Star Business of the Month Archives - Page 6 of 6

Flowbox: Star Business of the Month – February 2014

January 21, 2014

The Stars: Ed Cradock and Will Beeching

Description: Working with companies and individuals to build brands and relationships with their customers through digital and print design.

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Hello, we’re Ed and Will from Flowbox we run a creative agency based in Maidstone.

We started Flowbox in 2012 with a simple but captivating vision: to build a creative agency that transforms bold ideas in exceptional design. Our ethos is to develop a unique relationship with our clients, then handcraft a brand or idea around them. We believe in a one size fits none mentality, we approach each project differently and work with our clients to get it right for them.

The process of starting our business wasn’t without tribulations. We had just finished our final year at school and were faced with University options. It was a leap of faith we took in the end to decline our offers and start the business off the back of a small start up loan. We moved into our office in January 2013, just above a local printing company. We never felt that working for someone else was satisfying, we wanted to build something ourselves and create a success from it. It is the best decision we have made.

At the start of 2013 we had very few clients, but plenty of enthusiasm. By the end of the year we had built up a portfolio of almost 100 clients ranging from small start-ups to international brands. In one year we have transformed from ‘new kid on the block’ to one of Maidstone’s top agencies.

2014 is an exciting year for us, we have big plans to grow and develop. Our goals for the year are to expand into larger offices and take on an employee or two. We’ve met loads of innovative new companies and are working on some really exciting projects already this year, keep an eye on our website and the App Store.

Our Business Tip: Never give up, it is the times when everything seems to be going against you that it is paramount to persevere. Even through the long hours and sleepless nights – it’s worth it in the end.

Star Business of the Month

Monks & Co Clothing: Star Business of the Month January 2014

December 23, 2013

Client: Amy Barker and Michael McMillain

Business: Monks Clothing

Description: Monks & Co Clothing is an online menswear clothing store with a shop on Swan Street in West Malling, Kent offering premium, personalised customer service.

Telephone: 01732 841900

How to keep in touch with Monks Clothing:

www.monksclothing.co.uk

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“Run by humans not computers” is our motto behind everything we do over here at Monks Clothing.

With the internet being riddled with shops I (Amy) along with my business partner Michael decided it was time to get our customers to say ‘hello’ to a new way of shopping. Struggling to find an online store with a personalised experience was difficult so we decided to do it our own way and introduce a new way of shopping.

We encourage our customers to get in touch or visit our store in West Malling and truly believe that offering a premium, personalised service is key to our operations. Whether you get in touch by email, social media or phone there will always be a real person there to respond.

The recent launch of our store received a fantastic response and since opening, we have been extremely busy. We have beaten our predicted sales targets, introduced 2 new suppliers plus a range of footwear. Providing a personal service means we can really engage with our customers to find out what’s selling to bring them the products they truly want.

The special thing about our store is the personalised service we provide. The same personalised touch is implemented in every element of our business. The store was completely decorated and created by us. From welding a table base, sanding scaffolding boards and constructing a changing room. Every single element was created by us and we are so pleased with the outcome.

There have been some challenges along the way and by far my biggest challenge in starting a business has been my own mind and having the confidence to do it, everything else has actually been really easy and straight forward. We are looking forward to the future to expand, grow and create even more business opportunities.

Thanks for reading our story and we look forward to seeing you in our store soon.

Best Wishes,
Amy and Michael

Business Tip

“Seek every piece of help or guidance out there and do your market research! We spent 2 months doing our market research which has proven to be the most important part of our whole planning and we still think things would have been better if we had done even more!”

Star Business of the Month

Bush Grub: Star Business of the Month – December 2013

November 22, 2013

Client: Ben Bartlett

Business: Bush Grub/Claws and Jaws

Description: Edible Bugs, Animal Education and parties.

Telephone: 07946034660

How to keep in touch with Bush Grub:

www.bush-grub.co.uk
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The idea for Bush Grub came about so I could offer a ‘unique treat’ of tasty edible insects to children at my animal experience parties run through Claws and Jaws.

In the first year I only had a limited range of stock and was only selling around 10 items per month. But after the first years trading, I found opportunities started knocking on Bush Grub’s door. But without time and money it was difficult to make the most of them. Cue…Gary Bartlett (my Dad) who could not see these opportunities wasted so joined me full time to provide Bush Grub with the investment and time it deserved.

One opportunity not to be missed was visiting the Brand Licensing Director at ITV who was thinking about how our products could work with the famous TV show – I’M A CELEBRITY…get me out of here! This really was the boost the business needed and that summer’s afternoon talking to ITV, was unforgettable and really did change everything.

2012 saw a big leap in sales and with our newly licensed, branded and designed products (by Clockwork Moggy) in hand we were set on selling in as many shops as possible. This was a real learning curve and talk about jumping in at the deep end I found myself learning all about meeting deadlines, packaging requirements, distribution, cash flow and that’s just the start.

This year left us a little bemused after last year’s success. So it was time to plan, plan and plan some more ready for the I’m A Celebrity and Christmas season 2013 – an extremely busy period for us. Along with this we had some more great news from ITV with four products listed in the hugely successful Text Santa charity event which aims to raise thousands by the end of the year.

So where are we today? Tens of thousands of packets of bugs have been sold, we are in huge retailers such as Menkind, Hawkins Bazaar, Littlewoods, Woolworths plus many more independent sweet shops and this has got us some fantastic national press coverage!

So whats the plan for the future? Well we would like insects to not only be a novelty food item, we would like them to be a part of the sustainable staple diet. So we are working hard alongside my scientific university dissertation to see insects introduced as a future food in the western world. Of course we also plan to continue sales of our great flavoured bugs and lolly pops!

If you dare – try them for yourself!

Business Tip:

“Be dedicated and persevere, nothing happens overnight unless YOU make it happen! Remember you are the boss, if you do nothing, then you get nothing from the business.”

Star Business of the Month

Clockwork Moggy: Star Business of the Month – November 2013

October 22, 2013

Client: Carrie Stay and Neil Dickson

Business: Clockwork Moggy – Branding and Web Design

Description: Creative graphic design, unique web design and original illustration. Complete company branding to suit your needs.

Get In Touch:

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Telephone: 01634 388 916

Our partnership company was founded 4 years ago. We (Carrie and Neil) met at college with similar interests in Graphic design and illustration. We both worked very hard to achieve our degrees. Before Clockwork Moggy was founded, I (Carrie) was working for publishing companies on a variety of magazine titles from music to lifestyle, whilst Neil was working for a large publishing company in Surrey. We thought it silly to be working hard for other people when we had the experience and know-how to work for ourselves and fully let our creativity loose for our own clients. We decided to put the 9-5 lifestyle behind us.

Now, we know the name (Clockwork Moggy) isn’t the norm but as a branding and web design company, it was a must to stand out from any other design team, practicing what we preach! We often have many of our clients ask us where the name comes from and we can only reply with ‘the deep depths of our quirky minds’.

Clockwork Moggy has developed significantly in the last 4 years, not only in terms of our client base but also in the variety of projects we have worked on. From packaging graphics for a company that sell flavoured bugs (yes, real ones!!) to ecommerce stores to help businesses grow and sell online as well as a fair few branding projects for small to medium businesses.

We love design and strive to keep on developing as a company and keeping up with the latest technology and design trends is a must!

Business Tip

‘Always strive to be the best you can be. Whatever your chosen career path’.

Star Business of the Month

Sleeping Giant Media: Star Business of the Month – October 2013

September 22, 2013

Client: Anthony Klokkou

Business: Sleeping Giant Media

Description: A digital search and social agency. Aiming to get more relevant traffic to your website so that your customers can find you online.

Get In Touch:
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Telephone: 01303 240715

Anthony Klokkou – Client Services Director at Sleeping Giant Media a specialist search and social agency that uses their vast range of digital know how to convert online traffic in to paying customers. Anthony grew up in an entrepreneurial family and has always had a positive attitude towards self employment. Along with his rich base of skills and strong work ethic was the prompt to start Sleeping Giant Media.

The company was set up in response to a gap in the digital search agency market. There was a need to develop an agency that delivered, integrated and maintained service delivery to its clients. Customers are very much at the front line of the business and they define themselves as the original specialist within this market, within Kent. The combined team at the business offer the tools, knowledge and expertise to deliver outstanding customer service.

High quality service is part of their growth strategy and they base this around everything they do. The moral of the story is that a happy customer will not only stay but will refer new customers. Anthony is ensuring the business is set up to achieve and is very much in control of client services. He believes in the staff ensuring the right training, management and motivation are in place to achieve great results. Growing a business can be challenging but Anthony is confident that he and the team can grow the business further.

Business Tip

“Good business relationships are worth their weight in gold, there are very few problems that can’t be overcome if there is a solid relationship in place, so never underestimate their value and never ever burn bridges!”

Star Business of the Month

DigitalBeans: Star Business of the Month – September 2013

August 22, 2013

Piperis Filippaios – Managing Director at DigitalBeans specialises in Digital Marketing with a strong focus on Search Engine Optimisation. The business which was originally called uTargeting was founded when he was just 22 and he has been working hard at it ever since. A very creative and hardworking individual showing true entrepreneurial spirit with his resilience to face any business challenge.

DigitalBeans was developed in response to supporting companies to grow their business online. Traditionally it started out with small companies and sole traders but the company is now increasingly serving larger clients ranging from manufacturers to shopping centres. The company’s success was recognised in the 2013 Kent Excellence in Business Awards receiving the status of Finalist in the Young Entrepreneur of the Year category. The company is evolving and always takes into consideration any changing trends and adapting their services to meet these needs.

There is plenty of ambition with both DigitalBeans and Piperis. The aim for the company is to grow the business and size of the team, alongside growing other ventures Piperis is already involved with. Piperis hopes to be able to maintain this momentum and grow the number of companies he is involved with over the coming years.

Business Tip:

“Take the plunge and create your own future”

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Category: Star Business of the Month

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