The Merry Little Christmas Party

There’s certainly no need to be lonely this Christmas especially if you are a sole trader or very small company!

The Merry Little Christmas Party is being organised by If we can, you can member Melissa Wood, a marketing consultant from I Certainly Wood and a network of other small businesses who are supporting the event.

The idea is that as a sole trader or a company with just 3 or 4 people, the possibility of
Christmas Party can be fairly slim. Melissa, herself was not keen on the idea of a
party for one!

“I always like to have a good party and meet new people. I work with a lot of sole traders and smaller companies and we all thought it would be a great idea to get together for Christmas. There must be lots of other people in similar situations, so why not share a party!”

Partnering up with Oldfields Noted Eating Houses means that the food as well as the atmosphere will be fantastic. Oldfields are know for real British food that is cooked simply using seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. They are also excellent hosts!

The event details are as follows:-

Date: Wednesday 16th December 2009

Venue: Oldfields Noted Eating Houses
Milburn House
Dean Street
Newcastle
NE1 1LF

http://www.oldfieldsrestaurants.com/

Ticket includes: Complimentary reception drink
Wine and ale tasting
3 course meal
Competitions and prizes

£20 per head (plus £1.50 booking fee)

Tickets can be purchased from:-

http://merrylittlechristmasparty.eventbrite.com/

1DayLater: An Update

When brothers Paul and David King (aka the Kings) first joined the IWCYC community back in May this year, they spoke about how they are trying to ‘break’ into entrepreneurship, with aspirations of one day giving back to the community after all the help they had received in setting up their joint venture thus far.

Cut to six months later, and plans are full steam ahead for the launch of their company 1DayLater, an innovative activity tracking tool which helps start up and small businesses to keep track of their time, receipts, payments and business miles using a simple web interface.

Rather than scribbling activities onto the nearest post-it or the back of your hand, 1DayLater lets you log these snippets of activity in under 10 seconds. The result is that you have a valuable resource which can help you become more productive and profitable through improved working habits.

The brothers have currently launched their beta version whilst they gather feedback and iron out their offering, under a freemium model. You can log onto http://www.1daylater.com/ and benefit from their services for no charge until further notice, and have a sneaky peek at new features as they are developed.

Paul and David have also set up an online blog, http://blog.1daylater.com/, charting their start up journey through the challenges, including pitching to investors, the successes, such as the release of their animated introduction feature and being asked to speak at the launch of Durham Entrepreneurs’ Society.

It’s a fascinating ‘diary’ which provides a unique insight into the impact of their decision to start their own business and the difference it has made on their lives, their views on the North East’s technology industry, how they are now tackling the world of entrepreneurship and building research for their company. Here’s a very smaller taster of some of their highlights so far.…

In May, 1DayLater was identified by The Journal in the Top Ten North East Brands. The newspaper asked their readers which big names they thought were most synonymous with the North East and to nominate the brand names that they were proud to have associated with the region.

1Day Later was named as an “Up and coming contender which could soon be helping to organise us all,” and joined the ranks of well established companies such as Berghaus, Abbey Well, Nissan and Brown Ale on the impressive list.

In June, Paul and David were part of a number of entrepreneurs in the North East who came to the rapid defence of the region when it came under attack from an article by Telegraph reporter Milo Yiannopoulos. Milo’s piece, entitled, “Its [still] grim up North” was roundly criticised and labelled ‘ignorant’ and ‘outrageous’ for its views on the North East’s tech scene and it’s support structure.

Paul and David said in response, “I think the North East is a fantastic place to set up a business. The talent is here, the minds are here, and the infrastructure’s here. And the region is full of passionate people.

“So far we've been helped by many local regeneration schemes in the North East including Sunderland Software Ventures, Teesside IDI, and expert advice from Codeworks. I think that rather than being "grim up north" it's actually an exciting and thriving environment to be starting a business in.”

In September, 1DayLater was shortlisted for the Kingpin Intelligence competition. Kingpin are a London based marketing agency focussed on technology, and the prize involved £7,500 worth of marketing and PR expertise.

Paul and David were told to prepare a two minute ‘sans PowerPoint’ presentation, which sold the business idea and formed a convincing argument as to why they wanted to win, and how the money would be used. Beating off stiff competition from five shortlisted finalists, 1DayLater emerged as the overall winner.

Speaking about their journey from the beginning of the year, Paul said, “To date, everything has gone even better than we could have hoped for. It’s been a complete rollercoaster ride and we’ve met lots of inspirational people. I guess we’ve learned to expect the unexpected now!

"The fact that I’m working alongside my brother means it’s less like work and more like an adventure. Also the knowledge that we are helping small businesses become more productive and potentially creating a better future for ourselves and our family is great."

Award-winning start for new online business

It has been a memorable – and award-winning – two weeks for a new Hartlepool company.

Restoration & Beyond launched its online store for self-builders and period home owners on November 6th at one of the UK’s biggest homes shows - the Home Building & Renovating Show in Harrogate. And two weeks later, one of the company’s founders Christine Pearce picked up the ‘One to Watch’ award at the 2009 Women Into the Network (WIN) awards which celebrate female entrepreneurship.

“The launch was a huge success” said Christine. “We attracted many homeowners to our stand who said that our site is just what they need to find the right suppliers and service providers”.

Fellow director Paula Smith added: “We also had many other exhibitors come to us to find out how they could join as they were very impressed with what they saw. This is very heartening after a year of extremely hard work in developing the business and website”.

The pair barely had time to unpack their bags before heading up to Tyneside for the 2009 WIN Awards, (Women into the Network), sponsored by Business Link on Friday 20th November. The event, now in its 10th year, honours enterprising women from all around the North East. Hosted by former BBC presenter Wendy Gibson, more than 400 of the region’s most enterprising women and their supporters gathered at the Hilton hotel on the Quayside .

Christine received the ‘One to Watch’ award on behalf of the company. That award is given to a business that has either just started trading or is close to launch and recognises "vision, determination and a business idea that demonstrates real market and commercial understanding."

Christine also became an ‘Ambassador for Entrepreneurship’ in the ‘If We Can, You Can’ Challenge earlier this year, organised by the Entrepreneurs Forum.

Christine said, “If you have a business idea, don’t keep it to yourself. There are so many excellent organisations available who can offer real help to get your business off the ground. We have had help from Business Link, Hartlepool Enterprise Agency, Be-Enterprising, the ‘If We Can, You Can’ team (Entrepreneurs Forum) and Women into the Network and also really good help from our bank and mentor, James Robson of Exwold. If you’re willing to work hard and believe in your idea, it will eventually pay off”.

Jonathan helps to launch new venture, 'SendSocial.com'

SendSocial.com, the world’s 1st address-less parcel delivery service, has launched in the UK. SendSocial.com provides the public with the ability to send parcels without an address to anyone with either a Twitter account or e-mail address starting from £3.99, which includes both collection and delivery.

SendSocial.com is the latest creation by noted Entrepreneur Ben Way, who is best known for his appearance on Channel 4’s “Secret Millionaire”. Ben posted the idea of address-less delivery on his blog and selected 8 budding entrepreneurs who engaged with him through Twitter. Within hours of assembling the management team they began working on the concept.

Thanks to online applications, Google Docs, Skype and other communication and social media tools the team were able to ignore their geographic displacement. The team consists of Ben Way (29, Florida), Glen Richardson (27, Cumbria), Antony Stevenson (24, Derby), our very own Jonathan Grubin (18, Newcastle), Marc Falk (21, Denmark), Simon Campbell (31, London), Tom Beckenham (35, London) and James Cranwell-Ward (24, London).

Senders make a request to their recipient via SendSocial.com and a Twitter message or e-mail is sent on their behalf. Once the recipient accepts the request, they can choose where they would like the parcel to be sent; the sender never sees the recipient’s address.

The sender is then provided with an address-less label and the parcel is collected the next day. Conveniently, the parcel can be stored in a safe place in case the sender isn’t around.

myHermes, SendSocial.com’s courier partners, scan the barcode on SendSocial.com’s unique address-less label, and the parcel is then automatically routed to the recipient within 3-to-5 working days.

Ben Way, Co-Founder of SendSocial.com, shares his enthusiasm for the launch of SendSocial.com: “I’m truly excited about the launch of SendSocial.com. Like most people in this fast-paced world I have lost track of the addresses of people I need to send things to and could not believe that there was not a better solution to the old-fashioned address. I predict that with a little help from SendSocial.com, in another few years nobody will have to use a physical address to send anything again. Sending things to friends and family has often been inconvenient, as well, and SendSocial.com takes the pain out of sending.”

Hundreds of ordinary Twitter users were given shares in SendSocial.com for offering feedback when Ben floated the idea in March, and the management team is working hard to make them all millionaires.

The team chose to partner with myHermes, who have a 30-year trading history and are the UK’s largest courier-based home delivery network, delivering over 100 million parcels every year.

The partnership between SendSocial.com and myHermes enables consumers to send parcels to anyone they wish by simply knowing the Twitter name or e-mail address of the recipient. SendSocial.com allows users to manage their addresses and select the most convenient location for delivery to be made, such as work or home.

Commercial Director of myHermes, Jon Tobbell, comments on the partnership with SendSocial.com: “Everyone at myHermes is bursting with anticipation with the launch of SendSocial.com. We’ve been working extremely hard to accommodate address-less parcel delivery to ensure the recipient’s address is kept confidential via our new handheld terminal technology. We’re ready for volume sales, given our existing corporate client base, including Next, QVC, and other well-known companies.”

As SendSocial.com is a secure repository of addresses, SendSocial.com will soon be integrating with major online retailers to allow their users to send gifts to friends and family using just a Twitter name or e-mail address.

Prime Minister backs ‘can-do’ campaign

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has lent his support to the ‘If we can, you can’ campaign, inspired and driven by the Entrepreneurs’ Forum.

The campaign was launched last year to help raise aspirations and ambition in the region, inspire people to set up businesses and grow them faster, and to re-instill the North East’s ‘can do’ culture that is famed for the world over.

The region’s entrepreneurial activity has been increasing since 2002, and ‘If we can, you can’ has been designed to help push this rate of growth further.

Yesterday, Mr Brown praised the efforts of the campaign, run by the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, and said such initiatives would help ensure a strong future for Britain.

“I am pleased to support the ‘If we can, you can’ campaign which provides a great opportunity for the business leaders of the future to showcase their talents and embark on an exciting entrepreneurial journey.

“With overall early stage entrepreneurial activity in the North East increasing by almost two per cent from 3.2 per cent in 2002 to 5.1 per cent in 2008 and communities working together to see Britain through the economic downturn, now is the ideal time for the next generation of entrepreneurs in the North East to realise their enterprising potential.

"I want to congratulate the Entrepreneurs’ Forum on this campaign which I hope will inspire more and more people to turn their ideas into reality and start their own business. Initiatives of this kind will help ensure a strong entrepreneurial future for our country.”

Nickelodeon says ‘I like’ Back 2 Front’s Animations

An animation company from Teesside is celebrating its work being aired on NickToons, the UK animation channel that promises to make you ‘Laugh Your Pants Off’.

The Nickelodeon team was so impressed with a taster animation they found online that they commissioned husband and wife team Talib and Sarah Kadhim at Back 2 Front Animation to produce six humorous shorts.

The series of short films entitled ‘I Like’ has developed from the innovative company’s original taster, ‘I like Brains’ which sees a cheeky and slightly gruesome central character prod and poke the inside of his exposed brain then lick his finger; only to regret his actions soon after!

Delighted about working with the Nickelodeon network, Talib Kadhim, Creative Director at Back 2 Front Animation, said:

“We’ve always been a massive fan of Nickelodeon and had often thought about approaching them with our work. When they approached us earlier this year after seeing our taster online we were so excited.”

Peter Drake, VP, Creative Director for Nickelodeon said: “At Nickelodeon we pride ourselves on working with talented animators that show passion and enthusiasm. We’re delighted with the work Back 2 Front Animation has produced for NickToons – it fits in perfectly with the irreverent humour of our channel. I’m excited to see what they come up with next.”

The series of ‘I Like’ short films premiered on NickToons this week. Sarah added: “To see our work on a channel we’ve always admired is like a dream come true. We’ve really enjoyed working with everyone at the Nickelodeon network and hope to work with them again in the future.”

Currently experiencing demand for its animated Christmas cards, the award winning animation company not only produces animations in 2D and 3D, but also visual effects, illustration, sculptures and high end post production services.

Some of the work commissioned for NickToons can be seen at http://www.b2fanimation.com/ by clicking the showreel.

Global Entrepreneurship Week Is On Its Way

Businesses in the region are being urged to get involved in Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), which takes place in the North East from 16 – 20 November 2009.

Global Entrepreneurship Week is a worldwide movement of entrepreneurial people, with millions unleashing their enterprising talents and turning their ideas into reality.

Small companies, large corporates and social enterprises, have one last chance to get involved in GEW in a number of ways.

Enterprise UK head of North East region Louise Kempton said: “Why not use Social Enterprise Day to shine the spotlight on the inspirational people in your workplace using their ideas for social or environmental change.

“Social enterprise is an amazing opportunity for us to shape the future of the world.

“Encourage your employees to design new products or processes, set up a mentoring scheme or get involved with your local community. Global Entrepreneurship Week UK also provides a great opportunity to support and enhance your learning and development programme, HR vision and CSR policy.

“Your employees have fantastic ideas and know the business inside out, so inspire an intrapreneurial culture by encouraging them to share ideas across the company. You could use Global Entrepreneurship Week to recognise and celebrate your most innovative and enterprising employees or develop your staffs creative and enterprise skills by matching them with senior staff in a buddying scheme.

“We will help you to promote your events and give you merchandise to do so.

“Let’s shine a spotlight on the North East as a hub of entrepreneurial action.”

Register your event on http://www.gew.org.uk/register_an_activity

Young Blood ‘O Communications' Win CIPR Pride Awards 2009

Fast expanding PR firm O Communications is feeling proud as punch after being named Outstanding PR Consultancy of the Year at the CIPR North East PRide Awards on Friday night (Nov 6).

The four year old communications agency took away the top honour at the NewcastleGateshead Hilton, with judges praising its hard work in “talent development, their culture of innovation and enjoyment of work”.

The growing firm, based in Ouseburn, Newcastle, also came home with the Best Not-for-Profit title and a silver award for Best use of Photography and Design for Young Enterprise North East’s One Day campaign and silver for Best Use of Social Media.

The judges said: “Established in 2005, O Communications has grown rapidly, to become one of the region’s most highly respected and creative PR agencies. O’s client base is a representation of business throughout the North-East. They work hard at talent development, their culture of innovation and enjoyment of work.”

The CIPR PRide Awards are hotly contested and recognise creativity, planning and outstanding execution of PR campaigns. It is the only awards scheme which showcases the best PR work being carried out across the UK regions and nations.

O Communications is run by 36 year-old Kari Owers, and employs eight people at its converted pottery offices in the burgeoning creative quarter of Ouseburn.

O Communications managing director Kari Owers said: “To win this coveted award so early in our journey, and in a year of country-wide recession, proves that clients are seeking young, hungry and innovative PR agencies to deliver new ways of thinking and make their brands stand out.

“We are delighted to have been recognised by the CIPR for doing something different, and look forward to using the award as a basis to grow further in the next year.”

The firm represents a wide range of top north east businesses, in sectors such as retail and leisure, arts and culture, technology, process industries, skills, education and enterprise. It is known for its work for organisations such as the Entrepreneurs’ Forum and Young Enterprise North East, and was this year appointed to represent Enterprise UK in the region; promoting Global Entrepreneurship Week.

Since the appointment of former The Journal commercial property editor Rebekah Ashby to the team last year, it has also grown a strong portfolio in property and construction, including England’s biggest speculative business park, Quorum.

Innovations such as Ovolution, its social media arm, have helped the creative communications agency pioneer online PR campaign delivery, having recently won a major contract to deliver video case studies for the science industries across the UK. Its team includes two video journalists, blog writers and in-house design studio allow O’s clients to embrace the growth of media channels such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Sally Keith, Chair of CIPR North East said: “A CIPR PRide Award is a hallmark of professionalism and success – it identifies, recognises and rewards the outstanding achievements of those working in the PR industry outside of London. To win a CIPR PRide Award is a tremendous achievement and I congratulate all of this year’s winners.”

Ali intervenes to save couples' dream honeymoon

An engaged couple who cancelled their honeymoon to Norway after the fiancé's pay was cut have had their dream trip saved by a travel firm, which is paying the whole bill.

Julie Berry, of Knole Road, Dartford, is due to marry fiancé Nigel May on January 3, but she was devastated when they had to make the hard decision to cancel their honeymoon.

But Ms Berry got the surprise of her life when travel company Activities Abroad called her back after she cancelled the trip, which includes husky sledging and the Northern Lights.

The 39-year-old said: "We were desperately looking forward to our honeymoon. It is such a romantic place to go and then we heard the news that Nigel had to take a massive pay cut, along with everyone else in his company, because they're just not taking a lot of money during the recession. So although we're not destitute, something had to give and it was the honeymoon.

"We were so disappointed and all weekend I was dreading making the call to the company.When I called up, my voice broke and I think the woman could tell I was on the verge of tears and must have told the manager, because he then called me back and offered to pay for it!

"I was completely overwhelmed and shocked. I phoned back three times to make sure I wasn't dreaming."

Ms Berry has been with Mr May, 42, for about four years . He proposed on New Year's Day this year.

She said: "I just want to say a massive thank-you to the company and especially the manager for such an amazing gift. "You have no idea how happy you have made us."

IWCYC member Alistair McLean, who owns the Northumberland-based company, said: "Julie rang us up and they were having a bit of a tough time of it and she sounded so distraught that I thought, ok, I'll do something nice and cover it for them.

"Everybody is having a hard time at the moment and not enough people help each other out.

"They were absolutely delighted - it gave me a very warm feeling inside!"

To find out more about the company's holidays, visit http://www.activitiesabroad.com/

To read about Ali's entrepreneurial journey, click here http://www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/Entrepreneurs/Alistair-McLean

A message from Sarah Parkin, Kids Deserve the Best

Kids Deserve the Best Celebration Day
Saturday 21st November 2009 – 10am-3pm
Tyne Hall, Trinity Church, Gosforth High Street, Gosforth

"Some of you may be aware that Kids Deserve the Best is approaching the end of its first year in business, and it has been a really exciting time for me. I truly enjoy and care about what I do - being able to support both nannies and parents with their employment and childcare requirements is what I love the most.

To mark the occasion of my first year in business I am holding a Celebration Day which would give the opportunity for parents to come along, (past, current and future parents) to chat about their childcare needs and for nannies to meet other nannies. It is just a good excuse to get together to share the celebrations and have some fun. I am also holding a raffle with proceeds going to the Metro Radio North East Charity ‘Cash for Kids’. It really will be day to support people of the North East.

The theme of the day is Kids!

The aim of the day is to raise company awareness which will hopefully mean more families needing nannies and making use of the babysitting and wedding day childcare services.

I have invited some other child friendly local businesses along too, so they can showcase what they have to offer. I have arranged for Wanda the Magician to do 2 mini magic sessions (11.30am and 1.00pm) and there will be a drawing/ craft table for the children to play whilst the parents mingle.

I am hoping that nannies will come along and be part of the day too. You do not have to stay for long, but you would be more than welcome to stay for the day if you wish. I will be needing a few volunteers on the day to supervise the children’s corner and also to greet visitors.

To try and estimate numbers, if you are interested in coming along, or if you are willing to volunteer on the day, can you please let me know either by emailing me sarah@kidsdeservethebest.co.uk or by leaving a message on 0191 2507025. If you could let me know by Friday 23rd October that would be helpful.

I hope you will be happy to join me for this special day.

See you soon

Sarah Parkin"