Hectic Lifestyles – Star Business of the Month – August 2014

July 23, 2014

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.

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.

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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Star Business of the Month

AM Marketing – Star Business of the Month – July 2014

June 25, 2014

AM Marketing Owner Amy McManus started her career in retail, managing a home and cosmetic store in Whitefriars, Canterbury. After developing a knack for marketing her store and products locally, she was headhunted by her first marketing firm at 22 years old and worked globally on health and beauty products with large clients such as Holland and Barrett, Amazon and Harrods. Her first product launch went on to win NBTY Europe’s New Product of the Year and New Innovative Product Awards.

In April 2012 at 24, she went freelance as a marketing consultant and landed a 14 month contract with DFDS rebranding the commercial areas of their new vessels and managing onboard marketing and communications for the Channel routes. AM Marketing was born in October 2013 and this month features as our Star Business of the Month!

So Amy why did you start AM Marketing?

Since I was a child I have always wanted my own business. My parents had jobs which they regularly expressed a dislike for. They were (and still are) hardworking, honest people who seemed constantly under-valued and stressed. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon story and after entering the job market I found myself in the same position.

I wanted to make my own business choices and make sure that those who worked for me were in an open, happy environment.

AM Marketing is an absolute joy to run and I love every single day. We provide marketing consultancy and management to large and small businesses; from local pubs to global brands. This includes strategy, digital, social media, PPC (Google Adwords), branding, websites, design, videos, photography and everything in between. We are particular specialists in PPC (Pay-Per Click) Advertising with all accounts set-up by our Google Certified and Bing Accredited Specialists. Our clients come from all over the UK (with a couple in US and Europe). As every client is individual with many diverse goals and requirements, we handle each account as such. Every proposal is bespoke to that client and their objectives to create the best results.

AM Marketing is a young company and I am a young entrepreneur. This can be a disadvantage when competing in the marketplace with larger and more established agencies. However, we tend to find that our clients prefer our lack of bureaucracy which allows their accounts to be more flexible. Regardless of our size and my age, the service we provide and results we achieve for our clients speak for themselves.

My business tip comes from my Dad:

“If you want to take the steps to start your own business, run a marathon, travel the world or anything else you could possibly dream of, don’t ever tell yourself that you can’t do it. If you’re prepared to work hard you can accomplish anything.”

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Star Business of the Month

Harbourne Associates – Star Business of the Month – May 2014

April 22, 2014

My name is Chris Stephens, Director of Harbourne Associates which I started in March 2013 set up from a bedroom in my parents’ house. I’m a 28 year old, innovative, passionate individual with a drive to change the perception and methodologies used in the current recruitment marketplace. I felt that not enough was being done to really dig deep and source top talent for corporates in the UK. Many opportunities were being missed by market leading clients due to pushy salespeople looking to earn commission and not provide a value adding service that employers are really looking for.

I had been in recruitment for 8 years and before that in various sales positions but always had a vision of a customer service driven approach built on delivering business growth for my clients. I had to persuade my parents to support me and invest some start-up money but thanks to this I am now running a business of seven people and working out of an office in Tunbridge Wells. The business is currently on track to turnover sales of £1m in 2016.

Recruitment dates back to the early 1900s. There was no Internet, Facebook or Jobsites. It was about learning your clients’ culture, environment and requirements thoroughly and spending time learning about competitors, neighbours and forward thinking businesses then networking intensely to track down top performers. Over time this entire concept has been lost and agencies feel it is OK to charge a huge sum of money for a very straightforward search on an internet job board – Monster or similar.

Today’s world introduces so many more candidate attraction methods and Harbourne Associates utilises them in order to find, contact and manage key professionals. By working hard and being thorough, I am developing a new age service using an up to date, tailored approach in order to provide a “stand out” service.

Harbourne Associates is developing into a well-known specialist Recruitment Consultancy focusing its attention on the Sales, Marketing and Management sectors. We work with a large number of key industries including retail development, premium brands, food service, high-end fashion, hair and beauty, drinks and a developing area in industrial, manufacturing, construction and engineering markets. We have a highly experienced Executive Search Team that work across a wide range of industries within a developing client base. (Senior Appointments into the corporate marketplace).The team based in Tunbridge Wells is quickly developing and the company is growing month by month. Proven testimonials from Blue-chip clients back up the service we provide and how we can truly stand out from many leading agencies.

One of our clients described us as a:

“Unique, contemporary recruitment boutique, with a forward thinking approach to business, they use proven historical methods to source and deliver on key roles and provide a service that has substance.”

My approach with the support of a hardworking team includes a mix of headhunting, networking, attending exhibitions and events whilst spending the time to learn markets, mapping companies and use advanced recruitment databases; many key options that really do give us a competitive edge in today’s marketplace. I sincerely believe that Harbourne Associates’ success will only come from helping our clients to grow their business by sourcing the best candidates and matching them to their ideal job.

To date we have shown extremely high levels of success and conversion ratios that outmatch much of the recruitment market, not to mention staff retention figures once placed, apparent throughout many of our blue chip client base.

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Success Stories

Elle’s Cupcakery – Star Business of the Month – April 2014

March 31, 2014

Hey I’m Elle and I run an allergy specific cake company based in Tonbridge.

My main inspirations for Elle’s Cupcakery came from a 7 year old boy I was a nanny to whilst living in Australia. He had NEVER had a Birthday Cake as he was allergic to Dairy, Gluten and Sugar. I did not see this as a barrier, but as an opportunity, and so I made it my goal to make a cake that he could enjoy. The look on his face made it all worth while – this is what inspired me to start my allergy specific cake company!

So upon my return to the UK with my business ideas fresh in mind I decided I had to do something about. I felt there was a real need for for my service, there must be others out there that have never enjoyed cake. Just imagine a 70 year old who has never had the pleasure of a birthday cake – TRAGIC!

My first step was to learn more about business start up so I joined The Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme and successfully completed the course. In addition to this I also invested in a City and Guilds qualification.

Since launching Elle’s Cupcakery I have learnt that starting a business is not as scary as I thought. I am a huge fan of organisations such as Kent Foundation for Young entrepreneurs that offer young people business support to increase their chances of success. I am also a Young Ambassador at the Prince’s Trust and actively promote this kind of work by speaking at events and being part of a community of young people who show we can.

I love baking, enjoy listening to my customers needs and creating something to really make them feel special. I believe that every occasion is different, so therefore every cake is different. Ranging from weddings, childrens parties, receptions and special anniversaries, my motto (which most of you will probably share) is that:

Cake is always welcome…

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Success Stories

Belle’s Star Business of the Month – March 2014

February 20, 2014

The Star: Leanne Wood

Description: Belle’s sells second hand clothing and new jewellery. We have a range of both men’s and women’s clothing, some still with tags on. Don’t forget my accesorised shoes too.

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Belle’s ~ Preloved clothing and accessories is run by me – Leanne Wood. How I work it, is a little bit like a dress agency. For those of you who are not familiar with this concept, people bring me their preloved clothes and I sell them on a 50/50 basis. I find this works well, as I have no outgoings and really feel that recycling is the way forward…

Belle’s is situated in Sandwich on the premises of Delf Farm Shop which is run by my Auntie and Uncle. Having seen how their business works has always interested me and sparked my interest to start up on my own. After leaving school I just wasn’t keen on the idea of going to University due to the high costs and the uncertainty of a job after graduating. So I felt starting a business was the right option for me. Creating employment for yourself is hard work, and there is a lot to learn but I enjoy it and there is a huge amount of self satisfaction that comes with it.

As everybody knows, the economic climate at present is lacking a little confidence, so I wanted to accomplish two objectives:
1. To start my own business
2. Bring more customers to the farm shop.
I am a great believer that diversification is a key element to helping a business survive. That’s where my idea for Belle’s came in. It’s something quirky, useful and a little bit different and puts a whole new twist on why customers will want to pop in and visit the site.

No business start-up can run entirely smooth and I have had my fair share of hurdles to overcome. The main problem I had was a battle with the council over planning permission, which has recently been approved after nine gruelling months. It was difficult to advertise the business whilst this case was in process as I could not be certain of the future of my business.

Word of mouth advertising has been bringing in most of my customers but the next step for me is to plan and implement a large advertising campaign. I am looking to print and distribute leaflets, increase my presence on social media and to really engage with my customers I’ll hold various open days. The Mayor of Sandwich has been a huge support and even voiced his approval towards a large chain of Belle’s preloved stores… So who knows? Onwards and upwards.

Oh and don’t forget my customised shoes, these are absolutely fantastic for weddings, proms, parties or maybe just an everyday splash of bling.

My one and only business tip that I could give would be: No matter what stands in your way; Overcome it. Don’t move around the mountain, climb it. Never -ever- give up on your dreams.

Star Business of the Month

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.

Tag: Kent Star Business of the Month

So Amy why did you start AM Marketing?

My business tip comes from my Dad:

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Cake is always welcome…

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