneurs:
There are dozens more! You could even aspire to the Queen’s Award for Enterprise. The best approach is to search for your particular industry and keep up to date with relevant e-newsletters and trade association news for award announcements. Trade associations love giving out awards and businesses/publications love to sponsor them too. So the selection is many and varied.
Most awards tend to be given out toward the end of the calendar year, so look out for applications opening from late Spring/Summer.
Don’t forget to plan your acceptance speech!
I should’ve added a word of warning at the beginning, once you start entering awards, you may find you can’t stop entering them! Persistence and celebrating success are two great traits key to running your own business. Good luck in carrying both!
Jeremy O’Hare is a Relationship Manager for the British Library’s Innovating for Growth programme, which provides £10,000 of fully-funded and tailored advice for businesses looking to grow. Since joining the British Library in 2005 he has worked with countless businesses, facilitating advice and research as well as providing workshops and information advice for start-ups and established businesses.
Innovating for Growth is run by the British Library and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund
09 December 2014
Giving young people a taste for business with Citrus Saturday
The simple aim of Citrus Saturday is to introduce young people aged 11-15 to the challenges of running their own business in a fun, safe and organised way. It provides the young people taking part with the materials and locations to make and sell lemonade for a day and provides them with support, mentoring and training to help them to make business decisions that can lead to them making a profit that they can choose to keep.
Citrus Saturday started life as a small-scale initiative by UCL Advances in Camden in 2011 but events have since taken off on an international basis. In 2012 Citrus Saturdays were held in Dublin, Edinburgh and Somerset. In 2013 they expanded to Belgium, Swaziland and Mozambique and, in 2014, Spain, Germany, France and Greece were added to the list.
The reason that has this been so internationally successful is that the organisers have developed a range of resources, checklists and templates which makes running the events easy with particular attention given to the practical and legal issues arising from working with young people.
It has also benefitted from being part of the Interreg IVB funded Open Innovation Project which has meant that it had the support of other project partners in North West Europe who hosted many of the events outside London. The British Library Business & IP Centre is also a partner in the Open Innovation project and we were delighted to be able to host a Citrus Saturday stall on the BL piazza as part of the 2014 London Citrus Saturday.
Plans for the future are ambitious and Citrus Saturday are looking to run a programme for 2,000 children in Swaziland and have created a campaign on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo.
Nigel Spencer on behalf of the Business & IP Centre
Innovation and enterprise blog recent posts
- International LEGO Day: a history of LEGO and our favourite patents
- Make Matisse your own: public domain and copyright in 2025
- 2024 at the BIPC: a year of business growth
- A Sustainable Christmas - BIPC Gift Guide
- Happy Halloween:19th century patents to avoid being buried alive!
- From Coca-Cola to KFC: uncovering a spooky intellectual property secret
- How to set up a food business: hear from the experts this World Food Day
- National Siblings Day: On building businesses together with Cultureville
- Show small businesses some love
- 2023: Our business journey continues
Archives
Tags
- Advertising
- Africa
- BIPC National Network
- Black & Asian Britain
- British Library
- British Library Treasures
- Business
- Business plan
- Classics
- Copyright
- Customer service
- East Asia
- Entrepreneurs
- Fashion
- Finance
- Food and drink
- Gold exhibition
- Government publications
- Growth
- Humanities
- Humour
- Information
- Intellectual property / IP
- Inventions
- Law
- Legal deposit
- Literature
- Maps
- Market research
- Music
- Newsroom
- Patents
- Printed books
- Registered design
- Social enterprise
- Sound and vision
- Start-ups
- Startups in London Libraries
- Success stories
- Technology
- Trade marks
- Visual arts
- West Africa
- Women's histories
- Writing