Warren Heal is the CEO/founder of RentMyItems, an online rental marketplace that allows person to person renting of items owned among friends, family and communities within an online community.

I spoke to Warren Heal about how the idea for RentMyItems came about. He also shares some tips with entrepreneurs just starting out.

Could you quickly give us some background information about yourself? Tell me about yourself growing up?

I was born and raised in Brighton, the oldest of 4 children. Then, in 1994, I went to university in Kingston to study Business Studies.

How did you get into business? Were you exposed to entrepreneurship as a child?

Both sides of my family have always been entrepreneurs and have never had regular “9 to 5” jobs and so it was always something that I wanted to do. It’s just that I was employed for 12 years before setting up RentMyItems. I have, for many years, wanted to set up an online business.

Who was your inspiration growing up and why?

Difficult to say. Various family members had different traits and I hope that I have picked up advice and skills from them all.

What was the inspiration behind RentMyItems? How did the idea come about?

I came up with the idea one afternoon when my lawnmower was not working one day and I thought it would be great if I could just rent my neighbour’s for an hour. After doing so he then asked if he could rent my bike from me for a week for an upcoming holiday, and that’s when RentMyItems began to come together.

So Warren , what is RentMyItems? What are you guys are trying to solve?

RentMyItems is an online rental marketplace. In essence we are using modern technology, with the internet, to build a community-centred online marketplace which facilitates person to person renting of items owned among friends, family and communities.

The website rentmyitems.com launched in September last year and anyone can rent a household item for free – in fact basic listings for all households will always be free. We are well aware that sometimes people need specialist equipment and we are delighted that we have Hire Station on board as a corporate listing company, so if anyone is doing any specialist work they can see if Hire Station has what they need. Though our main aim is to get people renting and lending within their local community.

What were you doing before you founded RentMyItems?

I have worked in the music industry for over 12 years, predominantly in the licensing and digital fields.

What was your biggest challenge during the starting up phase?

Dealing with challenges of website development and funding.

How were you able to get traction for the business in the first couple of months?

I was interviewed on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and 10 local BBC radio stations on the day of launch. Additionally coverage has been achieved in The Sunday Times, Guardian, The Independent, , Woman’s Own, Green Magazine, Yahoo Finance, MSN Money and WebUser magazine, which highlighted RentMyItems.com as one of the 40 Best New Sites To Save You Money. This coverage is down to our great PR, Paul Savident.

Raising money is always such a hot topic when starting a business, How have you been able to fund the business?

The business has so far been financed by myself and family and friends.

What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

We continue to receive press exposure and offer free listings to our users without taking commission on completed rentals.

Would you say the business has changed from the first initial idea?

Not as yet, however we plans for additions to the site in the not too distant future.

What would you say has been the highlight of your entrepreneurial journey so far?

The day-to-day experience of launching a start-up is never dull! However the highlight has to be our launch day, the 19th September. It was extremely satisfying to see a year’s hard work finally come to reality, and to do so with such great press coverage was the icing on the cake.

What can we be expecting from Warren Heal in 2012?

Continuing to build RentMyItems into everything we want it to be….and hopefully a Summer holiday!

What three pieces of advice would you offer entrepreneurs starting out today?

Be sure that you 100% believe in your idea before starting out.
You will always need more money than you think.
Turn all the negatives into positives by learning from your mistakes and not making them again.

Gabriella is currenly part of a competition for BBC called Be Your Own Boss competition where Richard Reed, the co-founder of Innocent Drinks is hoping to invest his £1 million in the next wave of young entrepreneurs. Gabriella has been given £100 to make a profit from, It’s sort of an experimental task she said.

She plans to make and sell 500 cupcakes from the £100 budget.

Hi Gabriella, great to have you on YHP, How are you doing?

Very well thank you!

Could you quickly give us some background information about yourself? Tell me about yourself growing up?

I had a very happy childhood – we’re very family orientated and with two older sisters there’s always been a lot going on. My mother is a brilliant cook and my father owns a restaurant so food had always featured strongly in my life. The recipe I use in my cakes was passed down by my grandmother who has been teaching me to bake since I was very young.

How did you get into business? Were you exposed to entrepreneurship as a child?

I was always academically driven. With no education himself, my father wanted to provide us with the schooling he had never had. I was always aware of the hard work that had got us into good schools and given us a comfortable lifestyle and was always proud of my father’s roots.

However, being the youngest of the three I was protected quite a lot and it wasn’t until recently that I started thinking about getting into business myself. Both of my sisters are very business-minded and I always saw myself as more relaxed – I always thought that life would fall into place! As I’ve got older I’ve realized that you have to go after what you want rather than wait for it to come to you.

Who was your inspiration growing up and why?

My father was born in a very small town in Southern Italy and moved to England when he was sixteen. He had one bag and less than £50 to his name! Meeting my mother just two years later he moved to Brighton and began working as a pizza boy. They worked incredibly hard, took some risks, and now have a successful business on Brighton seafront. My father is for me an example of what hard work and determination can amount to.

What was the inspiration behind Cupcake bakery? How did the idea come about?

I’ve just finished an English degree at university and my passion has always been for reading and writing. I thought temporarily about getting into advertising and it was from this perspective that I began thinking of business ideas. A Pound of Sugar was really a name before it became a serious project. I am passionate about baking but never thought of it as a career prospect until I discovered the Be Your Own Boss competition. I applied on a whim thinking it was a great idea but didn’t think I’d get through. Since then I’ve had to adopt a business mind in order to turn a dream into a reality and it’s been a really positive experience.

What was your biggest challenge during the starting up phase?

I think having £100 and a deadline yet having really only an idea was pretty daunting. I did think for a moment it would never materialize. However I took each step as it came and after getting a brand designed and the ingredients bought I felt a lot more confident. It was only after my first event that I felt like it could actually work!!

How have you been able to gain some traction to the business so far?

I think in this day and age social media is essential. I’ve worked hard creating a Facebook page and Twitter account and have been trying to raise awareness about the project via the internet. Also at the events I have attended I’ve been handing out business cards and flyers with information about A Pound of Sugar and BYOB. I’ve also got a friend of mine managing the PR side of things. It’s a really great opportunity for all of my friends to get involved in areas that they are potentially wanting to get into after university such as marketing and PR.

What would you say has been the highlight of your entrepreneurial journey so far?

I really enjoy setting up the stands! I get such satisfaction when I see the stall laid out beautifully and people commenting on how it looks. Before the cakes have been sold or eaten they do look delicious!

What can we be expecting from Cupcake bakery in 2012?

This really depends upon how far I make it in the competition! If I get through this round then I’ll be given up to £5000 seed capital and with that I aim to create a delivery service and cater for events. I’m working out of the back of my parents kitchen so investing in some decent utensils would be a necessary step!

What three pieces of advice would you offer entrepreneurs starting out today?

Determination, determination, determination!

The workplace has changed, and dress codes are increasingly open to interpretation by employers. In the fluctuating expectations of the modern working environment, is the traditional approach to ‘suiting and booting’ still relevant? It seems everywhere you look, hoodied billionaires are directing companies with their trainers up on the Chesterfield. The imagery of capitalist power has shifted from the Yuppie in shirtsleeves to a new typology of the scruffy success story.

Sociological studies are bucking trends and demonstrating that a comfortable approach can create confident and productive staff. In work, the boundaries of formalism and identity are also changing. Although enacted at the discretion of individual companies, it is safe to say that there is a trend towards reputable businesses creating a more colloquial office dress code. Gone are the days when factory hands wore overalls, and the tailored trousers of the office simply signified middle-class cultural capital. Now it’s different, and it works both ways.

Have you noticed that every factory farmed telesales job this side of the Channel expects its spotty-faced progeny to sport shiny suits whilst performing the mindless repetition of cold-calling? The gravity conveyed by a two piece suit is rendered almost ironic when worn by a teenage delinquent flogging windows from five to nine each evening. The veneer of respectability translated by a formal dress code can be seen as distracting employees from the realities of their role, creating a sense of power where very little (in terms of longevity, capital reward and career progression) can be found. Some of the lowest paid and quickly turned-over roles insist on strict office dress, and all the while social media whizz-kids can be found doing lucrative deals in their hi-top Adidas Classics

This relaxation of corporate and private sector dress codes is subjective however, and is less likely to be applied in the public sector, where uniform and dress are more intrinsically linked to identity and an enforcement of performance effectiveness. It would be difficult to imagine a policeman, soldier, doctor or a nurse enacting their role in t shirts, without all of the constructions of power, authority, trust and effects that are encoded within the very uniform itself.

It looks like the effect dress code has on the working environment depends very much on who that environment caters for. Dressing up or down projects a powerful image of the organisation or profession one represents, and its employees and clients alike can press meanings, or not, onto the dress code of a company. So whether cool and cultured or powerfully commanding, your dress code at work says a lot about you.

Thanks to the defiantly scruffy Chris at 8Ball.co.uk for providing this article

How does a mother start and grow her business into a successful company while raising three boys?

I caught up with Cary Marsh, CEO and founder of Mydeo as she talks me through her journey as an entrepreneur, her background, growing her business and raising three boys.

Hi Cary, How are you doing, great to have you on YHP?

Hi, I’m good thanks. Shame about all the rain though

Could you quickly give us some background information about yourself? Tell me about yourself growing up?

I was born in West Sussex. My mum, my sister and I moved to London when I was 8 when my mum got a job as a researcher for the BBC.

I was very sporty as a child, and spent much of my recreational time doing gymnastics. I trained at my club almost every night after school and competed at weekends. I was Wandsworth and Merton borough champion from the age of 10 and went on to represent London and the South East at regional squad level. I guess my gymnastics success was an early sign I was a bit of a risk taker – you have to be pretty brave to do a backflip on a four inch beam or a handstand on a bar that’s 8 feet off the ground!

Who was your inspiration growing up and why?

My mother was my inspiration growing up. She raised my sister and I on her own whilst juggling a successful career at the BBC -she was Head of Schools Television. I always had her unconditional support and she told me I could be whatever I wanted to be in life.

How did you get into business? How did the idea for Mydeo come about?

I graduated from Nottingham University with an Engineering degree, but couldn’t decide straight away what I wanted to do. I waited tables at Planet Hollywood for a while before getting a job as a recruitment consultant – which I hated!

In 2000 I joined a start-up called Servecast who had just raised 30m Euros to roll out a European Content Delivery Network (CDN). This was before video streaming really took off as there was little broadband at the time, but I learnt a lot about the economics of streaming and soon had ideas of my own about how I could run a business reselling CDN services to a new market.

In 2002, I went on maternity leave and started Mydeo. The idea was simple – build a website that would allow consumers to utilise CDNs to share personal videos securely.

What is Mydeo? What are you guys trying to solve?

Mydeo allows consumers and businesses to deliver their media via a high speed CDN. In short, if you put your media on a CDN, your website loads faster, so your visitors/customers are not waiting. The problem is that CDN’s have a minimum entry level of around $2000 per month, which means millions of consumers and small businesses cannot buy directly. The business model for mydeo is that I buy in bulk from the CDN, and the mydeo.com website retails in small chunks, giving automated CDN access, providing statistical reporting and transacting monthly payments by credit card. Small businesses need their websites to perform in exactly the same way large sites do, so Mydeo allows them access to a global CDN for a tiny fraction of the cost of buying directly. By building a site that automates the entire process, the service is massively scalable.

What was your biggest challenge during the starting up phase? Tell me about the first couple months?

My biggest challenge was raising the first round of seed funding. I applied for DTI Grant for Technical Innovation (known at the time as a SMART award), but the terms of the Grant meant you also need to raise matched funds from elsewhere. I needed to raise £56,000 from friends and family and spent months meeting friends, friends of friends and parents of friends to raise the cash we needed.

When I finally managed to raise the money, the SMART committee turned down our grant application, saying it wasn’t technically innovative enough. Instead of leaving it there, I wrote a 20 page document outlining how all the elements of the software we would be building were being brought together in an innovative new way to address a totally new market. They changed their minds and we got the grant!

Have you gotten any additional investments since then?

Following the seed round I met with quite a few VC’s, but the level of funding we were after (half a million) was too low for VCs, so we went down the angel route. I pitched to two difference business angel networks and had offers of funding from both. We supplemented the angel money with a bank loan under the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme.

In 2007 we did a third funding round and took investment from BestBuy, plus two further business angels, valuing the company at £1.7m.

What has been some of the key things that you’ve over the year on your entrepreneurial journey?

Don’t take no for an answer! There will always be knock-backs, but as long as you get up one more time than you fall down, you’ll be ok.

What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

The partnerships we developed have been absolutely crucial. The first was with Microsoft where we were integrated into their desktop editing software, Windows MovieMaker. I’ll never forget the morning the partnership went live – registrations went through the roof. It was a real step- change for us as a business, but the partnership with Microsoft was more important than just the uplift in traffic. We were picked up by their Emerging Business Team(EBT) (similar to what BizSpark is now) who support and promote high potential start-ups innovating on their platform. The EBT introduced us the investors and partners we could never had gained access to on our own and was the key to raising the next two rounds of funding.

Would you say the business has changed from the first initial idea?

Mydeo started out at a B2C service, but with the launch of YouTube we just weren’t getting the revenue traction from home moviemakers we’d hoped for. We analyzed our paying user base and it became very clear that the majority were actually small businesses looking for low cost CDN delivery. So in 2009 we launched a B2B version of the service. We had plenty of feedback from the user base about what business users wanted and we used that as the basis of the new service. Within 6 months the B2B service overtook B2C revenues and has been growing month on month ever since. If we had not made this change to B2B when we did, we would have run out of money and joined the list of the thousands of other video startups who have failed in the last decade.

One thing I’ve learnt is that, when starting a businesses, a large amount of your assumptions will be wrong and you will make mistakes. As long as you make your mistakes and make adjustments to your plans before you run out of cash, you stand a good chance of being a success. If the cash runs out first, you’re history.

How has it been raising three boys and running a business?

It sounds like an impossible mix doesn’t it – but it works for me! When I started Mydeo we had enough money to put my first son, Cameron, into nursery one day a week. As the business started a take off and he got older we increased the days at nursery so I could spend more time running Mydeo. I managed to work from home while all three boys were babies, and never had a nanny or any home help. My two eldest are at school now and do sport after school most days. By basing the office in Wimbledon I can do the school run and still be in the office for 9 and pickup at 5. My two year old is at the same nursery the other two attended and I take Fridays off to be with him – which I love.

The best thing about running your own business and having kids is the flexibility and work-life balance it affords you. I never miss a rugby or football match, and I can be there at the drop of a hat if they are sick. I’m CEO from 9-5, but after that I’m mum. Plenty of people would argue you have to work 7 days a week, 18 hours a day to be a successful entrepreneur, but I don’t agree. Work smart – quality not quantity. Life’s too short.

What would you like to say to other mums thinking about starting a business?

My advice would be to make sure you try to understand what you can do by yourself and what you need help with. Knowing what you don’t know is key. I worked with a business incubator in the early years, who put a team around me to support me when I needed help and advice on finance, marketing, legal issues etc. I’d never started a business before and it was a huge learning curve, but by having the support of the incubator I found I could always find a way round the stumbling blocks.

What would you say has been the highlight of your journey so far?

Last year I was named as a winner one of Red’s Hot Women Awards – I won the Breakthrough Pioneer award for Business and Innovation. I got a huge amount of press coverage and it was a very glitzy evening ceremony, but the highlight was a breakfast at Downing Street. It was an amazing day from start to finish – and the other winners were inspirational.

What can we be expecting from Mydeo in 2012?

More features, more growth, more customers – and perhaps even an exit. Watch this space J

Jakub Krzych is the co-founder of AdTaily and just recently stepped down from his day-to-day role in the company where he now serves as a Supervisory Board Member and a minority shareholder. I recently caught up with him to find out more about his background before Adtaily, his early days at Adtaily, getting investors onboard, advices towards raising money and his plan for 2012.

AdTaily is a self-service advertising network that enables any online publisher to sell ads directly on its website.

Hi Jakub, How are you doing, great to have you on YHP?

I am fantastic! Thank you for having me here.

Could you quickly give us some background information about yourself?

I graduated from Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland with a degree in Computational Physics and Applied Computer Science.

Straight after my studies I started to work as a software developer in a Norwegian design and technology consulting firm where I developed my project management and strategy skills. After 4 years of work I decided to start my own company which within 2 years became the most popular self-service ad network in Central Europe.

Tell me how you got into business? Were you exposed to entrepreneurship as a child?

I was born in 1981 and at that time Poland was still under the influence of non-capitalistic systems. During my childhood I observed the transformations people went through during and after the fall of Communism, and that was an inspiring lesson of entrepreneurship.

So tell me how AdTaily came into the picture?

In late 2007 blogs and community portals were at the height of their popularity and I investigated the possibility of advertising on blogs. I learned that the processes were very complex. First one had to contact the blogger or website administrator and send an inquiry. Then it was a matter of waiting for the contract, paying the invoice and sending the ad to be placed on the website. I thought to myself, there must be an easier way to publish an ad on a website you visit and this is how AdTaily came along.

What is Adtaily and how does it work?

AdTaily is a self-service advertising network that enables any online publisher to sell ads directly on his website. An advertiser just selects a place where he would his ad placed and without actually leaving the website he could upload an image, pay online and have his ad published immediately.

What were you doing before you started the company?

I was a software solutions consultant working on different international projects, with a strong focus on user interfaces as well as on product strategy. I spent a lot of time abroad in places where I could gain a better understanding of what we had available on the domestic market.

Tell me about the early days of AdTaily, especially starting the business in the middle of the recession – what difficulties did you face and how did you get through that period of hardship?

Actually the middle of recession was a huge opportunity for our business. A lot of online publishers were trying to find a way to diversify their ad revenues and were more likely to test new solutions like our system. The biggest challenge was that, just before the crisis, we talked to several investors who paused their relationships when the recession started. Nevertheless we were able to convince some other ones that our product could benefit from investment, and succeed.

What makes AdTaily different from any other advertising platform out there?

Its simplicity and the large network of publishers we have managed to build on our domestic market. We’ve always been focused on user and customer experience, and have developed many approaches that strongly differentiate us from other ad networks or marketplaces.

What is your business model?

We take commission from advertisers who want to publish ads on publishers websites. We have several tiers. If the ad is bought directly on publisher site the commission is lower than in the case where our sales team find advertiser proactively.

What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

Since we are an ad network the biggest challenge was to solve the chicken and the egg paradox. If you don’t have publishers no advertisers will come; but no advertisers means no publishers. So our strategic decision was to choose an investor that offers us so-called “smart money”. In this case AGORA S.A., the leading Central Europe media group, provided us not only funds but also their whole network of web properties, publishers and advertisers.

We will talk about AGORA S.A in a few mins, but before that, would you say the business has changed from the first initial idea?

Oh yes! It has evolved from the original idea and crystallised over time. New sales channels and products were born. However our core thinking of delivering high-performing ads in the simplest way has stayed with us.

You mentioned the deal with Agora SA in 2009 earlier? How did that all happen and why did you decide to go ahead with it?

Agora was one four investors that send us their term sheets and we had long discussions about which one to choose. We finally decided on Agora since we knew that, apart from cash, we needed ad-market experience as well as access to publishers and advertisers.

I know you guys have also gone on to raise additional money to grow the company – how was the whole fund-raising process and what are some of the key things that you took away from that experience?

First of all, it took longer than we expected – mainly because it always involves a lot of paperwork, even for a young startup. I think the key lesson is to have several term sheets to choose from and always try to raise more than you think you need.

What tips can you give upcoming entrepreneurs looking to raise money to grow their startups?

Almost four years ago when we raised our seed capital the networks of investors, accelerators and incubators hardly existed in Poland. Nowadays it seems much easier to raise funds and we recommend young entrepreneurs, especially from Eastern Europe, to include investors from other countries in their investor relationship process so as to make the valuation process less subjective.

You’ve just recently stepped down your day-to-day role in AdTaily to become a minority shareholder and Supervisory Board Member – how did that decision come about?

I co-founded AdTaily and served for almost four years as the Board Member responsible for Product Development. My mission was to build the best-possible product team and establish processes that will enable further growth. I get the feeling that my mission has been completed. Apart from that, recent innovations in technologies are creating new opportunities and I was always eager to go for high risks!

What can we expect from you in 2012?

My new venture, just started, is a company working on new technology related to the “Internet of things” trend. We hope that by the end of 2012 we will release the first batch of products and will find their product-market-fit.

What has been your most memorable moment so far?

The most exciting moment when you start your product/company is achieving take-off. More and more users register and they send you positive feedback; new reviews and articles are being published about your product and you can start to have intensive conversations with your customers. That’s memorable!

What pieces of advice would you offer entrepreneurs starting out today?

First of all focus on your product. Forget about using advertising as the main tool to gain users. Your customers need to love what you offer them and that’s why they will return and also recommend others.

Another thing is to plan long-term. You should always think twice before accepting a quick-money offer that will change your main focus and only fulfil temporary needs. It’s good to say no and come back for the big money later.

Until recently, many of you were probably stuck using paypal and If you were using paypal – you were stuck. I recently caught up with 1/3 of the Gocardless team, Matt Robinson who explains to me why the Gocardless team are focused on making online payment struggles a thing of the past.

Hi Matt, how are you doing? Great to have you on YHP?

I’m great thanks. Things are going fantastically well at the moment.

Who is Matt Robinson?

I’m a 24 year old entrepreneur. I’m a McKinsey alumni and Oxford law graduate.

How did you get into business? Were you exposed to entrepreneurship as a child?

I ran a number of different money-making enterprises from a young age. I ran my first proper business at the age of 16 which paid for my way through university.

Who was your inspiration growing up and why?

My Dad. He came from nowhere to build a successful life, business and family. Business wise (sadly) it was the stereotypical TV entrepreneurs like Alan Sugar and Duncan Bannatyne.

So tell me about Gocardless and how the idea came about?

I’m one of three co-founders. We had all experienced a lot of frustration with both making and receiving payments. Simultaneously we had been spending a lot of time working with financial institutions gaining an insight into the payment mechanisms that underpinned them. We felt that we could build something drastically better for business than what was on offer.

How did you meet your co-founders?

I worked and lived with Hiroki for the last 2 years before starting GoCardless. We met Tom as we were starting and quickly decided that we wanted him to be part of what we were doing.

What were you doing before you founded Gocardless?

I was working at McKinsey & Co as a Management Consultant having graduated from Oxford University.

What is Gocardless? What are you guys trying to solve?

GoCardless is an API wrapper for bank transfer. It lets Merchants collect money with no Merchant account, no credit card fees (they charge just 1%!) and no hassle. Collecting money, whether for business or from friends, is a nightmare. The problem we’re solving is that payments are fundamentally broken. As a merchant, card companies are a rip-off and the application process is eye-wateringly complex. If you’re paying for stuff, the user experience is dreadful – most check-out processes leave me on the verge of tears.

What was your biggest challenge during the starting up phase?

The payment space is particularly hard to innovate in because you need to strike deals with banks and regulators just to get started. It’s very difficult to get these as a startup with no trading history. What we’ve shown though is that if you work hard enough and can demonstrate the credibility of your team and your product it’s doable.

You recently raised $1.5 million in investment, why did you decide this is the route to take?

Payments is a scale business and funding enables us to operate a scale model from day 1, speeding up Merchant acquisition and helping us get to scale more quickly.

How was the whole raising money process? How long did it take? What are some of the key things that you learnt from the whole process?

Hard work. We were exceptionally quick with the whole round taking less than 3 months from start to finish but it was still exceptionally hard. The key learning was how critical the type of intro is. With a cold email you have essentially a 0% chance of raising, with an intro from someone who has already invested in you, it’s close to 100%.

What advices can you give to entrepreneurs looking to raise money to grow their start-up?

Raising investment is a distraction from running your business. You therefore want to do it as quickly as possible. To do this you need to get significant traction, either in the form of users or deals, before you even think about raising money. Oh and something Paul Graham said: “When you go to investors asking for money you get advice; when you go asking for advice, you get money”.

You guys were previously based at White Bear Yard, what were some of its benefits?

Being based at White Bear Yard was great. We were in the same building as some of our investors and a number of cool startups. It was great to have both around us to pick their brains whenever we needed. Those benefits of clustering are a small microcosm of what is hopefully going to happen across the whole area.

What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

User growth has come from a couple of great partner deals. Wherever possible you should avoid having to acquire customers one-by-one. If a single company has a relationship with lots of potential customers, going through them is going to be hugely advantageous.

Would you say the business has changed from the first initial idea?

Absolutely – I would be worried if it hadn’t! The key for us has been getting our product in front of Merchants asap and hearing their thoughts on what they do and do not want.

What would you say has been the highlight of your entrepreneurial journey so far?

I think it would have to be going out to the Valley and doing YCombinator. Although, going to No10 Downing Street and meeting with the Innocent founders at Fruit Towers are definitely up there for one-offs.

What can we be expecting from your company in 2012?

Growth, and lots of it! As well as a couple of cool new products which are going to shake up the payments space that you absolutely should keep your eyes out for and our expansion across Europe.

What three pieces of advice would you offer entrepreneurs starting out today?

Make something people want.
Focus on one problem at a time and forget everything else.
Find great people to work with.

Alistair Crane and Jamie True graciously turned down $10 million of seed funding in the early stages of building their startup. Alistair explains “We framed the offer letter from the bidder and it sits in one of our toilets in our U.K. headquarters”. The pair wanted to remain in complete control of their business, whilst simultaneously forcing themselves to create a profitable business, “When you’ve got $20 million in the bank, you lose some of that drive to make ends meet.” And their risk paid off.

In January 2010 the pair launched Grapple, which is quite simply a platform which develops apps for Blackberry, Android, iPad, iPhone, Windows phone and Nokia – from one source code. The company has grown from strength to strength, with the number of employees growing from three to 85 across London, Toronto and New York. Not only this but Grapple has also been able to invest $9 million back into itself in order to promote growth within the business.

The idea behind the business sprouted in 2006 when a group of mobile phone lovers queried how apps could be made for everyone regardless of their smartphone. After over four years developing the product, Grapple has now made apps for some of the biggest most dominant brands in various markets, including McDonalds, IBM, Xbox and Adidas. Their website boasts that ‘Everyday Grapple works with 1 in 5 of the UK’s top 40 brands’, and in 2011 there were more downloads of their clients’ apps than the entire population of London.
It seems despite the initial self-sufficient nature of the company, Grapple has grown along with its impressive client base.

It’s no surprise that Grapple has been awarded ‘Innovative Agency of the Year 2012’. Not only do they create, design and distribute apps at 75% cost to the clients of a typical iPhone app, but they also offer advice along the way and promote a close working relationship between themselves and the client. Not only that but even after the app has been finalised and distributed, Grapple provide their client with detailed analytics that show how many times the app has been downloaded and how it is being used, thus creating opportunities in the future.

Grapple has effectively utilised their strengths and even their weaknesses. Although on the surface it seems as though the business could be facing competition from others such as McCann Erickson and Ogilvy, they often end up collaborating! It will be fascinating to see Grapple continue to grow and expand internationally.

Describing itself as ‘the Facebook for people who haven’t met yet’, members share over 8 million interactions every day, with Global Personals gaining a new member every six seconds. The business creates a platform for thousands of online dating sites to be built, the majority of which are privately owned and managed by website owners.

Founder and CEO Ross Williams created his first agency during his time at university in 1997. In 2003, armed with just a credit card, Ross alongside Steve Pammenter created Global Personals. Since then the business has grown a tremendous amount, resulting in Ross being shortlisted for Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006, selected for Top 10 to Watch in 2007, and nominated in two categories in the Fast Growth Business Awards in 2008.

Global Personals has a very impressive portfolio of over 7,500 sites with over 1,500 brand name partners internationally, such as FHM, Magic and The Independent. Partners benefit from Global Personals by using White Label Dating, a fully supported free to set up platform created by Steve Pammenter, which enables any organisation to run their own dating website regardless of their size. Branded as ‘the simplest way to break into the dating industry’, White Label Dating allows an individual to set up their own dating site or an established brand to monetise its existing customer base – all you have to do is attract traffic to your site.

Members benefit from Global Personals’ mobile web platform; designed for speed and performance, customers are able to use geolocation services in order to find people in their area, whilst also having the opportunity to ‘flirt’ with people on the other side of the world.

The business has used its inherent tech capabilities to continually adapt in order to keep up with social media trends; the development of a new API has allowed for app development and links GP’s services to sites such as Facebook, a key strategy for growth and innovation through the sharing of information between members.

Founded in Windsor, Global Personals now has offices in London, New York and Melbourne, and has reported an annual revenue of $50m in 2011. In January 2012 Global Personals celebrated their 10 millionth member. Their easy-to-use, ready-made dating platform has attracted a huge number of partners at this stage, and the ever-changing technology embedded within the platform will continue to attract partners, both big and small.

Andrew is currently studying for his Masters at Manchester University, in addition to running a Student Urban Fashion Brand – PieBoy clothing – He is also the Vice-President of Manchester Entrepreneurs – an organisation he hopes inspires and supports up and coming entrepreneurs in Manchester.

Andrew was recently accepted to the Entrepreneur First program, a national graduate scheme for aspiring entrepreneurs.

I caught up with Andrew as we spoke about his background, entrepreneurship, studying for a Masters, PieBoy Clothing, being the VP of Manchester Entrepreneurs and EF

Hi Andrew, great to have you on YHP, how are you doing today?

Pretty awesome thanks! The sun is shining and there lots of exciting things on the agenda for the next couple of weeks!

Before we move on, could you quickly give us some background information about yourself so that the YHP audience can get to know you better?

Sure, I’m a born and bread Manx man (from the Isle of man) who went to school in Yorkshire and the States before starting my undergraduate at Lancaster in business. Since then I’ve worked on a graduate programme and started my first enterprise in the automotive industry before coming to Manchester University to do a Masters of Enterprise. As well as my Masters, my big focus while being here has been PieBoy clothing. A Student Urban Fashion Brand focused on making Uni merchandise cool again!

Let’s take a step backwards a little, tell me how you got into entrepreneurship originally, what was your motivation?

I guess its some thing I’ve always grown up with, my grandparents, parents and siblings all starting and owning successful business’s. I guess it wasn’t so much a question of if but when. Away from being influenced by my family, the freedom to decide your own destiny has been another big motivator.

So what was your first real shot at starting a business?

I’ve had lots of little side things going on at various times. While doing my Undergrad at Lancaster a good friend of mine and my self used to go down to the pound shop and find stuff we thought was decent and put it on eBay. If we could make more than a 100% markup on something we’d go down and buy a heap more stuff and sell it. We didn’t make much but we certainly had a darn good beer kitty!

After that, did you get involved in anything else?

After graduating I worked for 18months at an offshore bank on a grad scheme until another good friend convinced me to start one of the many business opportunities we had been researching. Quickhubs.com (now called quickvehicleparts.com). We had some success and after my business partner left I established a living wage from it. However it became apparent the business was operating in a very price sensitive market and we really needed to innovate, this is when I started looking at other opportunities.

You’re currently studying for a Masters at University of Manchester? Right? Why study for a masters, I mean you seem very entrepreneurial, why not start a business straight after finishing your degree?

Good question. I don’t think there is necessarily a right or wrong way to get into enterprise. Some people start out when they are 10 years old selling sweets. Some people start when they are 50 after a big corporate career. I think for me at the time I’d had some practical enterprise experience and some corporate experience and I felt getting plugged into the enterprise scene in a big city while enhancing my enterprise skills through a Masters was the right way to go and looking back it was definitely the right decision.

You’re also the Vice -President of Manchester Entrepreneurs, how did that come about and how are you coping doing that in addition to studying for a Masters?

Ahhh Manchester Entrepreneurs. What an Organisation! I met current President Stan Reinholds last year and we’d working on a couple of thing prior. He knew I was studying a masters of enterprise and had some prior practical enterprise experience and then last summer out of the blue he asked me to be Vice President. We spoke about the big plans for the year and what we wanted to achieve. I mulled it over for a week and then said yes. It’s been a lot of extra work but has definitely been worth it. I think we’ve helped inspire and support up and coming entrepreneurs in Manchester as well as put our own skills to the test with organizing big events and lobbying to give enterprise a bigger agenda in Manchester

What would you say are some of the key things that you’re learning from the whole experience?

So much. From a skills perspective you have to do so many varied things in a start up so I really have put my sales, marketing, accounting, web build, project management etc skills to the test so I feel very competent in a lot of areas. From a developmental and growth perspective it has made me much more creative, accepting of uncertain situations, passionate and content. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t work hard and do the very best you can it just means that make sure what ever you do, you do it with a smile and don’t get stressed out.

About Pie Clothing – how did the idea come about?

PieBoy didn’t start out as a big ambition to change Uni merchandising in the UK. It started out from a friend and my self identifying a gap in the market. At the time when we launched PieBoy, bobble hats were becoming the trendy winter fashion accessory. University’s weren’t selling these so we had a few samples made, gained good feedback and then sold 250 on a pop up stall in about a week. Everything grew from there really including vision for what we wanted to turn PieBoy into.

What has been toughest part of starting the business and how have you overcome that?

There are a lot of hurdles to over come at various times. I think at the very beginning it’s about finding what your customers value and really delivering on that. Undertaking market research is all very well and good and it’s easy for people to say they will use or buy your product. But when people actually have to put their money where there mouth is you could find your market research going out the window. Luckily for us when we started out our intuition and basic market research was sound and people were willing to put their money where their mouth was and buy our product. Often you don’t know if it’s a goer until you get to that point, so I would say experiment and try selling your products early on to get consumer feedback and find out what works.

You’ve just recently been accepted into the Entrepreneur First program? How did that come about?

Last November I found my self going to a talk by Entrepreneur first as we needed a couple of the Manchester Entrepreneur committee members there to help set up and I was keen to find out more about the programme. As I was listening to what they were talking about I found my self thinking, “Wow, this is really for me”. Soon after, I applied and got through all the various rounds of the interview process and was offered a position earlier this year! I was obviously over the moon to be accepted, as it is an amazing opportunity!

What are some of the key things that you learnt from the whole application process?

That there is a hell of a lot of talented, young and hungry entrepreneurs in the UK, which only bodes well for the UK as a whole. There was a lot of people who applied and when we went for the interview and assessment day the calibre of every one was exceptional. Exciting things to come I feel.

Is this something that you would recommend to other aspiring entrepreneurs? What’s the value in it?

I haven’t officially started the programme yet as it starts in August so it’s unfair of me to make accurately comment on this at the moment. However I have met all of the cohort, the founders and some of the some sponsors a number of times and every thing is really gearing towards the start of something very special! The talent they have involved speaks for its self and I’m excited! But in short if a young entrepreneur is aspiring to start a high tech, high impact start up then I would defiantly recommend applying for Entrepreneur First

What would you say has been some of your most memorable moment so far?

In terms of my enterprise career. Winning or being shortlisted for awards is obviously very flattering and there have been a couple of those like Shell Live Wire or Lloyds TSB awards. In terms of having fun some of the viral video stuff like Manchester’s Gorgeous Girl was amazing. In terms of passion and exciting, when I started my first start up with a friend and we took over one of the bedrooms in his parents house it was 3 months of sheer excitement as every thing was so new. And in general terms just meeting with and working with so many great people has been amazing!

What advices would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own business?

If it’s your first business, just get out there and give it a go on a very small budget. You can learn so much by just doing so do some research identify your opportunity (solving peoples problems is always a great starting place for that) and just go out and do it. Make sure you get passionate, start very lean with very little capital outlay and just get on and do it. Like I said you will learn so much you can take to your next venture and if your making money it’s a bonus! If your going for some thing in a more serious capacity that you want to grow into an empire with some more capital investment really make sure you understand how you are delivering the value to your customers. Make sure you know their problems, make sure you know the opportunity clearly that you are pursuing and work your darn hardest to make it a reality.

So now – What should we be expecting from you in 2012?

So the rest of 2012 hey… I have to finish my masters, which is a pressing priority now. More people are going to be involved in helping run PieBoy and we have some exciting initiatives in the pipes which will be pushed out later this year. Ill be starting entrepreneur first come August which will result in the creation of a team and business in the high tech sector! Very exciting times ahead!

Gott Technical Services, a company based in the North East of England will be hoping to maintain its position as one of the market leaders in motor equipment suppliers this year.

I recently caught up with director, Ian Gott as we spoke about how he got involved in the business and how he has managed to grow the business so far.

Can you give you some background information about yourself, were you the entrepreneurial type growing up?

I was quite a thinker rather than a doer as a child, but I always wanted to find easier and better ways of doing things. I suppose some might say I took the easy route to a career by joining my father’s business but I joined it when it was in its infancy so I enjoyed the buzz of seeing something new take shape. I joined because the company needed a stores and purchasing system to be set up and I offered my services to develop this.

Once this was running smoothly I looked for the next challenge and volunteered to go out selling for the company. After these early bursts of enthusiasm, there was a long period where I was simply ‘following in my father’s footsteps’ but as I matured I refocused and set myself goals to achieve personal success within the business. I often think I have lived my life in reverse compared to most people because I have become more enthusiastic, energetic, innovative and demanding as I have got older.

Tell me how Gott Technical Services came about?

My father was sales manager for an industrial lubrication equipment manufacturer, when he decided he could do a better job, he went off and did it on his own. With agreement from his employers he left and set up Gott Technical Services as a distributor of the product range for which he had previously been sales manager.

In the early years the company’s target market was mining companies that worked at the open cast coal mines in Northumberland, various industrial and manufacturing companies and farming businesses. Basically, any company that required pumping and compressed air equipment to maintain mechanical plant and machinery. I then recognised our products and services could be useful to the vehicle repair trades and started to target these markets with my sales activity, developing and growing our product range to suit.

What is Gott Technical Services?

A family based business, based in the North East of England that supplies, installs and maintains garage workshop equipment.

Why vehicle maintenance equipment?

Our involvement with these products grew from our involvement with industrial lubrication equipment. Not many people know what garage equipment is but it is an essential part of everyday life.

Our equipment is used to keep refuge vehicles, fire tenders, ambulances, police cars, school buses, army vehicles, supermarket delivery vehicles and family cars maintained and on the road. Our MOT test equipment checks that vehicles are safe and meet environmental legislation.

What would you say was the hardest part of taking over your family business?

Trying to establish my own identity and authority and make my parents feel safe knowing that the business can run effectively without them.

How have you been able to fund taking the business forward?

We have always had great support from our bank and over the years we have received funding from Business Link and more recently the North East Growth Fund to support the business growth.

Would you say the initial idea for the company, or that the business model has changed since the company was founded?

The original goal was to distribute industrial lubrication and compressed air equipment and as such our target markets were open cast coal sites and manufacturing industries. With the decline of these industries in the area it was necessary to expand our range of products and services and grow into the automotive market.

In recent years, with the onset of recession, we knew our clients would have less money to spend on the purchase of capital equipment but also knew they would need to keep their equipment maintained. We grew our business by listening to our clients’ needs and developing packages to suit their requirements.

What would you say Gott Technical Services does differently from other vehicle maintenance equipment suppliers out there?

We are straightforward, honest people who take the time to find out exactly what our customers want and we give genuine advice – simple as that. There are so many equipment suppliers and maintenance providers who do not find out enough about their customers’ problems so do not necessarily provide the right solution.

Whilst we have a preferred product line and established maintenance packages, we are prepared to tailor these to suit our customers’ requirements. Many of our competitors seem to think the only way to get business is to supply the cheapest products possible but we believe in supplying value for money products. We do not sell the cheapest products because these will be unreliable or will not last very long. Despite this country’s economic downturn in recent years we continue to grow our business through recommendation because we are known for supplying high quality, reliable equipment.

How big is your team now?

There are twenty-one of us.

What would you say has been some of the most crucial achievements that you’ve done to build the company to this level now?

The key achievements that I have made since taking over the business are, assembling a strong team, securing funding for growth, securing contracts with most local authorities, emergency services and national garage groups.
As well as securing distribution agreements for market leading products and ensuring that all our engineers are accredited to the latest trade and health and safety standards.

What is your business model?

Sell high quality products at competitive prices, whilst providing a first class aftersales service.

Is the business profitable?

Yes.

What’s been your most memorable moment so far on your entrepreneurial journey?

Various contract wins, as well as taking the business from being ‘one of many’ to being the recognised market leader in the North East of England and establishing a national presence.

What pieces of advice could you give to aspiring entrepreneurs out there?

I’d say, be decisive. Go with your gut instinct. Genuinely care about people – both staff and customers. Have a clear plan and set stretching goals.

What can we be expecting from you and Gott Technical Services in the future?

Continued expansion and the introduction of new products and services.