Kickstarter for Greater Manchester Budding Entrepreneurs

During difficult times it is often time for reflection and change.  The COVID 19 Pandemic is no different with many finding their circumstances changing dramatically.  Whether furloughed from work, finding themselves out of work for the first time in a long time, or juggling multiple roles, it will no doubt have meant many are questioning whether now is the time to look at a different way of working.

Self-employment for many is a dream they keep in their back pocket wondering if they could ever take a leap.  The draw of managing their own hours, being their own boss or driving a business in the way their values see fit can be appealing.  But knowing how to go about it and understanding what is involved can sometimes be daunting.

For residents of Greater Manchester the opportunity to pull this dream out of their pocket and truly evaluate whether starting a business is the right step for them comes in the form of 'Kickstarter Manchester'.  Part funded through European Regional Development Fund as part of the 'Excelerate Labs' business support programme, this seven day challenge launches next week and will cover all aspects of getting your idea off the ground.

With a mix of live zoom mentoring and bitesize online learning that can be picked up at your own pace, the flexible programme invites those living in Greater Manchester with a business dream to see if they can turn it into a reality across a 7 day start up challenge.

Led by enterprise experts Mike Marsden and Ameena Ahmed the Kickstart Manchester programme will include:

Day 1


Morning - LAUNCHPAD 11am-12pm


Welcome and Introduction. Live on zoom, meet your expert mentors, set some 7 day targets, network with other Greater Manchester residents looking to start a business


Afternoon – SET YOUR STRATEGY


Led by business growth expert, use business strategy tools to set out your business vision and goals. Take part in this activity at a time that suits you.


Day 2 – SUPERCHARGED SOCIALS


Let’s Get Social 😊 Two stage Twitter course. From the Do’s & Don’ts to winning business on Twitter and harnessing it as a tool for PR. Join in at a time that suits you.


Day 3 – FINESSE YOUR FACEBOOK


Are you confident you would know how to build your audience on facebook ? We will show how to beat their algorithms in everything from set up a to how to generate enquiries for free! Flexible learning time.


Day 4 - I CAN INSTAGRAM


Instagram is fast becoming a tool businesses can't ignore. But how do businesses stand out and ensure they are reaching their client base? Join this expert session to find out at a time convenient to you!


Day 5 – SAFEGUARD YOUR STRATEGY


Strategy Planning – Every business needs a plan to get ahead. A fancy marketing plan is great, but what underpins your model to ensure it survives and thrives? Join this session to find out.


Day 6 – SEO MADE SIMPLE


Whether using a website or web presence how do you get your business found online? Unpick the mysteries of Google with our expert.


Day 7 – MENTOR ME 11am-12pm


Final group mentoring session to re-cap learning, including and expert Q & A, let’s celebrate our completing the programme and get your questions answered.


Anyone interested in booking can do so here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kickstarter-manchester-the-7-day-start-up-challenge-tickets-109290107654

Cooking Up a Storm: Food Sorcery's Journey to Success

Food Sorcery Cookery School was born out of a passion to get people cooking. After delivering big plans during their start-up phase, owners Helen Jacks and Mark Seymour Mead needed advice on how to grow, and receive recognition for their achievements at the prestigious Cookery School of the Year Awards.

Food Sorcery offers cookery classes for all abilities

Founded in 2016 in the peaceful suburbs of Didsbury, Food Sorcery Cookery School provides a fun-filled, hands-on approach to cooking.  As well as giving students the opportunity to cook up a storm, the school also offers top-quality barista training, holiday camps, and bespoke training for all dietary requirements. In addition, Food Sorcery is available to hire as a venue space, and makes a valuable contribution to Manchester’s buzzing nightlife.

Helen recognised the need for her business to stand out, especially as Food Sorcery provides an unparalleled service with high-quality standards. As well as having two resident chefs who have worked in fine dining and lectured globally, the company also welcomes renowned guest chefs, and incorporates nutrition and wellbeing with an on-site nutritionist for a holistic, wrap-around approach to food.

Food Sorcery were runners up in the Cookery School of the Year Awards in 2018, which galvanised Helen to reach for the top prize the following year. However, with the pressures and lack of time due to being a working mother, plus her sizeable business operations to oversee, Helen struggled with translating her visions into an award-winning bid. At this point, she approached Excelerate Labs for some advice and support.

Working with our business adviser, Ameena Ahmed, for a 12-week period of funded support, Helen addressed the key ingredients of her business, with Ameena providing a sounding board and expert advice on how to write a winning bid. Helen submitted her application, and won the coveted Cookery School of the Year Award 2019, going on to then win The Food Awards England 2019 soon after. A successful year all in all!

Helen and Mark at The Food Awards

Since the support of Excelerate Labs, Food Sorcery has seen their turnover steadily increase, and has created 2.5 new jobs. This growth is only expected to continue as the company goes from strength to strength.

Looking to the future, Food Sorcery is building towards becoming more sustainable, eliminating single use plastics, using local produce and donating spare food to charities and hotels. They are also promoting healthy lifestyles and tackling childhood obesity by working with schools and parents, showing that healthy food is easy to make and needn’t break the bank.

If you would like to benefit from the support received under the Excelerate Labs programme, then please contact: exceleratelabs@thewo.org.uk.

FREE Start Your Business Workshops - Dates & More

This two-day course is the starting point for thinking about a business plan and marketing strategy in a friendly environment.

The thought of setting up a business can be frightening, whether it is worrying about tax and finances or the daunting task of writing a business plan. 

In this training session, our team will support you with:

Market research – the essential starting point for any business.

Marketing – how to get the word out about their business

Learning about the different social media tools available for business, blogging, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn – understanding which platform is best for their business

Building a social media strategy

Finance – business start-up finance, sales and cash flow forecasting

Understanding your customers and competitors

This course is completely FREE to residents of Greater Manchester who are not yet self-employed. We have a number of upcoming 2-day sessions in the following venues, running 9.30am - 4.30pm:

FULLY BOOKED - Pomegranate, The Lexicon, 10-12 Mount Street, Manchester - 11th & 12th March

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/93890945345

FULLY BOOKED - Confucius Institute, University of Manchester, Oxford Road - 20th & 27th March

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/91592308059

NatWest, 1 Hardman Boulevard, Manchester M3 3AQ - 22nd & 23rd April

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/93892445833

Booking is essential.

If you would like to speak to us, and find out more about this course, you can email us on hello@thewo.org.uk or ring us on 0161 327 0967

5 Tips to Grow Your Business with Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is one of the most powerful tools in your marketing repertoire. Digitisation is impossible to avoid; it’s present in every level of our lives, and enables us to target specific demographics like never before. We’re bringing you 5 top tips on how to grow your business with the help of digital marketing.

In-App Advertising

Ultimately, advertising ties into your visibility, and right now you’re probably invisible to most of your target market. Increasing your visibility and tapping into your desired market can be difficult, making in-app advertising a boon for appearing to your audiences. Unlike traditional advertising avenues, in-app advertising is pretty affordable – you make it as expensive or inexpensive as you like, and you have control over who is targeted by your ads.

Studies today show that users engage with apps more than websites, and mobile devices were used for more than 50% of web traffic in 2018. Consider what platforms are best to connect with your customers, and for placing yourself in the minds of your buyers. For example, if you run a wedding cake business, using visual platforms that brides frequent such as Instagram and Pinterest would be best for capturing your target audience’s attention.

Understanding SEO

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is getting your digital presence to appear highly in search results. It can be a difficult game to play, but it’s a powerful tool when you know how to use it. You could take all the time and energy in the world to make sure you have a functional, well-presented website, but without proper SEO, there’s a chance no one will ever see it.

Start by researching the most highly-searched keywords in your industry, and write some blog posts that add value to these topics. Again, though, SEO is difficult to master, so you may want to outsource your needs to someone who is SEO-savvy to get the most out of your strategy.

Establish a Strong Social Media Presence

It’s not impossible to grow your customer base solely through social media networks, so establishing a strong social media presence is key. It opens up a line of communication between yourself and your customers like never before, giving you access to valuable customer feedback and the chance to make a lasting good impression.

Building your brand on social media does require frequent posting and engagement, but you don’t need to spend half your time scrolling through Instagram and tweeting incessantly. Scheduling tools such as Hootsuite and Buffer allow you to plan your content in advance, but it is a good idea to do some live engagement with your followers every once in a while, too.

Build and nurture a mailing list

Having a solid email list offers you direct access to your customers and audience. In the age of ever-changing algorithms, when you post on social media, there is no guarantee that your posts will be seen by your followers.

Gathering information from your customers allows you to directly contact them with any upcoming events, promotions, or news, and cut through the noise of social media. There are plenty of tools out there, such as MailChimp, that allow you to send out blanket emails to your customers and split them into groups according to their interests. It also allows you to see the proportion of emails opened and links followed through – be careful you don’t send too many emails, though, or you’ll risk being consigned to the spam folder!

Create Shareable Content

The content you create can make or break your marketing strategy. High quality content can help build your brand and improve your relationship with your target audience, whereas low quality content can damage your image. Additionally, you don’t want your good content to go to waste by not being seen, so it needs to be shared by the right people to reach as widely as possible.

Make your content useful and practical to your audience, and make sure it’s engaging and relatable so that people are more likely to share it. Dry content isn’t going to evoke a reaction from your followers!

If you are a woman running a business in the Greater Manchester area that is working through these dilemmas and other business growth pains, our Excelerate Labs team may be able to help.

Part funded by European Regional Development Fund, Excelerate Labs can link you with a local adviser to explore growth strategy and help you to get all your ducks in a row.

Contact excleratelabs@thewo.org.uk for more information.

5 Tips on How to Grow Your Business

You’ve done it: you’ve finally started a business. You’ve got clients and money coming in, but how do you take that next step to make your business grow into something bigger and better?

Here’s five to tips on how you can successfully grow your business:

Get to know your customer base

Your existing customer base can provide you with invaluable information on how you can make your services better. Encourage honest feedback, and really get to know their needs – that way, you can develop your services with the knowledge of what your customer really wants. Be sure to nurture your existing customers, too, maybe by offering a loyalty scheme or survey incentives, to encourage them to provide that much-needed feedback on your business. You can gather contact information and send them regular updates through several email marketing platforms, making it simple for people to see what’s going on, and allow them to opt out if they wish to.

Look for new customers

It’s all fine and well nurturing your existing customers, but you will need new ones in order to grow. Use market analysis to see where the people you want to sell to live, work, socialise etc., and get to grips with what social media is most popular amongst the market you wish to break into. Opportunities are everywhere, so always be on the lookout for trends that you can get on board with that may open up your customer base to a wider market.

Use social media

On average, people spend at least 2 hours and 15 minutes on social media per day – that’s one minute out of every three!

It’s impossible to avoid social media if you want to create and grow a successful business. It’s now the most powerful tool for marketing, and it’s free! It’s easier than ever to promote your services and reach a massive potential customer base.

Social media allows you to gain a valuable insight into social trends through ‘social listening’: what are your customers thinking? What do they want? What appeals to them? Using social media allows you to stay ahead of the trend and provide your customers with what they really want.

Plan, plan, plan!

There is truth in the old adage: ‘fail to prepare, then prepare to fail’. If you fail to plan for the future, you may well be caught unawares of dips and trends in business; there will always be obstacles that you can’t foresee, so plan for every eventuality. Do plenty of research, and be aware of the possible risks that may affect your business.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Planning your milestones for where you want to be in 1, 5, 10 years helps you stay motivated and driven towards making your business successful, and helps set a benchmark for you to know if your business is improving.

Think innovatively

If your current model isn’t working, then change it! Fundamentally, innovation means introducing something new into your business. Is there a way you could diversify your business to make it appeal to a wider market? For example, a wedding cake maker might make ‘how to decorate a cake’ tutorials, or provide workshops for those wanting to learn. You could collaborate with another business to introduce new services, or learn a new skill which you could incorporate into your business model. Whatever you decide, innovation is key in making sure your business remains new and exciting.

If you are a woman running a business in the Greater Manchester area that is working through these dilemmas and other business growth pains, our Excelerate Labs team may be able to help.

Part funded by European Regional Development Fund, Excelerate Labs can link you with a local adviser to explore growth strategy and help you to get all your ducks in a row.

Contact excleratelabs@thewo.org.uk for more information.

Kiddy Cook on Evolving and Expanding a Franchise

McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Marriott International are some of the worlds biggest companies that have moved to a franchise model in order to successfully grow. We spoke to Nikki Geddes – Founder of local franchise Kiddy Cook about her business journey and the learning curves she’s overcome. 

Nikki Geddes

Launching in 2005 with the dream of inspiring children to have fun with food, Kiddy Cook works by delivering award winning school workshops, after school clubs, classes and parties to encourage healthy choices and to give young people the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a challenging world. Nikki Geddes started the business before deciding to franchise, she told us “I really enjoyed baking with my daughter and as a new mum frequenting every toddle group going, I recognised a gap in the market when it came to teach small children about food and cooking. The more I thought about Kiddy Cook, I got excited about the positive impact it could have”

Nikki spent a large part of her career working in corporate roles. She started her working life as a freelance journalist for BBC Radio Leicester, moving on to a role at British retailer Freemans and most recently she spent 12 years working for a high-profile marketing agency in London. Relocating to the North West with her family, she started to think about the possibility of starting a business that would involve making a difference to kids lives, as well that of their parents.

“I’ve always had a franchise model in mind because I knew there were other entrepreneurs out there who felt as I did about kids and learning”

Franchising allowed Nikki to expand her business without big financial costs. With money tight and a family at home, it was important for her to keep costs to a minimum... something which at the start of her journey was a struggle. “I tried to do everything myself without having a real understanding of how to franchise my business. I wasted a lot of money. Furthermore, my business was not as robust as it could have been. I recruited the wrong people for my business, I didn’t take the time to see if they were right for me and the Kiddy Cook brand and some of these franchisees proved unqualified to run a Kiddy Cook franchise resulting in some real lows and a business that remained static for a long time”

If Nikki could offer a piece of advice for anyone looking to start a franchise - Invest your time and money into talking to a franchise consultant right from the start!

Kiddy Cook is now evolving and expanding with 7 areas covered across England and Wales. They continue to collaborate with partners who share the same commitment to causes which encourage health, wellbeing and education and are now in conversation with one of the biggest school sports providers discussing the possibility of partnership to deliver the Kiddy Cook Food Foundation Programme to more schools across the UK.

The business worked with The Women’s Organisation through Greater Manchester based Excelerate Labs Programme. Receiving coaching and support from Senior Business Advisor Mike Marsden, Nikki told us: “The Women’s Organisation have been absolutely fantastic, and my mentor Mike Marsden continues to be a real asset to the growth of Kiddy Cook. From the free courses I’ve attended (How to get your Business seen on Google was my favourite) to the continued support and networking opportunities, they have been a real motivator for me moving forward.”

“It’s still early days for me, but I have no doubt that the work I am doing with The Women’s Organisation will be a contributing factor to my business growth and profit. I have spent the last couple of months evaluating my business model and processes and I have been able to add real value to the existing franchise network.”

Kiddy Cook are currently looking for an entrepreneur to deliver their programme of workshops in the Liverpool and North Wales areas. Kiddy Cook presents a fantastic opportunity and one that can be a great way to build a business using an existing company as a foundation.

If you’d like to find our more get in touch 

Tel: 07976 619 648 e: hale@kiddycook.co.uk www.kiddycook.co.uk

If you would like to benefit from the support received under the Excelerate Labs programme, then please contact: exceleratelabs@thewo.org.uk.

#BusinessGrowthTips: Capacity Planning

Over the last month we've been asking our Excelerate Labs business growth advisers to offer us some key tips on how to maximise your business potential.  If you follow @ExcelerateLab over on twitter you will catch our series #BusinessGrowthTips

Capacity planning is a key part of strategising for growth.  Without the right team and resources your business with soon grow out of hand and beyond your control.  Below are some key tips from our advisers looking at this element of growth in more detail.

• Let Go to Grow

"As you grow, you need to let go" says business adviser Mike Marsden. "Eventually your staff will reach their limits and your will outgrow some of your connections.  Just make sure the next people on your journey are better than the last".

Sometimes in business we can get sentimental about both our staff and those in our network.  But actually when capacity planning it is crucial to identify what roles and connections we need for the next phase of the business and be honest as to whether those we already have in our circle match the business need.  If not we may need to let go in order to grow. 

• Systems Give You Space

"Systemise your business. Get your business working for itself, creating money.  If the business is reliant on you, you have a job" says Mike.

Unpacking this tip from our growth adviser Mike, it shows that you need to give yourself space away from the business in order to grow.  If you are basically the engine that keeps every cog turning then you essentially work for the business instead of having it work for you.  You need to be able to step out without everything falling apart or how can you ever have those essential meetings and strategy hours to move it on? Putting systems in place, which can be everything from handbooks that ensure staff know what to do, digital tools, automation etc. that will keep everything running while you aren't there is the best way to do this.

This is a massive part of capacity planning.  List everything you do, and everything that relies solely on your expertise.  Then plan and research ways to fill these gaps to ensure you can free up enough of your time to get the business growing.  Some of these systems may have a cost attached to implement, so these should factor in your business growth budget planning. 

If you are a woman running a growing business in the Greater Manchester area and would like support with capacity planning or any other area of business growth, please get in touch with our Excelerate Labs team.  Part funded by European Regional Development Fund the programme is FREE for your to access (subject to eligibility) and will offer advice and support tailored to your business need.

Drop a line to exceleratelabs@thewo.org.uk to find out more.

Be-Baby on the Worldwide Success and Growth of Innovative Brand 'Tidy Tot'

Be-Baby Ltd has been taking the baby product industry by storm, creating innovative multi-award-winning weaning brand ‘Tidy Tot’ which now sells its products in most of the major retailers in the UK, (Ocado, JoJo Maman Bebe, Amazon) along with exporting to 17 countries worldwide. We caught up with founder Jennifer Unsworth to talk growth. 

After 7 years supporting long term unemployed and vulnerable members of society to enhance workplace skills, Jennifer decided it was time to take the plunge into self-employment and in 2015, Be-Baby was born “I loved my job, and the decision to leave to set up a business of my own was not an easy one.  But having my daughter helped me find a real gap in the market for effective feeding bibs for when babies learn to self-feed, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take my idea for a product further.”

The Tidy Tot brand was established to make mealtimes less stressful for parents by introducing the Tidy Tot bib and tray kit. The unique products not only close the gap between the baby and highchair to prevent food from falling onto the baby’s lap, but the large tray means food cannot be dropped on the floor.

Operating from a small home office with 4 staff, Be-Baby are aiming high by forecasting 100% growth in 2019.“This year we’re being particularly ambitious - primarily as a result of rapid growing sales in China and the Far East”

To help with the growth of the product, Be-Baby has been receiving support from Greater Manchester based Excelerate Labs programme, working with Senior Business Adviser, Mike Marsden: “We've had regular meetings with Mike and always left every meeting brimming with ideas and new ways to tackle problems. Members of my team have attended training at The Women’s Organisation which has been invaluable to my business”

As a born and bred proud northerner, Jennifer says the North West has helped nurture her entrepreneurial flare, telling us: “The North has more limited top employment opportunity compared to London, I think the entrepreneurial spark is better able to grow” 

Be-Baby started 2019 off on a high, winning numerous awards such as Amazon’s Export Champion of the Year, being crowed small Business of the Year at the North East Cheshire Business awards and have recently been invited to join the Northern Powerhouse as one of DIT’S Export Champions in their 2019 campaign. With all these achievements under their belt, they aren't stopping there.

“We have secured two big name partnerships that will really help support our position as a weaning brand of choice amongst new parents. We are incredibly excited that the partnerships we’ve harnessed will really help to put the Tidy Tot brand and products front of mind as parents research weaning methods and equipment, and all serve to make their weaning journey a little easier.”

And what has been Be-Baby’s key to success?

Jennifer said: “We’ve never been afraid to take risks, sometimes you have to trust yourself and give it a go. In a product-based business like ours, there are some key things that we’ve learned along the way that have really contributed to our rapid growth”

She added: “Not waiting for product to be 100% ‘perfect’ before you show it to your customer is one – there is time to refine and develop product once it’s in the hands of the consumer – they are your very best source of product development and we never stop listening to them.” 

Finally, we asked Jennifer who inspires her in her professional career “Women in business are always inspiring to me.  It’s a real struggle to juggle demands of family and work, and in male dominated industries like manufacturing it can be difficult to have your voice heard.” 

To learn more about Be-Baby and its Tidy Tot products, you can visit their website https://tidytot.com/


If you would like to benefit from the support received under the Excelerate Labs programme, then please contact: exceleratelabs@thewo.org.uk.

Adviser Tips: Why SEO is an Essential Part of Business Growth strategy

Your business may have a fantastic website with embedded video, all the plugins to make it super impressive, but if no one can find it then it isn't worth the time or money you invested.  Even if you are looking to outsource SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) it is important to understand the basics so you know if you are ticking the neccessary boxes. Search Engine Optimisation is essentially getting sites like Google to find your website and decide that it deserves a place high up in the search results.  Here are some key essentials to get you started:

On Page SEO
On page SEO is all the things you do to your website that have an impact on your search engine ranking. 

• Keywords - You must put yourself in the shoes of someone searching on Google for a business like yours. What words or phrases might they type in?  These are your 'keywords'.  In order for Google to choose your website as a response to a search you must have those words or phrases on your web page.  Better yet at them as headings and sub headings to show Google that is what the page is about.  
• Metatags and Alt Tags - In the background of every page you will have space for a meta tag and description, and every time you add an image it will ask you if you want to add Alt text. Ignore these at your peril! Meta tags and descriptions are quick ways to let Google know what your page is about - another place you can add keywords.  Adding Alt Text to your image adds to this as by simply labelling images what they are e.g. 'New Kitchen Liverpool' you are straight away reinforcing your keywords and given yourself the opportunity to be ranked in image searches too. 

Off Page SEO
There are lots of things you can do off your website that can support SEO. 

• Link Building - Having other quality websites link to yours is a great signal to Google and other search engines to say that your site is quality.  You can start link building by adding your business with weblink to online directories, but you can also try the cheeky ask and pursuing guest blog opportunities or PR is another way to get others to link back to your site
• Social Signals - Social Signals’ or ‘Social Shares’ refer to webpages overall collective shares, likes and social media activity seen by search engines.  If your social media presence is doing well and clearly connects to your website this can really help. 

Investing in SEO is one quick way yo reach new customers.  Above are some starter tips, but it is a complex beast, so worth getting some advice or further training.

If you are a business based in Greater Manchester and looking to explore SEO or other methods of growing your business then get in touch with our Excelerate Labs team.

Excelerate Labs is part funded by European Regional Development Fund and free to access.  Contact us on 0161 327 0967 or exceleratelabs@thewo.org.uk to find out more.

Picture Perfect: Creative Moose Celebrate 10 Years of Growth

Video is now the number one form of content on the web and organisations are using it to connect and engage with their customers, relying on specialised businesses like Manchester based Creative Moose to help them out. Offering full-service video production and securing National and International clients, Creative Moose are entering their 10th Birthday with much to celebrate. 

Starting out in stockport in 2009, Creative Moose support organisations to discover the power of video, with services ranging from aerial filming to 360 virtual tours.  They aim to be able to offer a video for multiple platforms including websites, social media channels and presentations.

Prior to setting up the business, founders Scott Heslop and Anthony Beswick held positions in television for BBC and ITV, but with the rise in online video content, they noticed a huge opportunity to produce video for web and help organisations meet this demand. They told us: “We wanted to take the production values of TV and apply them to the web, ensuring that our clients can produce videos that they can be proud of”

Scott and Anthony both live and breathe storytelling with their passion for film and photography playing a huge role in the success of the business today. They now have offices in Stockport and Manchester City Centre, allowing them to offer their services to the wider Greater Manchester area which has given them the chance to work with businesses like The Northwest Air Ambulance Charity and The Christie NHS Trust. They are particularly proud of the relationship they've developed with the Northwest Air Ambulance Charity, telling us:

“We enjoy working with lots of charities of this nature and it’s great for us to help them use video to promote the life changing work they do”

Creative Moose is one of few companies offering medical video production in the UK and being HEMS passenger certified means they can film onboard helicopters to capture dramatic footage at the scenes of accidents. Looking to build a video strategy specialised for the medical and healthcare sector, they approached Excelerate Labs for support.

Working with senior advisor Mike Marsden, they have developed a long-term strategy to increase visibility in new markets “We really enjoyed using The Business Model Canvas, which helped us segment the business into key areas and set some achievable targets to grow in 2019”

Manchester is bursting with video production companies, but by offering the best storytelling through using the latest technology, producing 4k and HD video and only using industry standard equipment, Creative Moose stand miles ahead of their competition. Creating a lasting impact with their productions is also top of their agenda, Anthony explained:

“We place a huge focus on the story we are trying to tell and the emotional response that we want to create within audiences, we love the challenge that video production presents. It's a great feeling to craft a piece of video content that can that directly influences what people 'see', 'hear' and 'feel'. It's this unique focus that makes us stand out within the Manchester video production scene.”

This year Creative Moose are extending their services and launching 'The Moose Video Club', a service making it easier and affordable for organisation to produce regular videos throughout the year. We asked Creative Moose for advice to anyone looking to grow their business successfully

“My advice for others who want to grow their business would be to firstly establish a clear vision and a clear outcome of what they want to achieve and why? It's then about implementing the actions that you need to take to get your desired result.

Many times, businesses may need to change some of their actions in order to get move closer to their desired outcomes. That's certainly something that we've been working on, the 20% of actions that provide 80% of results.”

To learn more about Creative Moose and its video and photography services, you can visit their website http://www.creativemoose.com For specific information regarding Creative Moose's video production services, click here

Anthony is happy to speak with anyone that is interested in learning more about the power of video and storytelling. You can drop him an email on anthony@creativemoose.com or connect with Anthony on Linkedin

If you would like to benefit from the support received under the Excelerate Labs programme, then please contact: exceleratelabs@thewo.org.uk.

Construction Q take home a big win at the Northern Power Women Awards 2019

The Northern Power Women Awards marked their forth year at Manchester Central last night with Excelerate Labs very own graduate Construction Q taking home the Small Organisation of the Year Award. 

Construction Q at The Northern Power Women Awards 2019

Celebrating strong role models, gender balance and the nights theme of #WeCan, founder and director of the quantity surveyor firm Fiona Hull and her team at Construction Q were certainly at home in a room full of inspirational people.

Deciding not to follow the traditional career path into a female centric role, Fiona started Construction Q in 2010 and since then the business has gone on to work on successful projects ranging from £100,000 to one of their largest £30,000,00.

Spending her time supporting local charity events, Fiona has been a significant figure in helping to raise the profile of females working in construction, showing that an industry commonly thought of as a man’s sector is an inclusive workplace to all.

Construction Q are no strangers to winning awards, with them winning 'Woman in Construction Business' at the Excelerate Labs Celebration of Success awards in 2018. When speaking to Fiona in 2018, she spoke about working with Excelerate Labs and how Construction Q have been able to open themselves up to a wider networking opportunity helping them accelerate their business growth. “Excelerate Labs was a great sounding board for ideas but also supportive and full of suggestions for the business”

Helen Millne, Deputy CEO of The Women's Organisation presented the award for Mentor of The Year, sponsored by Excelerate Labs to Gill Hodgson, founder of Flowers from the Farm, a not-for-profit business that encourages the growth of British agriculture took home the award

Helen Millne and Flowers from the Farm 

Well done to all the winners and nominees of the night! The north certainly is one of the most exciting places to be at the moment and we can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store. 

If you are in Greater Manchester and would like to find out if Excelerate Labs can support you and your business, then get in touch with us today! Email us on exceleratelabs@thewo.org.uk

From Manchester to New York: 'Making You Content' Talk Business Growth

With Manchester being the fastest growing city outside London for economic growth, Excelerate Labs is supporting businesses in Greater Manchester who are looking to reach the next level. Boasting a client base ranging from New York agencies to prestigious UK universities, we spoke to Kelly Gilmour-Grassam, Founder and Director of copy-writing agency Making You Content to find out all about her business growth journey.

Making You Content team

Graduating from university in 2014 with the desire to pursue copy-writing on a self-employed basis, Kelly had to start thinking about building that career path for herself. “I’d taken on a few freelance clients alongside my studies and realised that I was totally uninspired by graduate jobs. There weren’t many options presented by traditional paths, so I took my freelancing full time while I decided what to do next. I soon realised I was making the same amount from home as I would in a grad job, so dropped the search and put my focus on growing my own business.”

Choosing a name, investing in a logo and getting a website made, Making You Content was officially born. With the North West having no shortage of marketing agencies, we asked what made them stand out from the competition. “We focus purely on the written word. We bridge a gap between freelance copywriters and full-service marketing providers, helping brands identify their voice and grow through effective communication”

Making You Content is approaching it’s 5th birthday, a significant milestone for a business that started from a desktop computer in a bedroom. Now securing an eight-person strong team, you can now find them based in Manchester’s vibrant Northern Quarter with plans to grow further over the next 12 months. The growing business is just another thing to add to Kelly’s list of achievements with her being named as UK’s Young Freelancer of the year in 2015 by IPSE “This was a real launchpad for the business. It really raised my profile and gave me the confidence and credibility to push Making You Content forward”

Kelly spoke about the support they had received through the Excelerate Labs Programme. “I’ve been working with Mike, one of The Women’s Organisations Senior Business Advisers, on my business and growth plans over the past few months. It’s really useful talking through your challenges and opportunities with someone who has seen the same issues in countless other businesses and offer objective advice, support and signposting to point you in the right direction”

Finding the encouragement to build her business and generate new ideas, Kelly grew up in Yorkshire taking inspiration from her Grandad’s true honest graft and the 6 months she spent freelancing in South America, exploring new places and widening her horizons as a writer. 

Reflecting on her journey into business, Kelly has learned a thing or two about establishing her brand identity along the way: “When I started hiring, I tried to mould employees in my image, but quickly realised that having a variety of personalities who approach things in different ways is actually great for business. People buy people; if someone doesn’t ‘get’ me, they might really buy into someone else on the team. This has also helped us evolve the business from ‘Kelly copywriter’ to Making You Content as a brand people know and trust.”

So, what would Kelly’s key advice be for someone looking to grow a business? “Making You Content wouldn’t be where it is today without the amazing team I have around me. Investing my time and faith in people joining the business has definitely been key to its success. It’s hard to delegate in the early days – and often easier to just do it yourself – but in the long run you’ll reap the rewards of taking a patient approach to training up others around you.”

And to anyone thinking about setting up business in Manchester? “The North West is an exciting place to be at the moment. Manchester is evolving rapidly and gaining attention on a global scale. I’ve gained lots of inspiration from the business leaders around me. The great thing about this city is everyone makes time for each other. You never have to look far for role models you can relate to.” 

Before letting her go, we asked Kelly for any last words of wisdom for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own business "I was very fortunate to start my business right at the beginning of my career, which has allowed me to dedicate all of my focus to making it a success. That’s why I really encourage young people interested in business to give it a go before they look to employment. Worst case scenario, they have a good story to tell in future job interviews".

You can learn more about our Making You Content's services and even copywriting itself over on the website and blog www.makingyoucontent.com, Kelly is open to a call or coffee with people interested in marketing and business as a whole. Drop her an email on kelly@makingyoucontent.com

Keep an eye out for lots more news from Making You Content over the coming months as they celebrate their fifth birthday! You can follow what they are up on LinkedIn and Twitter, or sign up to the newsletter for monthly updates from the team.

If you would like to benefit from the support received under the Excelerate Labs programme then please contact: exceleratelabs@thewo.org.uk.