Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Everything Is All Go
Well i have just been told its the last week of voting so i will have to get my skates on and get as many in as i can. Its also a busy week as i am not only moving house on friday but im also moving office on friday so as you can imagin its all up in the air at The Printed Bag Shop HQ. (how do i tell Lisa that moving office is more important than moving house though lol). If anyone fancys lending a hand let me know.
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Featured in the Evening Chronicle
Well it was nice to see a full page spread in the Chronicle today. one thing that i thought when entering the competition was that even just to be shortlisted and featured in the Chronicle is worth a fortune to any business. If you had to pay for advertising like that it would cost a bomb. Remember if your ever invited for free to go on the Radio,TV or even have some PR in a paper/magazine never turn the chance down. It was also nice to see Greg Phillips in the Chronicle again today well done Greg.
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
Entrepreneures Forum Conference
Well i would just like to say what a fantastic day i had. everyone i spoke to really made me feel welcome and were great to talk to. I would also like to wish my competition Emma Riley luck for the challenge it was really nice to meet you.
During the day i thought that both Martin Lightbody and Matthew Riley were great speakers and very inspiring. On the way to get changed for the night time i could not think as there was so much going on in my head that i had picked up that day. When I came back for the evening do i was impressed with how smart everyone looked.
After the meal i managed to have a chat with Greg Phillips (North east Bakery) I have been watching the success of Greg for quite a while so was thrilled to get some brilliant advice from him and look forward to meeting him again soon. I was then lucky enough to have a chat and drink with Richard Farleigh after being invited to a vip after party at tup tup palace in Newcastle along with the stig. (not forgetting Beyonce's dancers). so after a 9am start and a 3am finish i was well and truly knackered.
During the day i thought that both Martin Lightbody and Matthew Riley were great speakers and very inspiring. On the way to get changed for the night time i could not think as there was so much going on in my head that i had picked up that day. When I came back for the evening do i was impressed with how smart everyone looked.
After the meal i managed to have a chat with Greg Phillips (North east Bakery) I have been watching the success of Greg for quite a while so was thrilled to get some brilliant advice from him and look forward to meeting him again soon. I was then lucky enough to have a chat and drink with Richard Farleigh after being invited to a vip after party at tup tup palace in Newcastle along with the stig. (not forgetting Beyonce's dancers). so after a 9am start and a 3am finish i was well and truly knackered.
Monday, 18 May 2009
What a Busy Monday
Well it has been all go today and as usual not much time to blog. The new Packaging Supermarket is comming along well and we should be in our new office by the end of the month.
Thursday, 14 May 2009
My Story So Far
Lisa and I started the business in May 2007 after we both became unemployed.
I had been working for my parents packaging company until, unfortunately, it went bankrupt and Lisa was working at the Department of Work and Pensions but her contract had come to an end.
We started going to the job centre looking for work but after approx 6-8 months with no luck in finding a job, I decided I was going to start up in business myself.
At the time I was thinking about what business we were going to start, Lisa fell pregnant putting even more pressure on our finances (by this stage we were living off approx £45 per week. We were literally eating beans on toast every night and I thought this is no good - I have to do something now).
The idea came to me as I was sitting wondering what I knew about and had experience in.
Working in my parents business I’d gained some experience in packaging and I’d done a few orders for printed bags. I started to look into selling printed carrier bags and that is when we decided to start The Printed Bag Shop.
I started to research the market to make sure the idea I had would work and then turned it into reality when I spoke to a business advisor at the job centre who guided us through business start-up and put us in touch with The Prince’s Trust for funding.
The Prince’s Trust and Project North East both gave us a small loan and both myself and Lisa also sold personal belongings to fund the start-up of the business.
The business has certainly taken the direction we’d hoped for and more. But it has been very hard - I work on my own and because it’s been so busy I have to work all hours so I don’t see as much of Lisa or Ellie as I’d like to.
When we started the business in the corner of our living room we did not expect that 2 years later we would be one of the UK’s leading suppliers of printed bags turning over quarter of a million pound a year.
When we started the business we set the office up in our living room. It was ideal until Ellie was born and started making baby noises when I was on the phone to the likes of Coca Cola. We had to find a small office which was quite a large step. Our next big step is expanding the business and taking on staff which we are doing at the moment.
We are also now in the process of launching our own brand of environmentally friendly bags under the brand ‘abagforlife.co.uk’ and are also busy setting up another business which will supply plain packaging such as boxes, bubble wrap, tape and bags. This is going to be called “The Packaging Supermarket”.
I’ve also won 3 awards and been listed in the 2008 NatWest Enriched list
North Tyneside Small Business Awards 2008 - Young Entrepreneur Winner
North Tyneside Small Business Awards 2009 - Young Entrepreneur Winner
The Princes Trust Celebrate Success Awards 2008 - FSB Enterprise Award - Regional Winner
NatWest Enriched List 2008 - Ranked 6th out of 15.
We spent a lot of time planning the business and i learned a lot of what not to do from seeing my mam and dad’s business fail. I’m always willing to put myself on the line if I feel I can make a success out of something. From a young age I used to do carboot sales with my dad, helped my grandad in his shop and then went on to have my own market stall and removal business. This was all before I was 18. I then bought a banner and flag business that I later sold for a profit.
I had been working for my parents packaging company until, unfortunately, it went bankrupt and Lisa was working at the Department of Work and Pensions but her contract had come to an end.
We started going to the job centre looking for work but after approx 6-8 months with no luck in finding a job, I decided I was going to start up in business myself.
At the time I was thinking about what business we were going to start, Lisa fell pregnant putting even more pressure on our finances (by this stage we were living off approx £45 per week. We were literally eating beans on toast every night and I thought this is no good - I have to do something now).
The idea came to me as I was sitting wondering what I knew about and had experience in.
Working in my parents business I’d gained some experience in packaging and I’d done a few orders for printed bags. I started to look into selling printed carrier bags and that is when we decided to start The Printed Bag Shop.
I started to research the market to make sure the idea I had would work and then turned it into reality when I spoke to a business advisor at the job centre who guided us through business start-up and put us in touch with The Prince’s Trust for funding.
The Prince’s Trust and Project North East both gave us a small loan and both myself and Lisa also sold personal belongings to fund the start-up of the business.
The business has certainly taken the direction we’d hoped for and more. But it has been very hard - I work on my own and because it’s been so busy I have to work all hours so I don’t see as much of Lisa or Ellie as I’d like to.
When we started the business in the corner of our living room we did not expect that 2 years later we would be one of the UK’s leading suppliers of printed bags turning over quarter of a million pound a year.
When we started the business we set the office up in our living room. It was ideal until Ellie was born and started making baby noises when I was on the phone to the likes of Coca Cola. We had to find a small office which was quite a large step. Our next big step is expanding the business and taking on staff which we are doing at the moment.
We are also now in the process of launching our own brand of environmentally friendly bags under the brand ‘abagforlife.co.uk’ and are also busy setting up another business which will supply plain packaging such as boxes, bubble wrap, tape and bags. This is going to be called “The Packaging Supermarket”.
I’ve also won 3 awards and been listed in the 2008 NatWest Enriched list
North Tyneside Small Business Awards 2008 - Young Entrepreneur Winner
North Tyneside Small Business Awards 2009 - Young Entrepreneur Winner
The Princes Trust Celebrate Success Awards 2008 - FSB Enterprise Award - Regional Winner
NatWest Enriched List 2008 - Ranked 6th out of 15.
We spent a lot of time planning the business and i learned a lot of what not to do from seeing my mam and dad’s business fail. I’m always willing to put myself on the line if I feel I can make a success out of something. From a young age I used to do carboot sales with my dad, helped my grandad in his shop and then went on to have my own market stall and removal business. This was all before I was 18. I then bought a banner and flag business that I later sold for a profit.
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