Fledgling internet firm bolstered by funding

A digital project on Teesside which aims to transform the way businesses market themselves on the internet has secured £500,000 in funding.

Middlesbrough-based ibod - or intelligent business on demand - provides free business search engines, social networking and advertising for charities, SMEs and corporate organisations.

The business has already created eight new jobs and is expected to add a further 20 staff in the coming year in the fields of sales and technology.

The venture has emerged from three years of research and development buoyed by £500,000 in financial backing and on target to generate £12m in turnover over the next four years.

ibod was the brainchild of marketing expert Kevin Robinson and IT specialist Haniff Din who have spent the last three years developing the technology with a team of experts.

According to its founders, the venture is already attracting global interest and could eventually become a rival to online empires such as Google, Yell and Yahoo.

Mr Robinson said: “We believe that this is the first British-led business search engine of its kind that supports and helps local small businesses and social enterprises.

“We have a passionate team of investors, who totally believe in developing ibod, and an incredibly committed team that is continually developing new products which are already attracting interest from around the world.

“Despite offers to re-locate to other areas ibod is and always will be a North East business which has the potential to create many new jobs for local people in the coming years.”

The £500,000 in financial backing it has received has come from several North East sources including Thornaby haulage business Scott Bros, Newcastle venture capitalist company NorthStar Equity Investors, Cal2 Fire and Security in Middlesbrough and Stockton-based commercial lawyers the Endeavour Partnership.

Digital Media Consulting in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool accountants and business advisors, Waltons Clark Whitehill, have also backed the firm.

ibod is a free service which allows businesses and charities to use internet marketing more effectively and more easily to build closer relationships with customers and develop their brand to attract new markets.

All users get their own free networking website which can be customised and used as a promotional and sales tool. Members will also benefit from forums where they can exchange ideas and contacts.

Revenue will be generated through advertising from larger businesses and offering cost effective web design and search engine optimisation services.

Story courtesy of www.bdaily.info

Compete For New Business.

Inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games.

Thursday March 10^th 2011. 07:30 – 10:30. Darlington Football Club.

Business Link are hosting an event which will help small businesses in the North East to understand what business opportunities there are related to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, how to access them and how to respond to the contract opportunities.

Hear directly from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and discover how to access the billions of pounds worth of work and thousands of new business opportunities arising from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Crossrail and other large projects.

Join us on Thursday March 10^th at Darlington Football Club to find out how to take advantage of these opportunities for your business.

CompeteFor is the official portal for contracting opportunities linked to the London 2012 Games and also to Crossrail.

Are you registered on CompeteFor?

Do you want to discover how to make the most of CompeteFor and find real opportunities for your business?

Join Compete North East and Chris Bell, Buyer Engagement Manager from the Olympic

Delivery Authority, for a short breakfast session on Thursday 10th March to discover:

What CompeteFor is and how to register:

• How to create an effective profile on CompeteFor
• How to find real business opportunities for your organisation
• How to respond to different types of contract opportunities
• What happens after you respond to a contract opportunity

Tickets are now available for the event at just £25+VAT per person. For further information or to book your place, please call 0191 281 5777, email karen@btob.co.uk

Compete For New Business.

Inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games.

Thursday March 10^th 2011. 07:30 – 10:30. Darlington Football Club.

Business Link are hosting an event which will help small businesses in the North East to understand what business opportunities there are related to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, how to access them and how to respond to the contract opportunities.

Hear directly from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and discover how to access the billions of pounds worth of work and thousands of new business opportunities arising from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Crossrail and other large projects.

Join us on Thursday March 10^th at Darlington Football Club to find out how to take advantage of these opportunities for your business.

CompeteFor is the official portal for contracting opportunities linked to the London 2012 Games and also to Crossrail.

Are you registered on CompeteFor?

Do you want to discover how to make the most of CompeteFor and find real opportunities for your business?

Join Compete North East and Chris Bell, Buyer Engagement Manager from the Olympic

Delivery Authority, for a short breakfast session on Thursday 10th March to discover:

What CompeteFor is and how to register:

• How to create an effective profile on CompeteFor
• How to find real business opportunities for your organisation
• How to respond to different types of contract opportunities
• What happens after you respond to a contract opportunity

Tickets are now available for the event at just £25+VAT per person. For further information or to book your place, please call 0191 281 5777, email karen@btob.co.uk

R&B Group brings science to life

Events, production and communication specialist, R&B Group arrived back home in Newcastle this week, to complete the last in a series of high profile science events.

R&B Group were contracted by client Education Live, to provide AV and production support for the events, aimed at inspiring GCSE students to take up careers in Science.

The nationwide programme, starting back in November of last year in Leicester, has seen R&B Group travel over 5000 miles, battling through some of the worst weather to hit the UK in years, in order to deliver the 13 road show style events throughout the country.

Presentations were delivered to some 20,000 school children by some of the UK's top scientists including Lord Robert Winston.

During each session, scientists each presented their cutting-edge research to the 15-16 year old students, demonstrating how science offers solutions to some of the world's greatest problems.

Barry Fox, R&B Group Director comments "It was fantastic to be awarded the contract for a second year. It's a great series of events. The weather did create an added challenge but we look forward to the autumn programme which begins in November".

Daniel Powell, Director Education Live "The work of R&B Group is essential to these events, which aim to engage young audiences in Science. We ask some of the world's most eminent scientists to speak to GCSE students, which is a good start. But, the great audio and visual set-up provided by R&B Group makes very good lectures into unforgettable ones."

Record Start To The Year For Software Company

South Shields-based software firm DEF Software has had a successful start to the year, achieving record sales amounting almost £300,000 in one month.

Despite the current economic climate DEF Software achieved a record month in January in sales of expert software to newly acquired public sector clients across the UK.

The new contracts include wins with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, Norfolk County Council, Gloucester City Council and Eastbourne Borough Council.

The software contracts include DEF software systems for local authority planning, which helps improve efficiency of the planning application process; highways response, developed for highways development officers controlling work flow from initial request to final response; and building control, aiding building inspections

The young business has seen great success from the outset and quickly set up sister company DEF Apps servicing the private sector, meaning DEF is now working lucratively in both sectors.

DEF Software founder David Frame said: "We are very proud to have had such a successful start to 2011 as we move into our third year of trading.

"The business we have had in January alone has put us well ahead of our target turnover for 2011 / 2012 of £1m.

"We have continued to expand our reach across the UK with our highly beneficial software in the public sector which is how we have managed to clock up such strong sales in our first month. We are now starting our financial year with an order book just shy of £900,000.

"It is pleasing to see this achievement is from all-new clients, which demonstrates our strength of reputation is growing within local authority circles.

"DEF Apps has also taken off alongside very productively within the private sector and I believe we are well within reach of meeting the two businesses' combined target of £6m by 2015."

Orange Bus Takes New Sage Accountancy Website Live

Creative digital agency Orange Bus has successfully completed the design and build of a website for an online subscription-based service for accounting software giant Sage.

Sage One is aimed at sole-traders and start-ups with a hosted software package sold on a monthly subscription as a secure, simple and low-cost way to manage finances. Business owners can work on invoices and VAT returns, and assess their business performance in the office or at home remotely.

Orange Bus won the competitive tender to carry out the design and build of the site, which provides a high volume of help and advice articles across all of its products. It was essential to make the site athttp://www.sageone.com/ as accessible and easy to navigate as possible to allow users to find answers online rather than via the call centre.

Julian Leighton, director at Orange Bus, says one of the keys to success with the project has been the huge emphasis on user experience: "We're delighted with the finished product but what is most exciting is to see business owners are already using it easily and effectively - and in the ways we expected they would.

"It was imperative to the success of Sage One that we effectively structure the content of the online help centre and this is a perfect example of where our user experience knowledge comes into its own."

Orange Bus continues to win prestigious contracts off the back of its specialism in both user experience and interface design, and on the strength of its creative input, strategic insights and delivery.

The firm, which recently expanded into bigger premises on Newcastle's Quayside, has an enviable client list including global names such as Barclays, Tommee Tippee, Family Lives (formerly Parentline) and most recently, international media, publishing and education company Pearson.

Simon Black, managing director of Sage Online, said: "The launch of Sage One is a significant addition to Sage's online software and services. What's most exciting about it is the feedback from our beta customers - we're providing a real boost to their business and enabling them to manage their accounts in a way that suits them.

"That's why we believe Sage One will meet and exceed the expectations of a new generation of sole traders, small businesses and entrepreneurs that see the web as a natural way to work."

Sage One marketing manager, Michael Barber, said: The guys at Orange Bus really know their stuff. We set out to deliver a great customer experience with Sage One and the work Orange Bus contributed helps us do that."

NEA2F Publish Second Access To Finance Guide

Over 200 key figures from across the region gathered at the Centre for Life in Newcastle, for the launch of the second Access to Finance Guide produced by North East Access to Finance (NEA2F).

The 2011 Guide was introduced by Chairman, Hugh Morgan Williams OBE and guest speakers at the event were Sir Ian Wrigglesworth, Deputy Chairman of the Government's Regional Growth Fund and Rory Earley, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Capital for Enterprise Ltd.

Reflecting on what many have seen as a challenging year for business, Hugh Morgan Williams said "I cannot believe that it is almost a year since our first Access to Finance Guide was published in 2010. Since then, it has become an indispensable tool for fund managers, accountants and corporate finance lawyers as they seek to guide their clients through the complex web of finance initiatives both within the North East and beyond."

"SMEs (small and medium enterprises) have also benefited by having all the important information and contact details in a handy sized booklet that is duplicated on our website www.nea2f.co.uk

"Accessing finance has not got easier for SMEs during 2010. Whilst the Finance for Business funds are beginning to get to grips with financing growth businesses with equity solutions, there remains a problem for companies accessing traditional debt finance; both on demand overdraft and term loans from the high street banks."

"During the year, some of the main lenders assembled a £1.5 billion pound fund to help businesses with sales of more than £10 million pounds, but there remains a significant issue for the majority of companies beneath that threshold. Often the businesses are new, without a track record, or significant tangible assets to pledge against lending propositions from the banks that have become increasingly difficult to access for this sector."

"Nationally, the Enterprise Finance Guarantee has helped, but most businesses appear to find the security requirements onerous and the costs high. There remains a need for loan funds that target companies that the banks deem do not meet their credit criteria."

"Since the General election in May 2010 there have been a number of significant changes in the sources of money to help our stock of SMEs. Badly hit have been grant schemes that have practically disappeared from the Access to Finance guide. The main newcomer, of course, is the Regional Growth Fund which aims to help meet this Government's ambition to rebalance the economy. In addition this year, we have included a section on business support listing the main providers of help and assistance to SMEs."

Morgan Williams went on to say, "Here at NEA2F we are working on a number of schemes that we think will help business in the North East, and we will be announcing details of these throughout 2011. Of course, any changes will be reflected on our dynamic web site www.nea2f.co.uk, and we will be emailing our data base of regional contacts with regular updates."

Sir Ian Wrigglesworth, Deputy Chair of the Regional Growth fund, outlined the issues around access to finance for the region through the RGF and Rory Earley, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Capital for Enterprise set the regional scene in the context of the national picture in terms and funding for business.

*The Regional Growth Fund, which only applies to England, will operate for over 3 years from 2011 to 2014. The RGF is a £1.4bn challenge Fund, which has two objectives:

(1) To encourage private sector enterprise by providing support for projects with significant potential for economic growth and create additional sustainable private sector employment; and

(2) To support in particular those areas and communities that are currently dependent on the public sector make the transition to sustainable private sector led growth and prosperity.

**Capital for Enterprise Limited (‘CfEL') is the Government's principal centre of knowledge, expertise and information on the design, implementation and management of finance measures to support Small and Medium Size enterprises (‘SMEs') across the UK.

· North East Access to Finance.pdf [4.8MB]

Special Offer to If We Can You Can Members

If We Can You Can member, Glynis Jeffries has a special offer open to members. Neuro-Linguistic Programming Is becoming increasingly popular within business due to the great success people have had whilst using the techniques.

We have a great opportunity for you to come along to Beamish Hall Hotel contact to experience a free taster session by Glynis Jeffries who is the director of Thinking Success UK and licensed by Dr Richard Bandler the co-creator of NLP.

This Unique opportunity will take you through how NLP can be used to enhance you and your business. The topics covered will be:
• Building great relationships with clients, contacts and employees to maximise every interaction.
• Having a clear direction for both you and your colleagues.
• Coaching for performance
• Language skills – using language effectively to maximise communication to all.
• There will be also a question and answer session with Glynis during and after the event.

The sessions will run from 6.30pm until 8.30pm with coffee after the event on both the 28th of March 2011 and again on April 21st 2011.

If you are interested in attending or finding out any more information, then please contact Glynis at info@thinkingsuccessuk.co.uk

Two IWCYC Unplugged Events for March

Here at 'If we can, you can' we are doing what we do best and shouting out loud about you guys, what we do and why those running their own businesses in the North East need to be part of our community, if they aren't already!

'If we can, you can' is all about promoting the growth of entrepreneurship in the region by sharing all of your experiences and knowledge. So we've hooked up with the Federation of Small Businesses and Newcastle Business Forums to put on not just one, but TWO great events in March for you!

The first of the two events will see us try out a slightly different format of event, away from the usual Unplugged events.

Inspired by If We Can You Can member Mike Bell's "Knowledge Cafe" events we invite you to co-create brilliant conversation about innovation and growth.

Conversation Question – ‘Why is innovation necessary for growth?’
When: Wednesday 9th March. 6.00 for 6.30 – 8.30pm.

Where: Kaffeccinos Coffee House, 54-56 Grainger Street, NE1 5JG. Buy your own drinks. Food will be provided.

To book on to either of the events, or for more information then email Will or call on 0191 226 7488.

Imagine joining three or four people at a Café-style table or in a small conversation cluster to explore questions where collaborative thinking can really make a difference. Nearby, other small groups are exploring similar questions and noting down key insights and perspectives. Soon, you move to another group or Café table, visit with new people, and cross-pollinate new ideas and insights. As the conversations connect, they spark new discoveries.

Innovative opportunities begin to appear. Collective knowledge grows and evolves. A sense of a larger whole becomes real, and the wisdom of the group emerges for all to experience.

When we engage each other in dialogue we enter into a conversation with a view to learn from each other rather than impose our views on the other.

The evening will be facilitated by "Mutual Inspiration CIC's" Mike Bell and we hope it will spark off its very own series of events with the discussion developing as we go!

The second event of the month returns to the familiar Unplugged format to discuss the issues faced when looking to take on your first employee or even your 250th.

Joining us on the panel will be Joanna Feeley, Emily Pitkethly and Jonathan Wadewho between them have a wealth of varied experience when it comes to taking on employees and growing the business.

Date: Tuesday 29th March
Time: 5:00 registration for 5:30pm start. 8pm finish.
Venue: Bewick Hall, Newcastle Central Library. NE1 8AX

Jonathan Wade started up Neuro Partners with two friends and began operating with just the three of them in January 2006. Five year's later, they have just taken on their 250th employee and now have offices in Newcastle, Cumbria, Yorkshire and Lancashire, showing phenomenal growth.

Joanna Feeley and Emily Pitkethly have very different experiences when it came to taking on their first employees. Both Joanna and Emily found that their workloads were increasing as the business grew, so taking on staff seemed the only sensible way to give them their time back to work on the business. However Emily soon found that she was spending just as much time managing her staff, and so had no more time than before to work on the business. Joanna’s workload was drastically improved by taking on board her first member of staff, but a new challenge arose in defining exactly what her own role should now be!

Having met through the If We Can You Can Challenge, Joanna and Emily who both work in design, have taken on interns and graduates and even allow their staff to cross over and work within each other’s companies to in a bid to share and enhance their knowledge and experiences as well as appreciate how other similar organisations work in their sector.

Come and join us for this informal evening event to hear from a broad range of experiences, and be inspired, energised and full of ideas to take back to your own business.

To book on to either of the above events, or for more information then email Will or call on 0191 226 7488.

Places are limited, and also open to guests as well as the member database of the FSB and Newcastle Business Forums, so please make sure to book early to avoid disappointment.

Expansion to Big Apple for Trend Bible

Forecasting trend specialists Trend Bible is reaping the fruits of its labour by branching out to the Big Apple where it has established a presence in the heart of Manhattan.

Following the success of a string of national and international contract wins, the boutique trend consultancy, based in Heaton, has entered into a strategic relationship with merchandising consultant and trend forecasting company The Doneger Group, to broaden its exposure in the US market.

Trend Bible already boasts an international client list including US home interiors specialist Pottery Barn on its client list along with TK Maxx, JCPenney, Wal-Mart and Macy’s department store.

Founder and creative director of Trend Bible Joanna Feeley, 35, said: “We have reached a point in our business now where we are ready to create new opportunities after working hard to establish a solid business and reputation in the UK.

“There is obviously something about what we do that appeals greatly to US retailers. Out of the 18 countries we supply our Trend Bible to we sell more of our books in the US than anywhere else in the world.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for Trend Bible, despite the lingering effects of the recession, the type of forward thinking companies we’re working with are still ambitious for growth, so having a presence in New York puts us in a better position to work with more home interior retailers across the US.”

‘Deadgood’ future for North East company

Having won contracts with the BBC and Phillips, a North East furniture design company is making ambitious plans for expansion creating 3 jobs in the process.

Newcastle based Deadgood is looking to more than double its workforce after seeing demand for two of its main products soar.

In addition to its base in Newcastle’s city centre, the furniture designers have opened up a new office in the capital as part of its growth strategy.

Elliot Brook, Managing Director at Deadgood, said: “We’re really excited about creating new jobs.

“It’s always been part of our strategy to grow the business by brining in specilist human resources and this is a exciting step for us to be able to bring these people on board.”

“Very recently we just opened up an office in London which in the next 12 months will act as a showroom for us to promote ourselves directly to new markets in the capital.”

Meanwhile, the firm has recently won a high value contract to supply the new BBC offices in Salford with two of their main collections - the upholstered lounge chair (Love chairs) and laminated plywood stools (Form stool).

The firm has also secured contracts to have their products sold in some of the world’s major furniture retail outlets including, Liberty of London, La Rinascente in Milan and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.

Mr Brook added: “ We’re really excited to be winning the type of projects that we are now starting to see to come thorough.

“It’s great to be seen to be working with these high profile clients and competing with some of the more established industry players.”

Story courtesy of http://www.bdaily.info

PostGraduate Toolbox Ltd launches new site to support Masters and PhD Graduates looking to find jobs in the commercial sector.

PostGraduate Toolbox Ltd launches new site to support Masters and PhD Graduates looking to find jobs in the commercial sector.

www.linkhigher.com is the newest offering from the Durham based company, specialising in Postgraduate support services. Designed and built on research with large employers such as GE, Barclays Capital and BT, LinkHigher will provide companies with direct access to a fantastic talent pool of future employees.

LinkHigher already offers a network of 17,000+ Masters and PhD level candidates and a contact base of 3000+ individuals in Graduate and Careers services across the UK and overseas. For the launch phase, the site and its services will be offered on a trial basis to a range of companies. As part of the trial companies can upload full company profiles, specific job vacancies, advertise graduate schemes and future recruitment plans.

Business Relationship Manager for the site Chris Colegate commented that “This is an exciting time for the business as we approach the Launch, we have developed some excellent relationships in the commercial sector already in 2011 and feedback for the site has been great, we are now looking to broaden this pool of Employer contacts and trial www.linkhigher.com across a range of industry sectors, working with SME’s and Blue-Chip’s.

"There are a number of jobsites on offer to companies when they look to recruit, however for specific requirements where businesses want to tap into top-tier Masters and PhD Graduates the LinkHigher service is new and innovative and will offer something different."

To discuss www.linkhigher.com and the free-trial on offer please contact Chris Colegate, Business Relationship Manager on 07825001189.

Slotzz iPad cases Win Grand Idea Award

Slotzz, a bespoke iPad, iPhone and MacBook case manufacturer based in Newcastle, UK, is one of this month’s Shell Live Wire Grand Ideas award winners. The Live Wire scheme is sponsored by oil giant Shell and aims at developing early stage businesses run by young entrepreneurs by giving them the chance at grabbing a £1000 cash injection.

Young entrepreneurs Simon Barker and Leonie Cunnington pitched their latest business development idea for Slotzz in last months Live Wire video pitches. They already make one of the worldʼs most unique and customised cases and now they intend to add monogramming and branding services to their offering.

Cunnington explains how the business works: “Each case is made to order, using our unique online design studio you can interactively design and visualise your case before ordering.”

“Many customers have been asking about extra personalisation options beyond the material choices recently so we have been exploring monogramming options. Weʼve found something that works fantastically well and we will use this money to push it to market.” Barker said when explaining how the money will be used.

Trend Bible have cited 2011 as the year of handcrafted British products and Cunnington says they are certainly feeling the effects of this trend. As predicted customers are searching for high end unique British products to take the place of the mass produced far eastern imports seen in recent years. Slotzz certainly fill this niche and with the option of monogramming they offer a unique product.

It appears that they have had many requests for branding opportunities for high end corporate gifts and merchandise so the money will be used to expand this new and unique aspect of the business. Both of these young entrepreneurs believe that Shell Live Wire is a fantastic opportunity for young entrepreneurs and encourage people to apply:

“Even if you donʼt win itʼs a fantastic scheme and the contacts you make are great” said Barker.