IWCYC Challenge Update: Greg Phillips

IWCYC Challenge Update: Greg Phillips

When Greg Phillips of North East Bakery won the If we can, you can Challenge for the Evening Chronicle, he was excitedly planning to his launch his retail brand Nichols across the region, following an asset transaction with Milligan’s Bakery. As well as inflicting luscious cake and pastry treats upon us with his own retail stores, he was continually developing the wholesale side to his business, supplying to sandwich makers, caterers, hotels, restaurants, distributors, shops and cafes.

Six months on, Greg tells us about how things have progressed: “It’s been a real whirlwind of a year for us! Part of the prize package I was fortunate enough to win from the Challenge was a business mentor, which was the most appealing part of the prize package for me. I’m always looking to develop myself as an entrepreneur and learn from people who have been there and done that, so I was thrilled to be given this opportunity.

I was introduced to Stephen Silvester of P & A Food Management Services and I couldn’t have asked for someone more relevant or with a bigger wealth of experience. He has run 11 bakery sites and has worked with brands such as M & S and Costa Coffee, so it took a very short amount of time for me to realise what a fantastic source of inspiration and knowledge base he was to me at North East Bakery.

We immediately got on well together; Steve’s a very open and honest guy and one of the things that I really like about him is that he’s not afraid to point out things that could be improved. In doing so, he’s introduced to us a bigger business mentality, whereby things are being done in a more procedural and structured way.

To be perfectly honest up until now I’ve done a lot of things by thinking and learning on my feet and using my gut instinct. Whilst I don’t regret that at all, I’ve learnt from Stephen and the benefit of his experience about how I can best make the transition from being a small progressive business, to a bigger and more professional business.

My relationship with Stephen is fantastic too- very quickly we progressed from a mentor/mentee scenario. He was constantly ringing me up saying, “Have you thought of this, and what about that?...” He told me he was really excited about the business and once woke up at 3 o’clock in the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep- his wife asked him what was wrong and he said, “I can’t stop thinking about North East Bakery!”

This was a long time before we discussed the possibility of him investing in the business, and it was vital for me to know that his passion was genuine. We signed on the dotted line a few weeks ago, and now we’re both really excited about combining our ideas and taking North East Bakery to the next level.

We always had a very ambitious agenda, but now we have Steve and his energy, knowledge and expertise on board we have an extra opportunity to really ramp it up. We’re exploring new sites, upgrading our machinery, and doing more and more market research. We’ve just appointed a Senior Marketing Manager who has experience in the public sector and tendering, so we’re developing all the different aspects of the business in addition to the retail and wholesale side.

And how does Greg manage all of this, and a season ticket?

“Well I work seven days a week so that helps! I have quite a lot of energy fortunately and I really love what I do which I think is very important. I won’t say it doesn’t feel like work because obviously at times my patience is tested.

Fundamentally though, I get up in the morning and look forward to the challenges that lay ahead of me. There are more people in the business now so I’ve been trying to empower them and delegate roles a lot more, and the only way we can take the business forward is by having good people around us.

Fortunately I never get that Sunday afternoon feeling where I think, damn I’ve got to go to work tomorrow. Money isn’t the driver at all, it’s seeing what we can do with the business, and driving to work in the morning and seeing a car park with 50 cars parked. We employ 130 people in the North East, and that gives me a lot of pride. I’m certainly going to keep enjoying being on this rollercoaster!”

We wish you the best of luck Greg! Any samples going spare....?

Greg popped into our office this morning and surprised us with this fabulous cake...delicious!!

For more information on North East Bakery, visit www.northeastbakery.co.uk and read Greg’s story by clicking www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/Greg-Phillips

IWCYC Challenge Update: Matt Stirland

IWCYC Challenge update: Matt Stirland

When Matt won the If we can, you can Challenge for the Middlesbrough Gazette in June, he was trying to gauge interest for his business idea, Playhouse. The proposal centred on re-designing a warehouse space into a fun keep fit area for kids. Six months on, things have progressed extraordinarily.

Matt says, “Playhouse was going to be a stand-alone unit, an all-encompassing facility to promote kids’ fitness, similar to that of an adult health club. However, it proved not to be financially viable enough for me as a start-up business and I found it very hard to find investment for what was a substantial lump sum.

I’ve since re-branded. Streetlife Youth Fitness works as a unit that transports the latest children’s interactive fitness equipment to schools, youth clubs, sports centres, and anywhere else to be honest. We’re going directly to the user rather than the user having to come to us.

It’s a much more financially viable business now, with low overheads and low cost start up costs, but my ambitions are still as big as ever. The potential for the business is incredibly scalable.

Streetlife has three main strands underneath the one brand- Streetlife Business Brains, Streetlife Youth Fitness and a Technology side where I’m working in partnership with an international company called FitLinxx on a product called the Lifepod, which tracks your activity. I’m also planning something for Adult Fitness in the future.

This month I’m placing orders for new equipment and looking at leasing vans to transport it all. In January I’m planning on doing a launch event for Streetlife which will include a demonstration by kids using the equipment, so people can see what Streetlife is all about.

So I’m in the stage of bringing it all together now, and creating partnerships across the region. I’ve just had a meeting with the Managing Director of two of the Primary Care Trusts within Tees Valley, who straight away loved the idea and I’ve managed to get a lot of work for Streetlife with the organisation which is fantastic- I’m on a real high about that right now!

I also have to thank Simon Brown of Calm Asylum who introduced me to that contact. Simon and his creative agency did my re-branding design and logo, and we got on so well that he is now my business mentor. He took the time to ask me where I wanted to go with the business, and he’s been an invaluable support; I think having a mentor has moved me on so much quicker and he has given me a real underlying confidence in the vision I have for Streetlife in terms of its structure and potential."

I asked the incredulous question, “And you’re a fire-fighter as well? How the heck do you find time to tie your shoelaces?!”

“That’s an excellent question, and I haven’t the foggiest how to answer it. My fire-fighter shifts are very good and flexible, which gives me a lot of spare time to work on my business. I suppose hard work has always been drilled into me, and sometimes it can actually be a bit of a stress reliever to be working on something like Streetlife. I love it. I think if you have a passion for something, you’re able to find more energy."

For more information on Streetlife visit http://www.streetlifeyouthfitness.co.uk/, and see Matt’s profile page by clicking www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/matt-stirland

IWCYC Challenge Update: Rosie Willett

IWCYC Challenge Update: Rosie Willett

Over the coming weeks we’ll be featuring regular articles concerning the exciting developments of all of our If we can, you can Challenge finalists, finding out where their entrepreneurial journeys have taken them over the past six months. First up, Rosie Willett of Rosie Willett Designs.

When Rosie won the If we can, you can Challenge for the Northumberland Gazette, she was working hard on developing her fashion-led individually hand crafted tiara range, and working out ways to contact stockists of high end bridal boutiques across the country.

Upon catching up with Rosie, she said, “Everything’s going really well. I have five stockists now, and my aim is to have ten so I’m half way there. It’s an exclusive product and it’s only me making it so it’s not something I’m going to pitch to loads of shops. I’m really thrilled because my designs are being sold amongst the best gown designers in the wedding industry, so I’m absolutely over the moon with how my products are being received.

My first stockist is in Northumberland which is where I’m from, and the other four are in Cheshire, Staffordshire, Preston and Sheffield. I’ve mainly concentrated on the North and the Midlands up until now, but I would definitely like to have my tiaras showcased in the south of the country and I’m about to pitch down there.

I finished my brochure just as I was announced as the If we can, you can Challenge winner, and I made sure I spent a lot of time and energy getting the look and feel of it right for the market I want to target. I think it has definitely helped me to get my product into boutiques because rather than just cold- calling buyers, they can see the quality and branding of my work. The feedback I’ve received from the brochure has been extremely positive so that has given me a really good introduction whenever I go to an appointment.”

When I asked Rosie what’s been the biggest highlight over the past six months, she struggled to come up with a definitive answer- “I can’t decide! When I got my tiaras stocked in the boutiques it was a truly fantastic feeling. I got a real confidence boost because all of the stores stock incredibly exquisite collections in the wedding industry, and the fact that my tiaras sit amongst them is simply amazing.

I also managed to get one of my tiaras showcased on ITV1’s Coronations Street for-"

“WHAT??!”

[Laughing] “Yeah I can’t quite believe it either. I sent them my brochure and the costume designer, Lance Milligan, got back to me and said he loved what I was doing, and they were really keen to work with northern based designers. He said there was a character getting married in December, and would I design a tiara for her?

So for Carla’s Scottish themed wedding I designed a tiara that was based on a heather design and coordinated it with her amazing purple gown. I had quite a lot of contact with Lance and we’ve developed a really good working relationship. They’ve even asked me back to design something else for a character getting married in January."

Cue my Coronation Street obsession: “Who’s that for then?”

“I don’t think I’m allowed to say yet!”

Hmmph...

“I’m also really excited because I’m designing something at the moment for a few characters in Hollyoaks for a wedding on Christmas Day- don’t ask me who though!”

Upon asking Rosie where she saw herself in the next six months, she replied, “I’m going to be concentrating on getting the rest of the stockists on board, and then I have plans to launch a wedding stationary range that would coordinate with my headpieces.

I’ll also be designing my next collection and I have some really good ideas on what this will look like, but I’ve had to hold back a little because I know I’m going to be really busy in the spring and summer months. I’m looking forward to it all though!”

We wish you all the best of luck Rosie!



To view Rosie’s collections and for more information, head to www.rosiewillettdesigns.co.uk, and you can visit Rosie’s profile page by clicking www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/rosie-willett

Seeded Seo blooms in Credit Crunch

Seeded SEO blooms in credit crunch

If we can, you can member and technology graduate from Northumbria University Sean Gerrie is watching his business grow from strength to strength, despite the difficult economic climate.

Local boy Sean started Seeded SEO in April this year after graduating from Northumbria University with First Class Honours in Internet Computing. Since then, he has signed a significant number of clients.

Business is currently booming for the Search Engine Optimisation specialist who works on boosting a company's website to the top of Google when key words are searched. Sean prides himself in offering ethical, effective and affordable SEO, especially with so many less scrupulous companies exploiting corrupt techniques expensively.

Human Resources and employment law specialists Deminos were one of Sean's first clients. Currently experiencing high demand for its redundancy services and advice due to the recession, Seeded SEO has helped to raise the amount of business gained for Deminos by internet search engines.

Speaking about his first client, Sean said: "Deminos has been a great client from the outset and it's good to know I'm having a positive, sustained impact on Deminos.co.uk's online visibility.

"My optimisation work ensures Deminos is found in highly relevant search sites as well as fine tuning its web pages to improve its ability to generate more leads and increase its effectiveness."

Neil Atkinson, managing director of Deminos, said: "In the time we have worked with Sean at Seeded SEO, I have been really impressed with the effort that he has put in to the Deminos site. Both our rankings and the total number of pages ranked have grown every month.

"Although Sean's suggestions are not always quick or easy to carry out, the end result is always worthwhile. Seeded SEO does not provide a ‘miracle fix' but something much better - a steady programme of continuous improvement."

Visit http://www.deminos.co.uk/, and to contact Sean visit http://www.seeded-seo.com/, or click on his page www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/sean-gerrie

Congratulations Sean!

Invate set to soar

Chris Quickfall, Managing Director of assistive technology suppliers Invate Ltd, and a fantastic ambassador for If we can, you can and the Entrepreneurs' Forum, has recently fulfilled several exciting developments with his company. We caught up with Chris to get the low down:

"I established Invate in early 2006 to support people with Dyslexia in Higher Education. Since then we have repositioned the company to become a Disability Services company. We’ve expanded the business to support all types of disabilities including Autism, Muscular-Skeletal, Mental Health, Visual Impairment, Mobility and Dexterity, and we have over the past 12 months began supporting complex needs also.

Within this remit we also built the North East’s only Assistive Technology Training School to train people in the use of the products we supply, the School is now exceeding all expectations.
After expanding the products and services offered by Invate I then wanted to the move into new markets; Further, Secondary and Primary education and well as Employment, Healthcare and the general public.

After conducting a lot of market research I found that the people buying these types of products were not sure what was available to support their needs. As such we designed a filtering mechanism within our website so that users can input their personal challenges and the site proposes solutions aligned to their needs.

In simpler terms we reverse engineered the online selling process so that instead of pushing products we ask for challenges and then suggest which products are more likely to help. It meant a lot of complicated algorithms but it is the only such facility in our industry. The site is also the most accessible website in our industry gaining 97% Triple AAA and 100% Double AA accreditation.

However, as a new entrant into a lot of these markets I knew that to make a strong and immediate impact we would be better positioned if we could bring something to the industry that has never before been attempted – a business weapon.
After nine months of development we are now in the final testing phase of a product that will propel Invate into Europe’s most technologically advanced Assistive Technology business. We are due to launch this at the world’s largest Education Exhibition in January... So watch this space!"

We wish you the best of luck Chris! See the new site at www.invate.co.uk and to read Chris' If we can, you can story, click www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/chris-quickfall

Indian packed lunches and fitted balconies claim top business prize

The entrepreneurs behind a novel Indian cuisine service and an innovative balcony concept have claimed their prizes after pitching their idea to some of the region’s top entrepreneurial figures.

The four week ‘Make It Happen’ competition, part of the ‘If we can, you can’, campaign in partnership with Metro FM and TFM, urged anyone in the North East to enter an enterprising concept in a bid to claim a prize package worth £5,000.

Shamim Ahmed, from Newcastle, came up with the unique takeaway Tiffin Service concept, set to provide Indian cuisine to the lunch time market, by delivering practical containers of finger food to offices and workers across the region.

Tony Harrop, who runs Workshop Supplies, an engineering supplies company based in Newton Aycliffe, Country Durham, also claimed the prize package for inventing a new concept that allows a balcony to be fitted onto any flat faced building.

Shamim Ahmed said “The opportunity to discuss my business idea with a panel of experienced entrepreneurs has proved to be a highly unique and rewarding experience. I found that within minutes we were developing and bouncing ideas off each other. Utilising the ‘If we can, you can’ community has also opened my eyes to how valuable this resource of experience and knowledge is for any budding or existing entrepreneurs.”

Tony Harrop said of his success: “We have been sitting on this idea for a while now and when I heard about the competition I felt it was a great opportunity to potentially move it forward. The prize package and my consultation with the panel will enable me to tackle the problem of how to market the product.”

Fast Growing Agency Takes PRide in Awards Success

Newcastle PR firm O Communications is celebrating another year of growth by winning five accolades at the North East PRide Awards held by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).

Only one year after O Communications won the ‘Outstanding Small Consultancy’ award it leapt into the ‘agency of the year’ category winning the silver award, plus it picked up two gold awards for its work for Space Group and Signposter.com, and two further silver awards for the Prince’s Trust Challenge Trophy media relations campaign.

Managing director Kari Owers, one of the first to share her story with If we can, you can, said: “Being named the silver award winner in North East’s ‘Outstanding Consultancy’ category just one year after being named the best Small Consultancy is staggering. We have had a year of consistent growth in 2008, both in staff numbers, but also in new account wins and successful existing client growth.

“We now work for a significant snapshot of the North East’s most entrepreneurial businesses, awareness campaigns and lifestyle companies and are delighted especially to have won the gold Corporate Communications and Business and Trade awards as creative business-to-business PR is our biggest area of expertise.

“We hope to build on this success into 2009 with the announcement of more people to our team, and new service offerings in line with the changing communications landscape.”

CIPR judges commented on O Communications by saying, “A dynamic, very together and focused agency that knows where it's going and is determined to have fun on the way. The personality of O Communications shines through and its contribution to the regional community is considerable. No wonder clients are flocking to it.”

For further information contact Kari Owers, O Communications on 0191 232 5690 or go to www.o-communications.co.uk. To see more about Kari's journey with O Communications so far, click www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/Kari-Owers

MaoCouture Christmas Pampering Evening

If we can, you can Challenge Ambassador Anh Mao of MaoCouture is holding a Christmas pampering evening on Thursday 4th December 2008, 6 – 9pm at the MaoCouture Designer Boutique, 40 Station Road, South Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 1QD.

Anh recently took the plunge and opened the boutique after the demand from her clients reached boiling point. MaoCouture stocks exquisite cocktail and evening dresses from many international designers, and Anh is offering an exclusive preview of their collection and service on this special night.

As well as this fantastic opportunity to meet the designer and beauty consultant, you can indulge in some pamering with a FREE make over or relax and sip a glass of bubbly whilst browsing the rails of party dresses for the festival season, or you can look for a special gift. MaoCouture have organic beauty products and accessories available for you to buy, and it's a great way to meet new friends too.

There's FREE limited space, please reserve your attendance by booking with MaoCouture Tel: 0191 2853864 mobile: 07946646733email: maocouture@yahoo.co.uk website: http://www.maocouture.co.uk/

Be inspired by Anh's story by clicking www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/Anh-Mao

Welcome to the re-launch!

Welcome to the brand new If we can, you can website! We're really excited about this re-launch, and we hope that all the new features will allow you to make the right connections with this like minded and buzzing community.

Have a browse of the site to get a feel for how it can work best for you. First of all, you'll notice that you can now manage your own profile- please feel free to keep the community updated with new content and business information, and if you'd like to add more to your story, click on the relevant button. We'll be issuing user names and passwords to anybody who had a profile on the original site.

At the core of the website is an intelligent mentoring matchmaking service, allowing you to find people who can provide guidance to overcome your challenges. Please click on the mentoring tab to find out more information about this feature.

The 'Pick Our Brains' section is an invaluable knowledge base full of answers to those burning business questions from some of the most experienced entrepreneurs in the North East region. If you want to know how to keep an eye among cash flow or how to delegate, or how to do an awful lot of other things, click on this tab.

We also have a new tagging facility that can direct you to the most relevant content based on your individual requirements- for the content to be even more relevant, make sure you tell us exactly what kind of support you need, and as you browse other profile, feel free to tag content that you think would be useful to others.

So get browsing, and get on your way to making some connections. We hope you don't, but if you do experience any problems at all, please let us know.

Finally, thanks to all the members of this community whose contributions has made this site possible.

New site about to go live

Following a period of intensive development, we're about to relaunch www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk with a number of exciting new features.

At it's core is a new intelligent matchmaking service, allowing site members to find people who can provide guidance to overcome their challenges.

Also new to the site is a valuable knowledge-base - Pick Our Brains - featuring answers to frequently asked questions from many of the region's senior entrepreneurs.

And users will now be able to manage their own profiles - which means we should be able to grow the community even quicker than it has to date.

Watch this space as we'll be pressing the live button very soon, and we'll be in touch with the community as to how to navigate around the new site, and how to get the best out of it.

Northumberland Firm Goes From Green To Silver

You may remember an article we placed on here a few weeks ago, wishing Ali McLean of Activities Abroad the best of luck at the Oscars of the travel industry– the prestigious British Travel Awards. He is now celebrating national acclaim after success at last night’s ceremony.

Activities Abroad, based in Stannington, is a leading specialist tour operator for adventure holidays, activity breaks and overseas adventure travel. After reaching the finals in two categories, Activities Abroad picked up the silver award for Most Environmentally Responsible Small Tour Operator, as well as being nominated for Best Activity Sport Operator.

Company founder and Managing Director, Alistair McLean who picked up the prize said; “We’re especially delighted to have won the Environmentally Responsible award and to have gained this national recognition for our commitment to the planet and the communities that welcome our customers around the world. It shows that a North East business working out of a converted farmhouse in Northumberland can compete on a national stage against companies owned by industry giants such as TUI and Thomas Cook.

“We are a fiercely independent company and therefore have the luxury of being able to focus on our key stakeholders rather than corporate shareholders. For us these are our employees, our suppliers, our customers and the environment. Our financial successes can be directed towards the local environment and ensuring that our visits have little or no impact other than a positive contribution.”

Activities Abroad supports numerous projects that provide clients with tangible methods of seeing its green policies at work. For example it supports a tree planting project at a school in Costa Rica and clients who visit this destination will spend the day interacting with the local school children, learning about the importance of reforestation and then planting the trees.

As well as telling customers its methods for carbon offsetting in all of last year’s brochures, Activities Abroad has allowed customers to choose a green e-brochure over a paper one this season.

Activities Abroad was founded in 2002 and since then has created an extensive programme of overseas adventure travel options in a number of different countries, featuring a wide range of sports and activities for people of all ages – including families with children or teenagers. The company was founded in response to the increasing demand for holidays and breaks that offer more than just the usual holiday experience. Their itineraries offer exhilarating experiences as diverse as canyoning in Provence, snowmobiling in Finland and skydiving in Spain.

Activities Abroad is a longstanding member of Responsible Travel – an organisation which promotes holidays that respect destinations and local people, working to support and stimulate local economies and the communities their clients visit while making concerted efforts to act in an environmentally sensitive way.

The British Travel Awards is the largest awards programme in the UK created to reward the best companies in the travel industry. Recognised by consumers and travel professionals throughout the UK, The British Travel Awards are widely referred to as the “Oscars” of the travel industry.

To see more about Ali, click http://www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/alistair-mclean

Wii Play To Learn

If we can, you can member Jeremiah Alexander of Ideonic Ltd announces an exciting new venture:

"It is official! Nintendo have approved Ideonic as a developer for the Nintendo Wii. This prestige honour means that we can be one of the first companies in the World to really push serious gaming onto the Nintendo Wii.

We are already exploring a number of concepts both in the education and training space but are always happy to discuss ideas with potential partners. Exciting times ahead."

hello@ideonic.com

To see more about Jeremiah, visit www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/jeremiah-alexander

Calling all budding entrepreneurs to 'MAKE IT HAPPEN'

A new ‘Make It Happen' competition, the latest initiative by the ‘If we can, you can' campaign, is calling for anyone in North East England to share an enterprising idea for a chance to pitch their concept with the some of the region's top business figures.

The four week competition, in partnership with Metro FM and TFM, is urging listeners to enter an entrepreneurial idea through logging onto their local station's website www.metroradio.co.uk or www.tfmradio.com. Entrants have until 12pm on 19 November to register their idea and be in with a shot at winning a prize package worth £5,000.

Five finalists from each station will be invited to put forward their ideas to a panel of businesspeople. The Metro FM panel will feature established entrepreneurs Paul Callaghan, founding director of the Entrepreneurs' Forum; Lisa Hart, CEO of Acritas; Kari Owers, MD of O Communications; and Gary Thompson MD of C2M UK Ltd, with TFM's panel including Dianne Sharp, MD of Mechetronics Limited; Tanya Garland, MD of Cool Blue PR; and Michael Bates, MD of Walton Bates Associates Ltd.

Paul Callaghan said: "When you're thinking about starting a business the most important thing is having a good idea, one that is feasible and could potentially make money, but also have the belief and passion to turn it into a successful business.

"To give those who are starting out the best chance of success it is critical to share the knowledge that exists within our regional entrepreneurial community. That's exactly what we're trying to encourage with Make it Happen, and the inspiration and guidance offered through ‘If we can, you can' campaign."

Enter by logging onto either www.metroradio.co.uk or www.tfmradio.com- good luck!

Ceyhan sets up new venture

If we can, you can member Ceyhan Mihcioglu of YO’Genie.com, which aims to create a Student Web Utility where the art of sharing is excelled upon, has recently taken up a new challenge.

WANTED Productions, although a completely different project altogether from YO’Genie.com, is something that serial entrepreneur in the making Ceyhan, has always wanted to do.

Ceyhan said, “My vision for WANTED Productions is to become the most 'WANTED' productions agency in the North East, providing a wide range of desirable services in relation to LIVE Events, promotions and much more”.

Although it’s only early days I am eager to consider any challenges put in front of me, and I will be highly competitive against those also in the industry. In general, I would like to see us as a modern, respected and highly reputable brand, who mainly work with high profile clients and guests, however also strongly support everyday projects as well.”

Ceyhan then gave us the low-down on what WANTED has to offer:

Engaging in numerous projects, from brand promoting to event hosting, WANTED Productions can provide the flawless personnel for any production activity. We cover an extensive range of duties from product sampling for brands, to supplying the gorgeous WANTED Hosts for live parties.

WANTED Productions is a unique and ground breaking agency that offers invaluable performance and irreplaceable personnel. Specifically selected, every WANTED Host possesses a unique status and presence, which enables us to glowingly accomplish any proposition put in front of us. We can intensify consumer reactions and create exuberant party atmospheres.

WANTED Productions is without doubt one of a kind. Our success and drive is formulated by producing results and visions that exceed our client’s expectations, which are energetically and enthusiastically pursued to achieve our objectives.

Feel free to contact Ceyhan, otherwise known as Jay;

Website: www.wantedproductions.co.uk / Contact no.: 075 0101 6969 / Email:

j@wantedproductions.co.uk

WHAT WANTED PRODUCTIONS DO?

1.) Advises suitable locations and venues to promote.

2.) Provides fully trained, truly enthusiastic and highly presentable staff for the following:

• Hosting
• LIVE Events
• Modeling
• Casting
• Exhibitions and Hospitality
• Meet and Greet
• Leafleting
• Sampling
• Product Demonstration
• Data Capture
• Mystery Shopping
• Personal Shopping
• Graphic Design
• Entertainment Personnel
• Escorting

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with any requirements you may have.

Ceyhan’s attitude has always been “Your limitations are endless, so why not think big, and even if you don’t make it as big as you imagined, you’re still going to be very successful.”

We wish you the best of luck in this venture Ceyhan!

Good luck Ali!

Alistair McLean of Activities Abroad broke the good news to us that they are finalists in two categories at the Travel Industries equivalent of the Oscars – The British Travel Awards. They’re up against three other companies in each category (Best Activity and Sport Tour Operator and Best Small Tour Operator – Environment) so statistically they have a 50/50 chance of bringing silverware back to the North East.

You may remember Ali's comments a few months ago regarding the current economic climate. One of his most memorable rants, Ali said to Victoria Derbyshire on Radio 5Live: "We're far from being in a recession, and I'm sick of all the negativity thank you very much. Our business arranges activity holidays in Europe and all over the world- they're not cheap, but our last two weeks have been our best ever. We're talking our way into a recession."

Ali founded Activities Abroad in 1999 after telling his last boss where to stick his job! Not surprisingly, he woke up the next day and found himself unemployed.

He sat down with a blank piece of paper and just wrote down what he liked doing. On the top the list was travel and adventure sports. Activites Abroad was born.

They'd just managed to get a massive loan to expand the business, but the day after the money went into the bank account, 9/11 happened. Nobody flew or travelled anywhere for two years after that.

Ali said of the time: "I started asking for more money from private equity companies and that sort of thing, but nobody would touch me. Travel businesses weren’t exactly something people wanted to put their money into at that time. I went to every bank in Newcastle, put together a business plan saying how I was going to do it differently this time, but everyone had a red flag.

It takes a lot to pick yourself up after being in such a financial mess. I remember a particular instance when we’d invited a few friends round for some drinks. Our old C Reg Astra had started leaking oil and stopped working so me and my wife wheeled thirty six cans of cheap lager in an Asda shopping trolley down our street. We looked at each other, and it was just this realisation: how did we get to this point? We had the drive and motivation to get ourselves out of this; we just needed to do it."

A true entrepreneur, Ali has bounced back in remarkable fashion, employing lots of what he's learnt over the years into Activites Abroad, and we wish him the best of luck at the awards ceremony.

To see more about Ali, visit www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/alistair-mclean

Congratulations Jonathan!

One of our youngest, but nevertheless determined If we can, you can members, Jonathan Grubin, has just been nominated for the Evening Chronicle’s Young Achiever Awards in the Business and Enterprise category.

Not one for doing a paper round to supplement his income whilst studying for his A Levels, Jonathan set up his first website when he was 12. He has built up his limited company MiniG Media, over the years to great success, and this nomination follows a series of accolades heaped on the teenage entrepreneur, including a nomination for Young Business Person category for the Journal's North East Business Executive of the Year awards, to be held at the end of the month.

The Chronicle Awards’ Business and Enterprise Category recognises young entrepreneurs who have made an impression on the business world who have shown “initiative, innovation and real determination in getting their ideas off the ground.” There are also nine other categories in the competition, and a winners’ ceremony will be held at St James’ Park in December.

Jonathan said of his nomination: “I can't quite believe that, at seventeen, I'm looking back on almost three years of business. It's incredible that I've been nominated for both of these awards, and I hope that it can act as some inspiration to other young people looking to get started in business."

To read more about Jonathan’s entrepreneurial journey so far, click www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/jonathan-grubin

Software Firm Urges IT Industry To Get A Byte Of The Action

Local software experts Bond are urging the North East IT community to join them for a night to remember, in aid of homeless young people and those at risk of becoming homeless.

If you thought the 31st October was Fright Night, you were wrong as now it’s Byte Night.

Derek Curtis of Bond in Sunderland is organising a North East Byte Night, in aid of Action for Children (formerly NCH), the charity that supports vulnerable and excluded children and young people including those who have recently left care or are homeless.

Byte Night is the IT industry's annual sleep out in support of Action for Children. Each year hundreds of individuals and teams from the technology and IT industries spend a night exposed to the elements in a bid to raise sponsorship and awareness of Action for Children’s work.

The event began ten years ago when 30 individuals from the IT industry slept out and raised £35,000. Since then the event has grown to extraordinary heights, attracting 270 sleepers and raising almost £400,000 in 2007 alone.

This month hundreds of individuals from the IT and technology sector will be exposed to the elements as they spend a night under the stars to raise vital sponsorship and awareness of youth homelessness and the difficulties faced by young people leaving care.

Large scale events are happening in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh in October so Derek is aiming to get a minimum of 30 members of the North East digital industry on board for his inaugural event on Friday 31st October, in the hope that a large scale Byte Night can be organised here by Action for Children in 2009.

Derek Curtis is managing director of Bond, which is a Sage accredited software solutions firm, he said, “When I heard of the idea of Byte Night I thought it sounded great fun, and as a foster carer myself I think the issues of youth homelessness and leaving care are great to support in any way we can.

“The North East’s digital industry employs many hundreds of people, so I’m sure we can round up at least 30 individuals prepared to join us for the night, have a laugh and experience one night of sleeping ‘rough’ to raise money for charity.”

Linda McDonald, Action for Children local fundraiser said, “Youth homelessness is not restricted to London, and Action for Children is delighted that Derek recognises the problem here in the north east and wants to help raise awareness of the issue and support young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. This event will raise funds to support these young people and we hope that the IT industry will join Derek and experience for one night, what too many young people have to experience every night.’

Bond’s Byte Night event will take place at The Fisherman’s Lodge in Jesmond Dene, Newcastle with food and entertainment starting from 8.30pm. You will need a sleeping bag and warm clothes for the sleep out, and the event will end with bacon sandwiches at 8am the next morning.

Ex-Sage director and now owner of Tom’s Companies, who run The Fisherman’s Lodge, Tom Maxfield said: “I am delighted to open the doors of the Fisherman’s Lodge to the intrepid members of the region’s IT community who are brave enough to be sleeping rough for one evening to raise money for such a good cause. We will lay on a hearty hot meal and breakfast for them, and hope many industry professionals get on board with this superb idea.”

To get involved please request your Sleeper Pack of information, by contacting Derek Curtis at derek.curtis@bond-solutions.com

And to see more about Derek’s journey with Bond, click www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/derek-curtis

Women Entrepreneurs Help Light The 'Spark' In Others

North East women are about to experience a sparkling event that’s all about successful female business owners helping them turn their own ideas into money-makers.

The FREE Spark Your Potential event is taking place in Sunderland on the afternoon of Wednesday 15th October, coordinated by Spark, the Women’s Enterprise Ambassador Network and Make Your Mark. It will bring successful entrepreneurs and enterprise experts across the region together to encourage women to recognise the brilliant business opportunities for them.

Some of the region’s top female entrepreneurs are giving up their time to meet with women with a spark of an idea, or a business that they intend to grow. Sessions include ‘Inspirational Women’ seminar with guest speaker Kim Inglis, local ITV presenter and Nickie Gott North East Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, and the secrets of PR and marketing in the modern age by Kari Owers of O Communications and Siobhan Bales of the bgroup.

Attendees will have the opportunity to hear first hand anecdotes and advice from their own personal journeys. The highlight of the day is an invaluable opportunity to experience a one-to-one advice session with an industry expert of their choice - individuals the women feel can help them the most; be it general business advisors, marketeers, accountants or lawyers.

In the North East there are 107,000 self-employed individuals, of which 28,000 are women*. Spark wants to celebrate the success of those already out there, being enterprising, and encourage others to do the same. Make your Mark works in the north east to bring the message of entrepreneurship alive for younger people, and has already successfully launched the Girls, Make your Mark! programme across the region.

Kari Owers is a local successful female entrepreneur who runs the award winning PR agency, O Communications in Newcastle and will be sharing her story at the event. She comments, “I know from experience how daunting getting that project up and running can seem at first. But once you’ve taken the plunge and enlist the support available to you, it’s an empowering and life-changing experience.

The Spark Your Potential Personal Venture Workshop for Women will help you to shake off any inhibitions, talk to people who have already made the leap and get some practical tips and tools to help you achieve the success you’re dreaming of.”

Emma Thorn from Spark, the Women’s Enterprise Ambassador Network coordinating the event comments; “The north east is already home to many successful female entrepreneurs – just look to your local high street for inspiration. The workout will energise and inspire more women to go out and grab opportunities whilst also connecting them to like-minded others to make their dreams become a reality.”

One NorthEast’s Head of Business, Enterprise and Skills, Tim Pain, said: “The Regional Economic Strategy sets out the aim of substantially increasing the number of businesses in North East England by 2016, and enabling more women to become their own boss is an important factor in making that happen.

Often, it’s hearing about the experiences of other female entrepreneurs which can really inspire women to take the next step - this event is a valuable opportunity to do that, as well as picking up information about the excellent support available to new entrepreneurs in the North East.”

The Spark Your Potential event will be held at the Sunderland’s National Glass Centre. To register please log onto www.sparkambassadors.org.uk and follow the registration process

If we can, you can has also been working in partnership with Spark Your Potential. Having interviewed some incredibly inspirational women entrepreneurs, we've designed a series of postcards with the aim of looking at what really drives women into business.

Each woman has their own reason for doing it, but it's their unique qualities, whether they're conscious of them or not, which will make them into successful entrepreneurs. Look out for the postcards in the delegate bags!!

Exclusive Make Progress In O2 X Awards

York-based retailer Exclusive Footwear have been shortlisted in the Fashion category of the 2008 O2 X Awards.

Exclusive Footwear was launched three years ago by managing director and If we can, you can member Frances Chalmers. Initially an online venture, the company launched a store in the city's Gillygate in order to secure the prestigious brands which have fuelled their growth.

The competition was launched by 02 to recognise success and vision within the world of small business. Other award categories include Music, Food & Drink and Technology & Innovation.

Success in the Fashion section of the awards, which is supported by Grazia, could leave Frances with an opportunity to win the overall competiton, which is now in its 5th year and carries a £10,000 cash prize. The overall winner will be named 02 X Entrepreneur of the Year at the final on 13th October.

To see more about Frances, click www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/frances-chalmers

Greg attends Service Excellence

If we can, you can Challenge winner for the Evening Chronicle Greg Phillips has been busy embarking on his re-branding and re-fitting campaign for his new Nichols stores. He cited that the people working in the stores, and who have a one to one relationship with the customer, are delivering his business plan at the end of the day and Greg wanted to make sure that this side of the business was spot on.

So, as part of his prize, we here at If we can, you can headquarters thought Greg could really benefit from going to the Service Excellence conference, held at the Hilton Hotel in Newcastle Gateshead.

Greg said of the conference, “The day was really good. I learnt a lot from it and came away with lots of ideas and things that I can start doing here in my business. In particular I’ve learnt a lot about getting staff on board- it was something that really came across in terms of what we should expect of them, and about how we can be more explicit about the Nichols brand and how we want staff to represent us.

I learnt a lot about engaging and rewarding them, as well as encouraging and training them. We want our staff to take service seriously, as this is one of the most important elements in a retail business.”

When I spoke to Greg he had just opened his second store that day in Cramlington after completely re-inventing the old site, and he’d just received a text message saying how much they had taken. He said, “Even on the first day it’s flying so I’m absolutely over the moon about that. We’re hoping for the same result we had in Sunderland.

There’s always obstacles to overcome, such as landlords’ consent and planning applications. We’ve often thought of what we want a particular shop to look like but in practicality terms it sometimes doesn’t happen like that.

All the units have their own challenges, but once we get them open to the public I’m always so proud of what we’ve achieved. They look really fantastic and I’ve had text messages from people saying that the shops look great. It’s a real buzz at the moment and I’m really excited about getting to Nichols brand across the region.”

Couple raffle £650,000 house

A couple in the Tees Valley are raffling their £650,000 dream home in Ingleby Barwick, Stockton in a bid to beat the housing slump.

Tickets to win the luxury six-bedroom mansion are on sale for £25 each via a website.
Vicky Brown and her husband Simon need to sell a staggering 28,000 raffle tickets to cover the mortgage and legal fees.

The couple, who have a 20-month old daughter Lexi and with another baby on the way, only moved into the house that Simon designed himself late last year, but less than a year on they want to downsize.

Simon, who owns successful creative agency, Calm Asylum, said “We built the house with the intention of selling it and moving on to the next project, but with the credit crunch and the decline in the housing market we’ve decided to give the raffle idea a go”.

Vicky, who works in marketing and 33 year old Simon, said a friend gave them the idea to try and raffle their home.

The couple are donating some of the proceeds from each ticket sale to charity – The Main Project for autistic children. The sale of tickets and prize draw is being supervised by solicitors.

If the Browns don’t manage to raise the amount they need from the raffle they will hold a prize draw for the money they have raised less admin, marketing costs and charity contributions.

The website address for the house raffle is www.winfellowshall.com

FELLOWS HALL featured on Channel Five’s Property List in July this year and also appeared as the “dream home” in the Tees Valley Evening Gazette’s Homemaker property supplement in April.

The Ingleby Barwick property was described as a mix between contemporary design and grandeur from bygone days.

The name “Fellows Hall” refers to the vaulted entrance hallway, which has high ceilings and a grand staircase, like and old Victorian hall.

Special features include an open plan-style ground floor, a garden room, a cinema/video-games room and views over open fields and the Cleveland Hills.

Simon also runs Teesside based digital branding agency Calm Asylum. Keep your eyes peeled for his entrepreneurial story, which will arrive on If we can, you can on Friday afternoon.

MiniG launch free Christmas present website

If we can, you can member Jonathan Grubin has come up with an ingenious way to help parents beat the anticipated recession this Christmas, by launching a website letting people choose the most wanted Christmas presents for free.

At a time when families are struggling to cope with the effects of the credit crunch and the housing market slowdown, Jonathan, a 17-year-old student from Newcastle upon Tyne, today launches FreeXmas.co.uk.

The website allows its members to claim items like the new iPhone 8GB, iPods, Xbox 360s, Nintendo Wiis and Playsation 3s – all at the top of children’s letters to Santa this year.All members have to do in order to claim the presents is complete sponsors’ offers and recommend their friends to do the same.

FreeXmas.co.uk is the newest of four online networks that A-level student Jonathan owns. He set up his first business, which gives away free mobile phone accessories, when he was just 12. His other businesses include livenewcastle.co.uk, a listings site for the city, and forfree4u.co.uk, another rewards website.

Jonathan said: “I think it’s unfair that the international economic climate should mean that parents have to feel they’re letting their children down, as pennies are counted all over the country. I hope that FreeXmas.co.uk will take some of that pressure off parents.

“I’ve been fascinated by the internet since I was a young child and I’m really privileged to be able to look back on five years in business at the age of just 17. Hopefully my newest website will help people struggling to pay for the perfect present this Christmas.”The website is now online at www.freexmas.co.uk.

Newcastle Work Experience

If you’re looking for a work placement student to undertake a specific project, Newcastle University's ‘Newcastle Work Experience’ programme could be the answer.

We used the programme last year at the Entrepreneurs’ Forum and took on an excellent undergraduate to help us implement our new CRM system.

NWE provides international students with an opportunity to experience the UK business culture whilst undertaking a challenging project – in anything from scientific and environmental research; HR policy development; international market research; event management; IT systems development. It can be a cost effective and flexible solution to business needs and also a way of bringing a fresh perspective and new ideas to your organisation.

At the moment the NWE can offer up to 20 subsidised term-time places for international students with the possibility of more to come. The cost to the host organisation is £200 and the student receives a £575 bursary on successful completion of the 100 hour project.

It’s “first come, first served” so if you’re interested email nwe@ncl.ac.uk or phone Lesley Cairns, Placement Officer, on 0191 222 6469. (And mention EF or If we can, you can).

Challenge Ambassadors working together

If we can, you can Challenge ambassadors Anh Mao of MaoCouture and David Goldsmith of Summerfield Photography recently teamed up together with an exceptionally glamorous photoshoot featuring just some of Anh's amazing dress designs (see below).

Anh said: "After we met at the if you can we can challenge, I had a look at David's work and they look very impressive, thought we can work together to promote each others businesses.

At the time Miss Newcastle and Miss Durham is wearing my dress for the Miss England Final. I find David is a great person to work with, very down to earth and a good listener too.

He produced a great photoshoot for the first time we work together. and we will keep on doing projects together."

David said: "Anh approached me at IWCYC awards day and asked me to do a photo shot for her. Anh gave me a clear brief to work to and it was a privilege to work with her.
Her work is fantastic the colours and designs of her dresses are flawless and inspiring, making the whole photo shoot delightful to be involved with. I am looking forward to working again with Anh again in the near future.”

To read more about Anh and David, take a look at their stories on the site (www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/anh-mao and www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/david-goldsmith)

The ‘essence of entrepreneurship’ questionnaire

We want to know what makes you tick

It's all part of the next phase of our PR campaign to encourage people across the North East, whatever their background, to think about starting or growing a business.

What did you do before you got started, what were you like at school, are you naturally bold or cautious, an extrovert or a loner.......

It's nothing too serious, just something to give us a few statistics - and then we're looking for the anecdotes that readers will be able to identify with. You can complete the survey online.

Thanks for helping us with this - we'll be looking for some of you to profile in the regional press.

LANGUAGE COMPANY’S SUPPORT TRANSLATES INTO CASH FOR CHILDREN’S CHARITY!

Newcastle-based translations company, Williams Language Solutions Ltd, has selected The Children’s Trust’s as its chosen charity. The company provides translations, language training and international communications modules to businesses.

As part of this service, an advice booklet on etiquette and cultural aspects of individual countries provides essential reading for clients travelling abroad. For each book sold at £5.00, 50p will be donated to The Children’s Trust, a national charity, which provides care, education and therapy to children with multiple disabilities and complex health needs.

Stefania De Angelis Williams, director of Williams Language Solutions Ltd, said: “We chose to support The Children’s Trust as our UK based charity through meticulous research and visiting the charity’s website, which we found very informative and friendly. Although our initial support is limited, we intend to increase our involvement in the future, as we know that every penny donated makes a real difference.”

Holly Newman, corporate fundraiser at The Children’s Trust added:”We are delighted to be the company’s chosen charity. Communications across countries are vital for good working relationships and the company’s services will greatly help businesses and individuals overcome language barriers.”

For further information on Williams Language Solutions, visit: www.translate-it.org.
To find out more about The Children’s Trust, visit: www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk, and to read Stefania's inspirational personal journey, visit www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/stefania-de-angelis-williams

Fantastic times for Scene Group

Glastonbury this year proved to be a fantastic opportunity for Singstar, Sony Playstation's Karaoke brand to bring some new talent to an appreciative audience. Scene Group were there capturing the event and supporting the experiential team. Thanks to Eric and the team from Sony and to our animator Aaron, where did you find that cow?

Continuing our close partnership with Bacardi, Scene Group were asked to support one of their major leisure customers Spirit Group; by creating an exciting training tool for bartenders in top end venues.The shoot was great fun, so many thanks to star performers Jamie and Craig for their hard work in front of the camera. Thanks also to Tokyo Bar and to John for organising the venue, what a fantastic backdrop.

Scene Group also recently completed an education focused project with our partners at Eston Park School in Middlesborough. After initially creating a website based film tool for this hardworking and innovative school, we were pleased to return to make more film and add a ‘sceneconsole’ content management system for use on site. Thanks to Ron, Karen and the team for their continued hard work in making Eston Park a school that staff, parents, students and the local community are justifiably very proud of.

To see more about Scene Group's work, visit: http://www.bescene.co.uk/index.php/customer-list and you can also read about Gavin's entrepreneurial journey so far at www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/gavin-knights

Things are looking good for Michelle!

Michelle Taylor has been frantically working away on her new design range after taking an enormous risk leaving a very successful position at Playboy Intimates. She tells us about what’s on the horizon for her, and has sent through some of the designs she has been developing, including her brand new logo for her company, Design by Bluebird:

"I’ve got a few possibilities with exciting new contracts in the near future with a key quality high street retailer, and there are also potential projects with various DJs and recording artists.

I’ve also been approached by someone in New York about forming a partnership so there’s definitely a lot in the pipeline… just need to secure a few deals now!"

Michelle

Don't forget, do drop us a line letting us know about your experiences, achievements or otherwise! Send them to stephen@ifwecanyoucan.co.uk and we'll get them on the blog for you.

North East hospice gets a helping hand from Jonathan

A Newcastle teenager whose online business has turned over more than £100,000 is now giving something back to the community by announcing a partnership with his local hospice.

After successfully establishing the forfree4u.co.uk network of websites, 17-year-old Jonathan Grubin, who is from Gosforth, today announces that St Oswald’s Hospice will be the company’s Charity of the Year.

Jonathan, who recently sat his AS levels at Newcastle’s Royal Grammar School, has previously supported the hospice through a large donation in April, taking part in June’s Northern Rock Cyclone fundraising event and promotional work to make the public aware of St Oswald’s Midnight Walk, which will take place in October.

Jonathan said: "I recognise the social responsibility that my company has, and I know that St Oswald's is an amazing local charity which will put our donations to good use. The charity carries out exceptional work throughout the North East, and I'm pleased that I'm able to share my success.

“I’ve always lived in Gosforth and so I know what good work the Hospice does. I’m glad that the money I’ve earned from forfree4u.co.uk enables me to put a little bit back into the local community that has helped me build the company."

Jonathan set up his first internet business, www.minig.co.uk, which sells mobile phone accessories, in 2004, when he was just 12. Since then, he has created two other sites: forfree4u.co.uk, a rewards site where members can sign up for free mobile phones, iPods and cameras, and livenewcastle.co.uk, a listings site for Newcastle, which is soon to re-launch.

The announcement was welcomed warmly by Viv Williamson, community fundraiser at St Oswald’s, who said: "We are thrilled that MiniG Media has adopted St Oswald's as their Charity of the Year. With our annual running costs exceeding £6million, it is only through companies like MiniG that we are able to continue providing our care.

"Jonathan is an inspiration to our younger generation and new businesses everywhere. We are very grateful for his support and look forward to working with him in the future."

Well done Michelle!

Hartlepool If we can, you can Challenge winner Michelle Taylor went to the Harrogate Lingerie Show on Monday to showcase her work amongst the best designers in the world. This is the first time at the show that she's revealed her own designs for her freelance business, rather than as a representative for Playboy. Coming back on a bit of a high, she tells us about her experience:

My day at the Harrogate Lingerie Show

I am so thrilled and feeling really good and focused coming home after the show. I know I can make it happen and am even more determined now. The potential in the lingerie sector is huge!

Prior to the day I made some special business cards in the form of giant love heart lollies (you know the way ones that you get from the sea-side) I then made my own design labels with my number and my email address on it tied with a big red ribbon. The original packets were tacky and so I cut down some plastic bags that I bought and sealed them neatly creating my own packaging.

I went onto stands asking if they take on freelancers and showed my portfolio to a few companies. A lot of the companies design in Italy/France but they were impressed and said they would pass on my details.

I definitely re-newed two contacts that I hope will turn into long term freelance opportunities, (a Chinese lady that I have worked with before and lost contact with wants me to design her next swim range ) and a top designer lingerie brand was thrilled to hear I had gone freelance as she needs a luxury /high end designer for her range and wants me to work with her on it.

I also chatted to a the lady who owns a high end lingerie store in London. She has stocked my previous designs and loves my retro/pretty hand-writing...she said when my sample range is ready she would like me to go and see her again!! It would be a great honour to have my range in her store (all the celebs like Sadie Frost/Jude Law go in apparently). Mariah Carey bought one of my corsets from there too.

All in all a great day... I also was interviewed by the Lingerie Buyer editor (who I have know but we have stayed in touch) and she has said that she would love me to go and meet her again when I have my sample range done in November.

Michelle Taylor

Babel develops innovative new learning tool

Game based learning company Babel Digital, run by Teesside If we can, you can member Jeremiah Alexander, has developed the first in a new series of 'serious games' they have been working on. 'Guanxi' uses 3D graphics and advanced animation techniques to teach people about how to engage with foreign cultures and languages, especially when it comes to international business relationships. Here, he tells us how he came up with the concept for Guanxi, and the steps he's taken to bring it to market:


Like any good solution Babel Digital’s GuanXi started with a problem. The idea for using games to teach foreign languages and culture actually came to me a long time ago while I was sitting on the Metro looking over notes from my Japanese evening class and thinking, there must be an easier way to learn than this. That was the starting point, which seemed to match in nicely with the work I was doing using advanced games technologies and I began to see how video games could be applied in novel ways to solving this problem. This was the beginning of my interest in Serious Games.

Video games are often at the centre of a lot of controversy and recently have received unfounded negative criticism. Strangely enough, it’s for many of the same reasons that they are criticised that can also make them great tools for learning. Games are all about immersion that’s their real strength, they can relax you, then they can engage you and then that’s when you’re psychologically in the best mindset to learn.

Looking deeper, games have numerous strengths as a learning medium, such as the ability to accommodate all styles of learners visual, auditory and kinaesthetic due the variety of media possible. Additionally, we know that absorbing learning material on as many levels as possible is the best way to ensure that as much as possible is captured. Again games strike gold here, as the iterative nature of games increases the retention process and the challenges presented forces users to apply, and reapply their learning in immersive ways. These are the three steps required to best facilitate understanding.

With Gunaxi we asked ourselves, what is the single best way to learn a language and the culture? The answer was… actually living in the country of that language and culture! It’s all about immersion and necessity. We looked into ways to emulate this invaluable experience and this is where games came in. Using realistic games technology we can simulate real to life scenarios just like someone would face if they were in a foreign country and by making their understanding of the culture and language the driver for progression, we are able to facilitate the learning as if they were there. However, as we have full control over the environment we are able to add benefits beyond real-life scenarios, we can direct the situations that someone faces and furthermore, we can track performances and tell users how they can improve.

Alongside our bespoke development work, we have designed and developed a prototype of the system allowing us to demonstrate the concept and prove our hypothesis. As a next step we will be taking this successful model and developing a version to release online in time for the Chinese New Year. We’re really excited about launching the product; we believe it will make a really strong impact on the way people learn.

Jeremiah Alexander
MD – Babel Digital Ltd

For more info, visit http://www.babeldigital.com/guanxi.html

Red tape anyone?

The 'I need help with' feature recently installed on If we can, you can has generated some fantastic responses from the community. People who have been through certain experiences have been more than happy to pass on their nuggets to someone struggling with the same thing. Take for example Sue Harris, who very kindly offered her advice to Magdalena Fowler after admitting she struggles with doing accounts and business finance by herself. We'd like to share this with anyone who finds it tough breaking through red tape!

"The best piece of advice I can give you is to go along to your local HMRC office and ask them for information on workshops that they run, free of charge, which gives you a lot more insight into what you can and cannot do when it comes to filing returns, paying employees, being self employed and lots more. I did all of the available workshops prior to starting up and found them invaluable."

Guroo set to soar

If we can, you can member Jonathan Wells of Guroo has predicted a rapid growth is about to take place in his business, with a shake up in the education system.

The Journal published an article on Jonathan today, as he spoke about his plans for Guroo. The education software business is producing diplomas for children aged 14-19 who will be able to study ‘real life’ skills via video, podcasts, interactive online tests and downloadable solutions.

He believes the software will become a hit in schools nationally and help him increase turnover from £50,000 to £1.2m by next year and £10m by 2013.

Jonathan said in the article: “We have already had a lot of encouraging responses from the schools and colleges that we have been working with. Their input has helped us make the software even better.”

To read the full article click http://www.nebusiness.co.uk/business-news/technology-news/tm_campaign=Newcastle_email_nebusinessemail%3A20080807%26headline=education-man-to-multipy-sales%26method=full%26objectid=21481804%26siteid=51140-name_page.html?campaign=Newcastle%5Femail%5Fnebusinessemail%3A20080807

And to read about Jonathan’s entrepreneurial journey so far, click www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/jonathan-wells

Workshop Programme to kick-start your business

If we can, you can has developed a relationship with Business Link's NOW North East programme, which is being brought across the region to urge budding business tycoons to explore their high-growth business ideas and turn them into reality.

The programme will comprise of a number of stand-alone workshops at convenient locations across the North East for entrepreneurs who have potentially high-earning business ideas and the resource and capacity to start-up, progress and grow.

The workshops, which will take place over the coming months, will cover a range of vital business issues and address the key skills needed to achieve success. Delegates will have the opportunity to meet with like-minded entrepreneurs, network and expand their business contacts, and will have access to a range of knowledgeable business professionals.

If we can, you can are providing personal guides to marketing, finance, planning and people to the workshops, which have been inspired by the many individual approaches taken by some of our If we can, you can members.

Each workshop will last for just three hours and will take place either in the morning or late afternoon. Morning workshops will commence at 8.30am for networking, with a 9am start and will end around 12 noon. The afternoon workshops commence at 4pm and will end at around 7pm.

Those with a potentially high-growth business idea, who would like more information on the workshops and how to attend one, can register at http://www.nownortheast.co.uk/ or call 0845 680 1 391.

Busy times for UK Biometrics Ltd

Former Entrepreneurs' Forum Young Entrepreneur of the Year Matt James, Managing Director of UK Biometrics Ltd, has been busy franchising his company all over the UK and abroad. The company is a leading supplier of fingerprint entry systems, membership systems and time & attendance systems, and here are just some of their recent news and developments. Keep a look out on http://www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/ for Matt's story, coming soon.


BIOMETRIC SECURITY TO PROTECT CHILDREN AT BRITAINS LAGEST NURSERY GROUP

Newcastle upon Tyne based UK Biometrics Ltd has announced the roll-out of a deal worth over half million pounds to supply and install biometric ‘Fingerprint Entry’ security systems at Busy Bees, Britain’s larges chain of children’s nurseries. The system will allow parents and carers easy access to the nurseries while ensuring unauthorised people cannot gain entry.

UK Biometrics has worked with Busy Bees for over a year, trialling the system at fourteen nurseries.

The new biometric locks allow Busy Bees personnel to register parents and carers fingerprints in seconds. Once registered parents press their fingerprint onto a sensor pad at the door then leave or collect their children without fuss. Un-registered visitors ring the bell and wait for a member of staff to admit them.

The new system will allow staff to spend more time with the children at busy drop-off and collection times, rather than answering the door to parents.

The multi-spectral scanner identifies key points on the users fingerprint, and scans sub-dermal ridges making it impossible to ‘spoof’ using a fake fingerprint. . No actual fingerprint is stored and the encrypted data is held only by Busy Bees individual nurseries. It is impossible to reproduce a fingerprint, or any part of a fingerprint from data stored.

Busy Bees Regional Director Carole Chadderton said;

“We are always looking at ways of improving the quality of our nurseries, and security for the children and staff is a prime concern. We have worked closely with UK Biometrics and their access system will enable us to maintain high security standards throughout our nurseries.”

UK Biometrics Operations Director Shaun Oakes said:

“Busy Bees has been the leading provider of quality childcare since 1983 and their commitment to biometric access proves they will adopt the latest and best technology to protect children and offer peace of mind to carers and parents. Biometrics provides the only key which cannot be lost, stolen, forged or hacked – the human fingerprint.”

Busy Bees nurseries are trusted by parents around the UK to provide their children with a safe, secure, happy, healthy and stimulating environment. They offer a child-centred approach where children are encouraged to develop their creativity, individuality and self-confidence in secure surroundings, led by fully trained staff.


BIOMETRIC SECURITY PROTECTS 210 BERKSHIRE CHILDREN

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust has become the first primary healthcare trust in the UK to install biometric access systems to protect 210 children and staff at three nurseries in the County. Little Dragons nursery in Reading, Kiddies Kabin in Maidenhead and Jack In The Box in Slough have replaced buzzer and intercom systems with biometric ‘Fingerprint Entry’ devices.

The multi-spectral scanner identifies key points on the users fingerprint, and scans sub-dermal ridges making it impossible to ‘spoof’ using a fake fingerprint. . No actual fingerprint is stored and the encrypted data is held only by individual nurseries making it fully data protection compliant. It is impossible to reproduce a fingerprint, or any part of a fingerprint from data stored.

The technology, supplied by the Thames Valley office of UK Biometrics Ltd allows nursery personnel register parent’s fingerprints in seconds. Parents then simply press their fingerprint on a sensor pad at the door to gain fast, easy access. They can leave or collect their children without fuss while un-registered visitors must ring the bell and wait for a member of staff. The new biometric system means staff can now spend more time caring for children and helping them attain their Early Learning goals.

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust Security Management Specialist Jim Tye says:

“The new biometric access systems provide state of the art security for children and staff, which is a paramount concern. Parents are comforted to know their children are protected by the latest high-tech device while fingerprint entry makes life safer and easier all round.”

All three nurseries recently attained ‘Good’ OFSTED reports in all areas of their childcare and education. Another OFSTED report praised the biometric entry system as ‘Protecting children from harm’.

UK Biometrics Ltd Director, Reading based Nick Morse says:

“Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has specified the only key which cannot be lost, stolen, forged or hacked – the human fingerprint.”