29 July 2019
Follow JRPass’ Director through the Innovating for Growth programme: Branding and research
Each quarter, we pick 18 high-growth businesses to take part in our Innovating for Growth: Scale-ups programme, where businesses receive £10,000 worth of tailored and bespoke business support and advice. Not only do businesses gain three months of guidance, they also receive automatic membership to our Growth Club and their own Relationship Manager.
This quarter, we’re following Haroun, Director of JRPass, a train travel company for those exploring Japan by rail. Haroun will talk us through each session as he progresses through the programme to get the successes and challenges of what it’s like to run a growing businesses. You can see Haroun’s first blog on refining your business model and developing a growth strategy here, but this week, he talks us through the next lot of workshops and one-to-ones…
Branding
Tuesday 23 July
A large part of what attracted me to the Innovating for Growth programme was the branding component. It’s something that I have been thinking a lot about of late and we have to do much more work on. This week I attended the Branding workshop run by ABA agency. There were a lot of takeaways, especially concerning building an identity and the power of personality of a brand. This is vital in terms of your positioning in the marketplace, and crafting an authentic story with messaging behind your company’s journey. The most interesting and fun part was to break your brand identity down into terms of personality archetypes, for example The Magician, The Outlaw, The Lover!
For JRPass.com, I chose three:
- The Sage – At JRPass.com we are domain experts with deep knowledge of Japan. I hope we have sage-like characteristics of being smart, knowledgeable and wise about travelling there. One example being the free planning tools we provide for events such as the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
- The Ruler – As a company we are responsible and reliable in processing and dealing with our customer’s important and time-sensitive orders. We take great care in looking after our customers and ensuring they have a stress-free experience.
- The Explorer – This should be self-explanatory! We don’t sell packages and hope to encourage independent travel and hope to facilitate some wonderful discoveries and experiences.
At first this seemed quite an abstract exercise but it actually really did help to drill down into the character of our company brand.
Research
This week I also had a one-to-one to introduce me to the Business & IP Centre’s business research facilities. We can gain access to normally quite expensive industry reports from leading intel agencies on marketplace conditions and competitor analysis (Ed note: The Business & IP Centre has over £5m worth of online market reports from top publishers Mintel, Frost & Sullivan, Euromonitor and more as well as company data, business directories and more!). It was cool to see on one report on rail passes in Japan, our site was listed as the leader worldwide!
Visit our website for more information about the programme and how to apply.
You can read the next part of Haroun's Innovating for Growth diary here.
07 August 2018
If the Shoe Fits… Finding your Business Niche
Finding your niche in any market can be tough; who is your customer? What do they want? What are your competition doing? Amanda Overs, a graduate of the Business & IP Centre’s Innovating for Growth: Scale-up programme and founder of I Can Make Shoes, set up a shoemaking school after being unable to find a course to make shoes, without the need for heavy machinery.
“I was sick of being told ‘you can’t do it like that’” (by traditional shoemakers). With the demand for slow fashion and a resurgence of sewing and crafting, Amanda decided to put a positive spin on the negative backlash and eight years later has gone from running classes in her living room by herself to employing five part-time members of staff and running workshops almost every day of the year in both London and New York.
Research was crucial in finding out exactly who I Can Make Shoes’ customers were. Amanda says, “There has been a lot of trial and error over the years, but what I have found is the fastest, most efficient way of doing research is to actually ask your customer what they think. I regularly do surveys when I have a new idea to see what my audience think of it and recently started a Facebook community so that I can see for myself what it is that my students and customers really want and need.”
Amanda is always looking at ways to improve I Can Make Shoes’ offering and the business is always changing and improving. Something Amanda says is “key to staying ahead of the competition”. Not only do they run workshops for members of the public, but they also have online shoemaking instructions, sell components, and train designers from major high street brands such as ASOS, River Island and Adidas.
The Innovating for Growth programme has helped Amanda take I Can Make Shoes to the next level, “It’s helped me to step back and reassess the business as a whole and identify the key areas of potential growth. I started in a bit of a whirlwind and have been treading water ever since, so to have fresh (very experienced) eyes and non-biased opinions on my plans for the future has been absolutely priceless”.
What tips does Amanda have for finding your niche? “Trust your gut. Don't overthink every detail. Fail fast, learn faster and move on to the next thing.” Amanda lives by her rules, due to popular demand she will be offering a new sneaker course launching soon...
Apply now for over £10,000 worth of business advice!
If you are already running a business and are looking to take it to the next level like Amanda, our three-month Innovating for Growth programme can help turn your growth idea into a reality. Applications are now open, so find out more here and apply now!
This programme is fully-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the British Library.
05 July 2017
How Intellectual Property helped Julie Deane start a £10 million business from her kitchen table
So many small businesses lack IP awareness and understanding, but IP is something of an unsung hero and can prove critical in making or breaking a business.
The Business & IP Centre team are dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and SMEs understand what IP is and why it’s important, what IP they might have created and how they might increase their business success and profitability by protecting and exploiting that IP in the future. Over the years the team have supported thousands of small businesses unlock the value of their IP, and much of the support we provide in the Centre uses case studies and real-life stories to demonstrate how having a handle on your IP gives you a huge commercial advantage.
One such example is Julie Deane OBE, founder of The Cambridge Satchel Company, who has taken her business from the kitchen table and a £600 start-up budget to a global success story with a turnover of £10 million. Along the way Julie has overcome numerous business challenges including managing designers, manufacturers and overseas distributors, establishing web and physical retail sites around the globe and dealing with thousands of imitator brands. Here, in a free 30 minute podcast with the Intellectual Property Office, Julie lays the truth bare on how she’s developed strategies to tackle copycat websites, build the brand, keep putting the quality of the product at the heart of the business and “hang on to the passion that made you start the business in the first place.”
Here are our 3 ‘top tips’ for what you need to know when it comes to your Intellectual Property:
- Think about trade marks - Is your business name protectable in the countries that you wish to trade? Is it already being used or does the word have another meaning in a different country. Future investors will want to know that you have the rights to trade in the countries that they wish to trade in, and you need to consider this right from the start to give your business the best chance of success.
- If you’re creating a ‘thing’ - Do your research before filing for a patent; is there a market for your product? It is expensive and takes a long time to protect your idea so make sure you do your market research and can be confident that somebody will buy it at the end of the day. If you have paid for your product to be patented and want somebody to manufacture it for you, you also need to ensure you have agreements in place limiting their rights to your initial idea or design.
- Founder’s agreement - It is easy to set out a document with your business partner right at the start when setting up your business agreeing things like % of ownership and what should happen in the case of a dispute, or if one of you wish to sell then business and the other one doesn’t. Once a dispute has started it is much harder and messier so you need to make sure all parties are clear on this from day one.
You can find further help, support and information on IP in any of the eleven Business & IP Centres up and down the country, including the British Library in King’s Cross. Speak to any one of our specialist staff face-to-face, over the phone or by email. You can also log on to our free of charge online workshops to grow your knowledge about IP, and increase your chances of business success.
Julie Deane is Entrepreneur in Residence at the British Library and a huge champion for ambitious business owners. She recently gave advice and practical tips on Intellectual Property at the Library’s Scale-up Summit alongside Will Butler-Adams, CEO of Brompton Bicycles. Cambridge Satchel and Brompton recently launched a range of colour-matching bags and bikes where the satchel fitted perfectly to the handlebars. This ‘made-in-heaven’ brand match caught the attention of the press and delivered extremely high sales. Will and Julie's opening keynote presentation on ‘Getting your business in the media’ was a great success too.
17 February 2017
SNO – The ski travel company with big ambitions
Richard Sinclair is the founder of SNO and Innovating for Growth: Scale-ups graduate. His company specialises in helping customers find the perfect ski/snowboarding holiday packages online, suiting their specific needs, and at the best prices available. Having started the company in 2006 after accidentally noticing a gap in the market, SNO has gone on to become the fastest-growing ski travel business in the UK.
In 2014, Richard saw that there was an opportunity to scale up and decided to apply for the Innovating for Growth programme. The three-month course proved to be the catalyst for SNO to grow, and Richard credits the programme for giving him the focus and the tools to execute his vision. With over £10,000 worth of bespoke business advice, Innovating for Growth is perfect for small to medium sized enterprises hoping to grow. To find out more about the Scale-ups programme click here.
SNO is very much your second career, how did your twelve years at the BBC influence your entrepreneurial journey?
Deeply. As a former BBC executive producer, making factual TV for prime time, I can pinpoint three key periods with “Auntie” which pointed me down this road. I got my customer focus from early days at consumer champion Watchdog, indulged my love of science and technology at Tomorrow’s World and slaked my thirst for travel while running the Holiday programme.
These programmes, and the talented and passionate people I worked with, definitely fed into my desire to build an online travel business, but it was a documentary series where I spent a month filming a race to the North Pole, which taught me the real power of perseverance… and just how much further we can push ourselves, beyond the limits that we have imagined. This experience uncovered the tenacity needed to build a business from scratch. Crucially, it taught me that the most fun and fulfilment is to be had by tackling the hardest challenges with the most talented and driven teams.
Having started as a “creative”, directing and producing telly, I later found (having climbed the greasy pole to become quite senior) that I really loved the business and finance side of running a large department in the BBC and particularly the building and leading of talented teams of people, as we all worked towards a common goal.
Having successfully completed the Innovating for Growth programme, would you say it has benefited your business, and would you recommend the programme to your peers?
Innovating for Growth was the lens which helped focus our plans. When you’re starting out and focused on getting traction, the very specific coaching in discrete areas such as product development, branding and marketing helps to crystalise your often amorphous BHAGs (big-hairy-audacious-goals) into more practical and immediately actionable insights… which allow you to continually execute.
One of the key markers of success in an entrepreneur is to “execute” again and again, all day, all week, month in and month out. Innovating for Growth gives you the tools to keep delivering on your vision.
I would recommend this programme to any entrepreneur, but especially those less experienced in leading and growing a business, as it gives you the know-how and tools in a short space of time, which are usually garnered through a lifetime of trial and error.
The travel industry seems a world away from the media. What was the specific event that started SNO?
SNO came about accidentally, as a by-product of naively thinking I could “just build a website” to rent out my flat in Chamonix in the French Alps, when not using it. We ended up creating the world’s first ski resort guide which worked on all phones “The whole ski resort in your pocket!” (back when mobile web was new and hard to do across all devices).
Cutting a long story short, we toured the alps (in a vintage Airstream) and quickly realised that the “business” was in selling holidays business-to-consumer, not selling advertising business-to-business to all the locals in the guide. That was our big pivot and sno.mobi the mobile guide became sno.co.uk the online travel agent.
We also got to know many of the remarkable people who make your visits to the mountains so special and decided we wanted to support them and their communities. To this day we advertise all local ski schools, rental, transfer drivers, bars, restaurants, etc. free of charge on SNO, so they can benefit from our huge web traffic too. We’re also working on a Platform/Marketplace technology project which we believe can change the travel industry globally, and give all those literally millions of micropreneurs, in resorts and destinations around the world, access to the big travel distribution channels that they could never reach themselves – it’s a classic “tech disintermediation” idea whose time has come.
You started SNO selling ski holidays, so what made you want to move beyond that quite large travel niche?
It’s true that skiing and snowboarding is a passion for us at SNO, but it’s just one facet of the bigger love of all types of travel. In addition, the biggest motivation to grown beyond ski holidays is the very seasonal nature of the industry. Each autumn we hire new talent to work in reservations and every winter there are always some “keepers” who we love working with and want to bring into the family as SNO grows. As you can imagine, it’s heartbreaking to have to “crew-down” each spring when there’s not enough work for a big team over the summer, so we set about fixing that.
Any great business is really about the people – even a technology business like ours – so we’re growing into beach holidays and then cruises, to keep creating jobs for the talent we’re lucky enough to work with.
The UK is the world’s 5th biggest economy, but your sights are set higher. What are your plans for global expansion?
We’re a UK technology and travel business, but we’ve been plotting ways to map our success here into other territories. It makes sense to start in the same language, so we’re building SNO in America and a US-centric version of SNO.co.uk for that market. We’re rebuilding our entire technology stack to accommodate multi-domain, multi-region delivery with multi-languages. The content management system and even the product descriptions need a version for each country, as English-speaking Americans search for “ski vacations” rather than “ski holidays” and ski chalets tend to be called ski lodges over there. And, of course, we also need to re-engineer our systems to accommodate multi-currency and find novel ways to turn UK-departing packages into trips that depart from the USA instead.
The key to the successful globalisation of any business is “localisation”. Not just language, domain, currency and marketing, but even the technology of being a big, fast and reliable website around the world. It means we have to get our heads around technologies like CDN (content delivery networks) so that content for e.g. New York is not being served from thousands of miles away in York(shire).
As they say “if it was easy, everyone would be doing it”...
You mentioned a big technology project designed to disrupt the global travel industry. I think you need to tell us more.
I can’t go into details, as we’re still working on the technology and are speaking to parties interested in funding this as a separate business.
The project has been dubbed “Etsy for Travel” and “Amazon for Travel” but it’s much bigger than that.
I’ve been to the North Pole, driven an F1 car and managed a few Ironman races but I can honestly say that, (apart from having two amazing children), this is the most exciting thing I’ve worked on in my life.
You’ve bootstrapped SNO to $5m revenue as an online travel agent, so why are you considering investmenting in the Travel Marketplace?
We did bootstrap SNO, but it took five years just to get this far, and I’m determined to work on the Travel Marketplace project at a much faster pace. It can scale enormously and very quickly with the right team – we already have a positive relationship with thousands of travel entrepreneurs in resorts worldwide, and the technology is not rocket science, so it’s all going to be in the execution. We’ll use investment mainly to fill existing roles at SNO, so I can bring my core team into this project full time.
We’re working on the details of the project now and will raise £500k seed, so interested investors should drop me a line!
Are you an ambitious business owner looking to scale up, like SNO? Innovating for Growth is a free three-month programme to help you turn your growth idea into a reality.
The programme is fully-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the British Library.
15 August 2016
Waste not, want not. The business of turning discarded food into delicious chutney
We caught up with Jenny Dawson Costa, founder and CEO, of relish range Rubies in the Rubble. But Rubies is much more than just a range of yummy relishes – the business is built on sustainable values turning surplus fruit and veg into something tasty rather than wasting it. Their range of relishes is inspired by home-cooked recipes they started making in their kitchen. Now they’re stocked in major retailers throughout the UK and the business continues to grow day-by-day.
When was Rubies in the Rubble set up and what was it that inspired the business?
The idea for Rubies in the Rubble came after a very early morning visit to a wholesale fruit and veg market on my bike one frosty day in November 2010.
I fell in love with the market - such a diverse range of people living by night and sleeping by day; a world of farmers, wholesalers, restaurant owners and market sellers trading anything from durians to brussel sprouts.
But just along from the bustle of the traders were the piles of unwanted fruit and veg - mange tout from Kenya, mangos from the Philippines, tomatoes from Turkey, cranberries for California which bypassed the bustle of traders and headed straight for the bin! And what really saddened me was that much of these, though potentially with a short shelf life, were perfectly edible!
It got me thinking about the impossibility of matching supply and demand when you have unpredictable weather, unpredictable humans and supermarkets that provide everything in plentiful piles throughout the year.
I then buried myself in researching food waste and realising its scale and implications – both environmentally and financially. However, it was a simple fact that compelled me to act: we are wasting 1/3 of all the food we produce, whilst 1bn people go to bed hungry. I’m not saying I know the solution but there are improvements that we can make to the current system.
And then it came to me: a premium food brand making delicious products from fruit and vegetables that would otherwise be discarded.
What challenges have you faced along the way?
There seems to be a never-ending array of new challenges each day which keeps life interesting!
Initially the challenges were mainly around educating people about why waste or surplus existed and the need to value our supply chain. However, our greatest challenges now are around scaling up our production and winning new customers.
What has been the business’s biggest achievement so far?
The most exciting was being on the BBC News. They sent a car just 5 mins after calling me about the interview. I was in a hoody, looking pretty much the worse for wear, with no knowledge of the news story but off I went and had an amazing live interview on food waste in the UK.
But my proudest moment was a letter from the Queen. I’m a big fan of hers so I wrote to her asking what her favourite chutney was as I wanted to make her one for the Jubilee. She probably thought I was 10 years old, but wrote back with a lovely letter saying she couldn’t tell me her favourites but would love to try my chutney - so I sent her the range and she loved them!
What one piece of advice would you give to any business owners struggling to take their business to the next level?
I would advise them to really test their business out on a small scale first. Talk to lots of people, know how you are going to make your product and get it into the hands of the consumer to see where the challenges might lie.
Then, when you know there is a market for your product and how you are going to make it, just go for it whole-heartedly – give it your best shot and hope for the best.
How has the Innovating for Growth programme helped you?
It was great to have some time out from the day-to-day business and focus on the big picture and plan for growth. Reminding us that you can’t do everything at once and you need to concentrate on getting what you’re currently doing right before moving on to the next thing.
Finally, what’s next on the horizon for Rubies in the Rubble?
We’re really excited for the future and our next steps. We have been focused on making sure we nail it before we scale it for the last 3 years at Rubies and we are now confident that we have a valued brand and robust plan to really go for it. We are now developing new products with the hope of becoming an umbrella brand of great tasting foods made with the same ethos.
Watch this space!
Apply now for over £10,000 worth of business advice
Are you a start-up looking to scale up, like Rubies? Innovating for Growth is a fully funded three-month programme to help you turn your growth idea into a reality.
Covering everything from intellectual property to reaching new markets and branding, we'll guide you through every step of the way to help your business achieve its growth ambitions.
11 August 2016
How we amped-up our business strategy and our trading firm took off
Amplify are a trading firm that provide training and expertise for those interested in moving into the financial markets to become a trader. They have pioneered a new training programme, raising the industry standard for trading talent. We asked them about their unique approach to trading and how they have established their high-regarded reputation in the industry.
When was Amplify set up and what was it that inspired you to start the business?
We started Amplify in 2009 as a small trading firm in Canary Wharf. As we grew our team we wanted to create a new and better way to develop our new traders. Rather than relying on out-of-date models and theory, we wanted to revolutionise the way economics and finance were taught, using technology and experiential learning to make their training relevant to the markets today.
What challenges has the business faced along the way?
The industry is incredibly competitive and at first it was hard to make our mark. Reputation is everything, so we always tried to treat every person that has ever come into contact with Amplify with the upmost care and consideration. This has meant growth has perhaps been slower than it could have been, but as we enter into our eighth year the hard work in building a reputation of quality and integrity is starting to pay off.
What has been the business’s biggest achievement so far?
Many of the world’s largest financial institutions, and some of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions, use our technology to perform better and this is great justification of the value of what we do. It’s also excellent to see candidates that we have worked with landing some of the best roles in the industry, from central banks to hedge funds and investment banks. Receiving their feedback and seeing how well they have done is incredibly rewarding.
What one piece of advice would you give to any business owners struggling to take their business to the next level?
As soon as you can, hire an employee to manage the operation that you have built so you can get on with helping it grow.
You were successful applicants on our Innovating for Growth programme – how has it helped you?
The sessions during the three-month programme gave us an invaluable reminder to refocus on the bigger picture, along with giving us the necessary tools to create value from that focus. For us the most useful elements were redefining our business strategy and implementation; making sure the whole team is aware of the business objectives and core values of the firm, and that all involved are on board in helping to achieve those objectives.
Finally, what’s next on the horizon for Amplify?
Since the Innovating for Growth programme we have made our first hire abroad with our office in New York officially opening in September. The co-founders have moved away from the London trading floor to be based in a separate location so we can be physically removed from the day-to-day running and focus on the growth objectives of the firm. After New York opens in September, we start a road show in Hong Kong and Singapore this November.
Apply now for over £10,000 worth of business advice
Are you a start-up looking to scale up, like Amplify? Innovating for Growth is a fully funded three-month programme to help you turn your growth idea into a reality.
Covering everything from intellectual property to reaching new markets and branding, we'll guide you through every step of the way to help your business achieve its growth ambitions.
The programme is fully-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the British Library.
10 August 2016
How I took my business from a small start-up to a super success
Arit Eminue started her business because she was passionate about giving young people opportunities to achieve their dreams no matter what their background, social class, gender or ethnicity.
Her business, DiVA, matches young talent with outstanding employers through government backed apprenticeships, giving people the opportunity to ‘earn while they learn’ and help businesses gain the skills they need to remain competitive.
Since the launch of the business in January 2011, DiVA have provided apprenticeships to over 200 creative youngsters with employers like 20th Century Fox, UK Music, Universal, Southbank Centre, Sadlers Wells, Crossrail and many more.
We caught up with founder and Director, Arit, to find out how she’s done it.
Hi Arit! Where did the idea for your business come from?
We started delivering apprenticeships in 2011. Before this, I had secured grant funding to provide a wage subsidy to film businesses hiring graduate talent. At the time the entry route to the industry was through unpaid work placements, which the sector was trying to combat. Our graduate programme addressed this issue, and was incredibly successful with a high number of graduates gaining full-time employment post-internship.
Low-cost recruitment worked, but the grant funding dried up. Apprenticeships in the creative sector launched, essentially allowing businesses to recruit and train employees at a budget they could afford. I enjoyed playing the “Fairy Job Mother”, matching the right candidates to the best role for them, so I switched focus to apprenticeship recruitment and training. We started with six apprentices and now have 150 young people currently engaged in apprenticeships, carrying out many jobs businesses depend on such as; general administrators, social media assistants, marketing assistants, HR administrators, receptionists and finance assistants.
What challenges did you face in the early stages?
Changing perceptions. Apprenticeships were viewed as a poor alternative to a degree. Employers had such low expectations of non-graduate talent, and thought hiring an apprentice was too complicated and it would take too long for an apprentice to get up to speed. Having recruited graduate and non-graduate talent I can say with surety having a degree does not guarantee you’re work ready.
In addition to changing perceptions about apprenticeships, running a small business gives me an understanding of the pressures employers are under, so my team and I work hard to make their lives easier. We take the headache out of recruitment by providing a full service. We submit grant funding applications and have all paperwork and training schedules issued up front so there are no surprises. We’re also at the other end of a phone throughout the process and beyond.
What has been DiVA’s biggest achievement so far?
Still being in business five years down the line - with not a grey hair in sight! Also we have a very high conversion rate from an apprenticeship into full-time employment and each time this happens I’m reminded that apprenticeships do work.
You grew the business with the help of our Innovating for Growth programme. What specifically did the programme help you achieve?
The Innovating for Growth programme helped me to develop my team in line with my plans for growth. The programme also helped increase our client base. I had previously focussed on creative companies as opposed to creative occupations (e.g. marketing and communications), which are in any sector. Being encouraged to shift my thinking in this regard helped broaden our reach and attract non-creative businesses such as the CBI, Hackney Council, Greenwich Council and JJ Roofing.
What one piece of advice would you give to any business owners struggling to take their business to the next level?
Scheduling one day per week to work on the business (rather than just in it) was the best piece of advice I was given, so it seems only fair to share it. Admittedly, it wasn’t an easy habit to adopt. However, forcing myself to do it has paid dividends. Also, apply for Innovating for Growth and let experts give you the help you need to succeed – it doesn’t cost you or your business anything other than your time.
Apply now for over £10,000 worth of business advice
Are you a start-up looking to scale up, like DiVA? Innovating for Growth is a free three-month programme to help you turn your growth idea into a reality.
Covering everything from intellectual property to reaching new markets and branding, we'll guide you through every step of the process.
The programme is fully-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the British Library.
04 April 2016
Spotlight on … Tangle Teezer
Inventor Shaun Pulfrey‘s life changed when he launched a revolutionary hair product, Tangle Teezer, in 2007. Nine years later innovation is still at the heart of everything Tangle Teezer do. We asked Shaun about his entrepreneurial journey and he told us how working with the British Library’s Innovating for Growth programme helped him along the way.
Where did the idea for the Tangle Teezer come from and how did it get off the ground?
I was working as a colourist at Vidal Sassoon when I realised tangled hair was a huge problem in salons. I had mastered my own technique to detangle hair using a brush and a comb together, tapping at the tangles to loosen them. My idea was to put this technique into a tool so that anyone could detangle as well as I could. I spent hours in the British Library researching plastics and injection moulding to find a material that would work best, it needed to be flexible but still return to its original position. I worked with a designer to finally come up with The Original detangling brush, when I got my first sample back even I was shocked at how well it worked. Once I had my finished product, I lined up a stand at The Clothes Show Live and also took my product on Dragons’ Den. These both came within a couple of weeks of each other. After Dragons’ Den, even though I didn’t get backing, my website crashed instantly with sales. I knew I had a product that worked and I knew the viewers understood it. The next week at The Clothes Show Live a buyer for Boots tried The Original and that’s when the ball really started rolling.
The brand has gone from strength to strength – how do you tell the story of the brand/business?
I have learnt so much from building Tangle Teezer; the first being that I always try and take a negative and turn it into a positive. I worked with my rejection on Dragons’ Den and turned it around to work in my favour. After the show, I started to build worldwide awareness for my brand by listing on global websites and it was from this I gained enquiries from distributors all around the globe wanting to distribute my product. This was really encouraging as many brands have to source their own distributors. My first enquiries came from Belgium and the Netherlands. It was from then, my brand started to snowball. I’m now working with a strong team of 45 and I couldn’t do any of it without them. Although I had created the product, I knew I wasn’t an expert in all aspects of the business so I hired people who were. We’re now selling in over 65+ countries worldwide, have sold 27m brushes since launch and sell 20 brushes a minute. Even I still find those stats hard to believe.
What has been your biggest achievement so far?
For the brand, I think it would have to be winning two Queen’s awards, one for innovation and one for international trade. This was a really proud moment for me and I even got to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
What challenges have you faced along the way?
I experienced many challenges while building Tangle Teezer and that’s the way I saw them, as challenges not setbacks. With Tangle Teezer, we began shipping overseas really quickly with word spreading like wildfire about the product and although this was incredible the first major problem we faced was meeting the demand. In the first stages it was really difficult to keep up, although now we’re able to reach demand for all of our overseas markets.
You grew the business with the help of our Innovating for Growth programme. What specifically did the programme help you achieve?
More than anything the programme gave me the rare opportunity to take a temporary step back from the business and to review what we had done well, and why – and also where there was scope for improvement. Having experts give us advice on the programme enabled us to reflect upon our current processes and knowledge gaps. This has given us a real sense of renewed momentum and perhaps even greater confidence that we are prepared for the challenges ahead.
What one piece of advice would you give to any business owners struggling to take their business to the next level?
Speaking on behalf of Tangle Teezer I have to say think about your investments. These may not be things that give instant return but down the line become invaluable. I invested a huge amount of money in intellectual property to protect my product at the very beginning and a lot of the brand’s success is owed to this.
If you too would like to be as big as Tangle Teezer but need some support along the way, sign up for our free three-month Innovating for Growth programme.
Innovating for Growth is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund
24 March 2016
Innovating for Growth - a success story for the Business & IP Centre London
The second Innovating for Growth project (match funded by the European Regional Development Fund ERDF and the British Library) will be starting in a few weeks. So this seems a good time to step back and take a look at the first one.
Initially a three year project, but extended by an additional year, Innovating for Growth was a new venture for the Business & IP Centre in several aspects. For the first time we specifically targeted growing companies, rather than our traditional market of inventors and start-ups.
This was perfect timing for us, as we had managed to help generate quite a few successful small business during our first five years. They were looking for help to get themselves to the next level, by developing new products or services, or moving into new markets.
We took a different approach by developing a three month programme of tailored support, instead of our previous generic support model of advice and workshops. This suited our customers, who were under much tighter time pressures from the day-to-day running of their businesses, compared to those in start-up phase. For the same reason we recruited two Relationship Managers in the shape of Julie Simpkin and Jeremy O’Hare. They came from the existing team working in the Business & IP Centre, so had a good understanding of how new business managers think.
Victoria Eggs used the Innovating for Growth to help grow her business
In addition we recruited a team of partner organisations to deliver the support these growth businesses required. These covered the following elements:
• Strategy – Red Ochre
• Marketing – Amanda Prout
• Intellectual Property – asb law
• Branding - ABA
• Product and service development - Makersco
• Business sustainability – Red Ochre
So how did we actually do? The answers to that question can be found in our Economic Impact Analysis infographic.
In summary the project helped 241 companies create 249 jobs (25% above target), and increased their turnover by £77million (378% above the £18m target).
For every £1 of public sector money spent the project generated a payback of £7.60.
In addition we achieved above target results for the socially inclusive and environmental elements of the project. We helped; 43% female-led businesses (%53 above), 39% Black, Asian and minority ethnic-led business (34% above), 4% disabled-led businesses (25% above), and 7% environment businesses (56% above).
Overall 97% of the businesses completing the programme were very satisfied or satisfied, and 98% said they would recommend the programme to others.
My two favourite quotes from customers were:
“The British Library helped us transform our business. They were fantastic and have put us in a really great position.”
“The Relationship Manager is ‘the glue’ that holds the programme together.”
For me our customers results and opinions are the best indicator of success we could have, but it was also nice to be recognized by the ERDF when the project was shortlisted for the RegioStars Europe wide award. And being asked to host a visit from EU Commission Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva last October was a great honour.
Project Manager Christina Murphy welcoming EU Commission Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva
I would like to thank everyone involved in making this such an amazing success for the British Library. The Business Marketing team headed by Isabel Oswell, and the Reference and Research team headed by Nigel Spencer provided important support to the Innovating for Growth team. Thanks also to our partners who played a vital role in delivering the project, and adapting to the programme as it developed over the four years.
But main credit must go to Irini Efthimiadou Growth Programme Service Liaison Manager, Francesca Cesare-Pintorno Programme Coordinator, Jeremy and Julie Relationship Managers, and finally Christina Murphy Project Manager, who nurtured the programme from its first hesitant first-steps to become such a confident British Library success story.
You can find out about the second Innovating for Growth project on our website.
Neil Infield on behalf of Innovation and Enterprise Team
26 February 2016
Spotlight on ... Kalory Photo and Video Studio
London based visual content marketing studio, Kalory, grew their business with the help of the Business & IP Centre’s Innovating for Growth programme. Now, on their fifth anniversary, we asked Director and Co-founder Franck Jehanne to reflect on his experience of starting and running a successful business.
Hi Franck - Kalory is turning five this year, congratulations! Thinking back to when you started, what prompted you to start a business?
I always wanted to have my own business and from my early teenage years I was drafting business plans. However, I started my career in the corporate world and eventually left my job as a luxury brand manager to pursue my own business. However, I wasn’t sure what my business would be at that point.
I started to explore different industries with my partner, Brijesh, who was working as a freelance photographer. We were initially thinking of starting a clothing company but I received a call from a client from my previous job who was looking for a photographer. And, just like that, our business started to come together. My partner and I worked together, combining my retail and luxury industry experience with Brijesh’s sense of aesthetics and technical photography skills.
You’ve worked with big brands like Montblanc and Habitat - how do you stand out in the market and get the attention of brands like these?
Some of our customers come by word of mouth and others from Google search. They look at our photography portfolios online. They like what they see and contact us. We also do a lot of work on our SEO.
A large part of our success with big brands is our attention to detail and our clients often mention our reliability as a key factor for working with us. We work as a team and almost 100% of our images go through several processes to ensure best quality: technical and creative lighting and photographic skills, retouching skills and editing and composition skills before and after the shoot, so that the final image meets the client’s brief and objective.
You were a participant our Innovating for Growth programme, what obstacles did it help you overcome?
The Innovating for Growth team helped us a lot by giving us the confidence to hire our first employee. The programme is also really good at forcing you to step back and analyse your business. You are often so busy that you neglect your strategy or marketing. By raising questions and discussing the business, we changed some crucial elements in our branding and commercial strategies. The group sessions were also extremely useful. We met entrepreneurs with similar issues but in other industries and that’s a great way to make you think outside the box.
What advice would you give to other small businesses on the importance of using visual content on their websites?
Great visuals are vital to creating your brand and they also help distinguish you from your competitors. Using stock photography can be convenient but, as they are not exclusive to your business, they can be damaging for SEO (Google doesn’t like content that’s not unique and targeted). Budgets are usually tight, but it’s crucial to spend whatever budget you have wisely.
If clients come to us with a budget for photography or video, we help them define their needs and what is possible in that financial frame. For example, there are many different ways to shoot and various levels of lighting and retouching, so we can always manage to deliver a project within a budget.
It is about the quality of images, not the quantity. Fewer images that are well planned and executed say a lot more about the product or the company than many images with no real meaning. They are also more versatile and can be cropped in different ways - a good image, in general, can be used in different formats: banners, square, portrait, landscape, etc. The best way to maximise your photographers’ time is to brief them before the shoot with as much information as possible about what you want your photos to ‘say’ about your business or product.
What do you feel have been your biggest achievements during the past five years?
We were finalists in the London FSB Business Awards 2013 in the "Best New Business" Category, which was great recognition for our business.
But our biggest achievement is the very loyal and recurrent client base we have grown. Some trust us with very large projects that we shoot every year. We have also expanded to take on clients outside the ‘luxury’ market including fellow SMEs. This has enabled us to create a broader client base and we now work with all sizes of business, from small start-ups to large global brands.
Our clients trust us and are happy with the results and I think that’s definitely the best reward you can have when you have your own business.
We are now taking applications for the next Innovating for Growth programme find out how you can apply today.
Innovating for Growth is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund
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