Doug Richard's School for Startups

MAY
15

Featured Entrepreneur: Jim Rokos

What’s the name of your business and what promise does it make to customers?

Rokos creates playful, functional, sculptural products, that behave in unexpected ways. The products encourage a rich interactive experience. I like to explore the physical properties of materials to generate aesthetic, intriguing concepts. I work to ensure Rokos delivers exceptional quality in every piece. I won’t compromise at any stage of the process, from design through to manufacturing.

You can find Rokos at www.rokos.co.uk. I’m also on Facebook and Twitter.

What...

OCT
26

Claire Young Founder of TeenBiz, an Entrepreneur Development Program for those Under 18

Claire Young, an apprentice finalist and youth enterprise trail blazer, is launching TeenBiz in November.

TeenBiz is the UK’s first business start up scheme aimed at teens 13-18. It will launch 1st November, to coincide with Global Entrepreneurship Month.

From the 1st January every month one student will receive up to £500 funding (they must match what we give them), a mentor and a start up pack. TeenBiz calls it’Business in a Box’ because it equips students with the items they need...

MAY
23

Tammy Kahn Fennell Co-Founder of the Social Media Monitoring & Marketing Dashboard MarketMeSuite

After seeing a big gap in Social Media Marketing tools, Tammy Kahn Fennell started Pie Dog Media with Alan Hamlyn and together they launched their popular subscription-only social media marketing & monitoring dashboard, MarketMeSuite. This is a great tool for small businesses looking for a way to proactively market their businesses online.

There are lots of Social Media Marketing tools on the market, but MarketMeSuite seems different. Can you tell me what sets it apart?

MarketMeSuite is different. While there’s a...

MAY
03

Featured Entrepreneurs: James Layfield & Steve Pette from Central

James Layfield and Steve Pette are founders of a new entrepreneur support solution called Central. We decided to interview them about their new venture and the solutions it brings to business owners in the UK.

1. How did you come to start your business?

James Layfield, serial entrepreneur, says “I started out in advertising working with brands such as Absolut Vodka, Sony Playstation and Virgin. Headhunted at 23 by Virgin, within 3 years I was Virgin’s youngest ever MD. I left...

APR
11

Joe Connor of DiscountCodes.tv

Joe Connor has one of the best sites for finding discount codes and free offers available. His background in web-based marketing has allowed him to create a strong, successful enterprise that millions of people use to save money and millions of businesses use to find new customers.Can you tell us a little about yourself and what made you decide to start your business?

I left school at 16 in 1974, served an engineering apprenticeship, worked as a design draughtsman, studied...

MAR
09

Lead Forensics: Converting Clicks to Leads 24/7

Every company that has ever launched a website has wondered:

Who is finding my site? What are they looking for when they come? Are they visiting just once or coming back to us again and again? Are they an existing customer or someone new? How can I convert all these clicks into sales?

Tools like Google Analytics track clicks. They can tell you what some anonymous person using a computer somewhere clicked on. But they can’t tell you who that person is, what...

FEB
06

Concept Cupboard: Ad Men On Tap

Chris Dodson, Guy McConnell, Julie Cheetham and Simon Devonshire are the power behind Concept Cupboard, a new solution for getting great marketing materials made quickly and cost effectively.

We interviewed Chris about the new venture and here’s what he had to say:

You’ve launched a new project in 2011. Its called Concept Cupboard. Can you tell us more about it?

Concept Cupboard is an online creative marketplace that allows small businesses to create professional marketing materials at affordable prices, by using...

DEC
04

Featured Entrepreneurs: Andrew Mulvenna & Chris Tanner of Brightpearl

Co-founders Andrew Mulvenna & Chris Tanner have launched one of the UK’s hottest new startups, Brightpearl. This web service delivers a comprehensive solution for business management that even the smallest startups and small business can afford.

Chris Tanner

Can you describe all the solutions that Brightpearl brings to a business?

Brightpearl integrated business management software, provides a leading end-to-end web based solution for mid-market enterprises and corporations wanting to build solid foundations for business growth.

Brightpearl offers a sophisticated, easy to use...

NOV
24

Michael Solomon at SEE What You Are Buying Into Ltd.

Michael Solomon’s social enterprise SEE What You Are Buying Into Ltd helps consumers make socially responsible decisions that support ethical business around the world.

How does the SEE program help businesses and consumers?

SEE What You Are Buying Into is a labeling scheme and a growing social movement that has the potential to revolutionise the ways in which businesses establish and communicate their Social, Environmental and Ethical (SEE) credentials.

In order to join, businesses must answer 25 questions covering a range of SEE...

Category Archives: Featured Entrepreneurs