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Kent Young Entrepreneur of the Year at KEiBA 2017 is…

by digitalbeans

Kent Young Entrepreneur of the Year at KEiBA 2017 is…

Alex Auger – The Juice Executive 

Great recognition and a well deserved Kent Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for Alex at the Kent Excellence in Business Awards 2017. The business has come so far since we first met Alex at one of our A Blast! events in June 2014, (Alex’s very first networking event) which subsequently lead to Alex receiving support from one of our business mentors to help it to grow. Find out more about Alex below in an extract from the KEiBA winners showcase…

Alexandra launched The Juice Executive aged 22 and acknowledges being a young woman is “somewhat unusual in the manufacturing industry”. She admits she had “very little experience in engineering or plant design” when she started the firm but has overcome the issues and helped other small scale businesses to succeed. “We provide solutions and economies of scale to smaller producers and brands, which in turn can help them on the right path to profitability and success.”

“We had a significant loss in the first year which we reduced significantly in our second year. Our priority for our third year is on the bottom line, and we are now able to benefit from increased purchasing power with our economies of scale.”

Kent Young Entrepreneur of the Year - KEiBA 2017
Click for the full article from KEiBA on Alex Auger owner of The Juice Executive and winner of Kent Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2017

Staff enjoy free daily lunches and three employees have come through an apprenticeship scheme. Alexandra said: “I always do the best I can to be a flexible employer, as I strongly believe this can be the key to getting the best and most committed staff. “We have always offered flexible contracts to local mothers which are designed to work around the school hours of their children.” She added: “Our key objective is to grow and improve our reputation as the premium choice for cold pressed organic juice manufacturing in the UK.”

Let’s not forget the Runners up for Kent Young Entrepreneur of the Year…

Nikita By Niki – Nikita Mahon. A UK based online store, specialising in rhinestone chokers, statement necklaces, earrings, rings and homeware.
VooServers – Matt Parkinson. VooServers are specialists in UK Dedicated Servers, Kent Rackspace and Kent Colocation.

Kent Excellence in Business Awards KEiBA 2017

As a Marketing Partner for KEiBA we were delighted to attend the award ceremony last month held at The Kent Event Centre Detling to celebrate the best of business in Kent. This year the awards were more popular than ever receiving a record breaking 312 entries which were whittled down (toughly we might add) to just 50 finalists. It’s well worth heading over to the KEiBA website to take a look at all the finalists, winners or perhaps even applying to be in with a chance of winning at KEiBA 2018…

Kent Excellence in Business Awards

Kent Foundation News

Kent Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 – Is this you?

by digitalbeans

Enter the Kent Excellence in Business Awards to apply to see if you are the next Kent Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Kent Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 Kent Excellence in Business AwardsKent Young Entrepreneur of the Year criteria:

This Kent Excellence in Business award category is open to any individual aged 30 or under that has been instrumental in the success of one or more businesses/organisations, irrespective of size or sector. This individual must demonstrate they have achieved commercial success, have clear plans and strategies for the growth of their business and a strong track record of innovation. Judges will be looking for evidence of how this individual stands out from the crowd through their unique and entrepreneurial approach to business. Entrants must have been trading in one or more businesses for more than one year as of March 31, 2016.

Why apply?

This is a great opportunity to demonstrate how your company has successfully overcome the challenges of the last 12 months. Awards are one of the most powerful and cost-effective marketing tools. Winning a prestigious KEiBA award will help your organisation to stand out from the crowd, send a positive message to your existing customers, attract new business and boost staff morale. A chance to recognise your business success!

Click below to find out more and enter…

DEADLINE EXTENDED

Kent Excellence in Business Awards

 

Star Business of the Month

Towers Design – Star Business of the Month – September 2015

by digitalbeans

Towers DesignBen Towers and Towers Design: What’s the Story?

I recently had my 17th Birthday and life is good.  It’s good because I’ve recently finished secondary school and received my GCSE results which I was really pleased with.  It’s also Kent Excellence in Business Awards KEiBAgood because I now get to spend all my time working on my two businesses, Towers Design and Social Marley, rather than juggling them with school work as I have been doing for the past 5 years!  Don’t get me wrong, I loved school but now I can focus 100% on what I’m truly passionate about – business.

I always enjoyed using computers and when I was 11 a family friend asked if I could build her a simple website.  So I learnt the basics of web design, mainly by watching YouTube videos, and did the job for the princely sum of £50.  I realised that I could do this over and over again, so I joined a freelancing website called People Per Hour.  Within a year, I had already secured 25 customers and so decided it was time to set up a business – Towers Design.

Social Marley - Social Media ManagementTowers Design continues to grow and I now have a great team of 15 people working for the business and hundreds of business clients on the books.  We have expanded our range of services to a full serviced digital agency offering design, printing, website development and hosting.  For the past year I have spent a lot of time on my latest venture, Social Marley, a new platform for businesses to manage their social media accounts.  We are currently seeking investment and looking to launch in 2016.

I am breaking down the barriers facing young entrepreneurs…

Ben Towers - Towers Design Social MarleyAlthough I enjoyed creating the websites for my clients, I found my young age created problems for the business.  For example accepting payments online was difficult, because you have to be 18 to have a merchant account. To get around this, I had to make an online merchant account in my dad’s name, even though he had nothing to do with the company.

Also because of my age, I was unable to get a business bank account which meant we couldn’t accept cheques.  Then one day when my bank found out that I was using a child account for business they froze the account.  I had to ask the Federation of Small Businesses to get involved and fortunately it was resolved.

Another issue with being a young business owner is credibility.  Some people just don’t believe that you can do a great job and deliver the goods.  Fortunately I met plenty of people who did believe in me enough to give me that chance and prove myself.

Last year I was really honoured to be awarded the ‘NatWest Young Entrepreneur Of The Year – Special Merit’ at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2014 and to be a finalist in the prestigious Startup Awards 2014.  This year I was awarded ‘Young Entrepreneur Of The Year In Kent 2015’ at the Kent Invicta Awards and was a Finalist at the Kent Excellence in Business Awards.

I’m now an ambassador for several organisations, including The Federation of Small Businesses, Young Start-Up Talent, The National Enterprise Challenge and Young Entrepreneur Networking Association.  Together we will hopefully tackle the unnecessary barriers and obstacles young business owners face.  I also talk at various business and youth events all around the world.  I’m happy to share my experiences and if it helps to inspire other teenagers to start their own businesses then that’s good too!

Business Tip

“Start now, do not wait for your business to start itself or for you to leave school. You will learn loads from running your own company so make sure that you actually take the leap and give it a go.”

Kent Foundation News

KEiBA 2015 – Young Entrepreneur of the Year

by digitalbeans
Kent Excellence in Business Awards

Click to see the 2015 winners!

 

 

The evening of the Kent Excellence in Business Awards is a date that has concreted itself in to the calendars of many Kent businesses – and who can blame them. It’s an occasion solely dedicated to them and celebrating their success in business.

We would like to congratulate all the businesses that received recognition through the awards this year both as Winners and Finalists.

KEiBA:Young Entrepreneur of the Year

WINNER:

Becky Campbell – Reflect Digital

Reflect Digital was established and setup to offer high-quality digital web solutions to companies across the UK. On offer is a complete mix of digital marketing services including SEO, PPC, Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing and print. They spread their passion for the power of the internet by speaking at relevant events to educate other businesses on the power of digital marketing. Visit the website…

Finalists

Ben Towers – Towers Design

Towers Design is a multi-award winning Kent based full serviced digital agency offering design, printing, website development and hosting services to clients based all around Kent and London. They work with a multitude of clients ranging from start-ups to SMEs who all share the same vision of succeeding online. Our mission is to provide an excellent service whilst maintaining an affordable prices. Visit the website…

Bal Sandher – Hectic Lifestyles

Hectic Lifestyles Ltd is a multi-channel, online health and supplement retailer and distributor. They sell over 120 different nutritional products to consumers in 150 countries. Their aim is to cater to the ever growing demand of customers who work long hours in their jobs and have very little time to go to the gym or exercise. The products are aimed to assist and maximise their efforts. Rather than selling the products of other companies, their products are exclusively produced and branded. This provides incredible flexibility with innovative formulas, as well as the ability to market the brand with complete control. Visit the website…

KEiBA 2015

 

Kent Foundation News

Kent Excellence in Business Awards 2015 – Now Open For Entries!

by digitalbeans

Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2015…Is this you?

Awards are one of the most powerful and cost-effective marketing tools and winning a prestigious KEiBA will help your organisation to stand out from the crowd, send a positive message to your existing customers, attract new business and investors.

Entering KEiBA will help you raise the profile of your organisation and enhance its reputation by promoting the great work you have been doing over the last twelve months, whilst at the same time providing you with a platform to celebrate your success. The KEiBAs are free to enter and open to any business or organisation based and operating in the Kent and Medway area, excluding London Borough postcodes e.g Bromley, Bexley and Orpington.

There are 15 categories to choose from in the awards so it’s well worth having a look to see which ones are best suited to your business. You can enter a maximum of 4 categories.

Bush Grub, Kent Excellence in Business Start up Business of the Year

“The best thing I would say about winning a KEiBA is the credibility it gives your company. It’s helped us through making connections with a wide range of people. So if we’ve approached a bank looking for growth finance or anything like that, it’s just made us a lot more respectable in that sense, showing that we can win an award like this and run a successful business. People seem to respect a company a bit more having gone through this process and actually come out winning.”

Ben Bartlett – Director of Bush Grub Ltd: Start-Up Business of the Year 2014

 

Kent Excellence in Business Awards (KEiBA) 2015
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Need a bit of advice on the application process?

Give us a call on 01622 694 341

Star Business of the Month

Hectic Lifestyles – Star Business of the Month – August 2014

by digitalbeans

Hectic Lifestyles

I have always been fascinated by the world of business and knew I would run my own one day.After a sporting accident in 2009, I damaged my knee requiring multiple surgical interventions including an experimental surgery. Due to this I was unable to walk for six months and couldn’t continue my job, so decided to spend my recovery period building something positive out of this unfortunate situation. I started Hectic Lifestyles after identifying a gap in the market and filling it with a product I found in Ireland.

Hectic Sports

Raising initial capital was the first hurdle I encountered as I didn’t want to borrow money from family or banks, so I saved carefully and used this to invest in stock and marketing. To reduce set up costs, I immersed myself into all aspects of business including branding, web design, online and offline sales and business strategy. As products sold, I re-invested profit into the company for further product lines and marketing to expand without debt and saw substantial year-on-year financial growth.

Bal Sandher

Today, Hectic Lifestyles Ltd is a multi-channel, online health and supplement retailer and distributor. We currently run two distinct brands, ‘Hectic Lifestyles’ and ‘Hectic Sports’, selling over 120 different nutritional products to consumers in 150 countries world-wide. We aim to cater to the ever growing demand of customers who work long hours in their jobs and have very little time to go to the gym or exercise. Our products are aimed to assist and maximise their efforts. Rather than selling the products of other companies, all of ours are produced and branded exclusively for us. This gives us incredible flexibility with innovative formulas, as well as the ability to market our brand with complete control. The ‘Hectic Lifestyles’ concept is relatable for a lot of our customers, meaning we have a lot of recurring custom.
The biggest milestone to date was moving to a new, larger warehouse and purchasing manufacturing machinery ready for the recent launch of our B2B wholesale brand, ‘Nutra Direct’. The development of the company as a whole and very swift expansion of Nutra Direct means we are already looking at an additional site to utilise for manufacturing and extra office space.

My vision for Hectic Lifestyles Ltd has always been to become a trusted and responsible leader in the supplements and sports nutrition field by providing the best quality products and realistic, useful advice to consumers no matter their health targets. I want to grow the company to provide local employment with a fun and flexible working culture – our employees are so important to us and we hope that we can nurture and grow their careers as Hectic Lifestyles evolves. We also believe in cultivating emerging talent will shortly be hiring apprentices in various areas through the Canterbury College Apprentice Scheme to offer hands-on work experience.

I’m so proud of how far Hectic Lifestyles has come and most recently won Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the Kent Excellence in Business Awards. For the next generation of budding business owners my advice would be:

“Make sure you research your prospective market thoroughly. Planning and preparation is always the key, and above all, work hard – it will all be worth it.”

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