After one pint and a two hour loose presentation session in a local pub, presenting to a friend, Chris Byatte, Jonathan knew he was on to something.

He left everything else and focused on Pressglue. I spoke to Jonathan about how everything has unfolded, his entrepreneurial journey and his plans for Pressglue this year.

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

Yeah I’m great thanks, late nights with Pressglue but the coffee is helping.

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

Sure…well home life was interesting, never really liked school, in fact I hated it I didn’t see the point in any of it, naturally this had a negative effect on me as my folks were results oriented.

I spent most of my time taking things apart, understanding how they worked and investigating what the components were. Most of the time leaving things in a state of disassembly… classic starter non finisher but obsessed with detail.

I was and still am very easily distracted by even the smallest of nothings. But drawing and lego were my main thing… in fact… Lots and lots of drawing, I suppose this really was the direction for me, I spent more time drawing that anything else. My father was always saying “you need to get into commerce…” but I had NO idea what that word actually meant. Oh yeah and my BMX, loved that, I still have the scars to prove it.

So how did you get into business initially?

My “uncle” imported goods from all over the place and had a fascinating warehouse in Manchester, my sister and I used to vanish into vastness of it, looking for something to convince my folks to buy for us.

One day I spotted a pile of folding Aviator sunglasses with their own leatherette cases. I had convinced my father to buy them, which reluctantly he did. I loved the way they were engineered folding bridge and arms but to a boy of 11, they were awesome..!

I took them to school, showed them off and before I knew it people wanted them, I called up my uncle to ask if I could buy some more but my father wasn’t interested in funding them. It was my uncle that told me about Olivetti and how they used to sell typewriters… so, I sold on the only model I had, began taking orders and taking money. It’s a shame it wasn’t nurtured but now can help children and teenagers understand the basics.

Who was your inspiration growing up and why?

You know, this is a hard one. I watch plenty of TV, so my inspiration really came from guys like Tony Hart, Mr Benn ( a fictional character who transports him self into different worlds by putting on an outfit – I still think it would make a great movie, Adam sandler would be my choice for the lead). I wasn’t into sport so I didn’t have any sporting heroes. My father was working most of the time and I guess my inspiration was my own imagination.

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

HA! Now we are talking, well I have been a part time photojourno for about 12 years whilst mixing design and tech under the banner of “Web design”. I got sick of the local paper churning out bile about my hometown (now changed thanks to a great editorial team) and thought I could do better online. So I did and I absolutely loved the fact that people read it, shared its content and it cost me around £3k for everything including custom coding, hosting etc..

So I thought.. Hmmm lets roll this out, build a little news network, sell ad space and connect communities with its own news… I found this pretty tough to do, I understood code, I know how to build the basics but still it took me an age to deploy more titles and collate content.

All the while I knew that communities could have their own online title rather than a town with zillions of blogs ( digital silos) or out of date portals.. The news was there it just needed a home and so began the idea phase….

In early November 2010 I mapped out the whole development cycle and system structure in two days and showed it to a long standing trusted friend of mine Chris Byatte. After a two hour, loose presentation session in a local pub, just 1 pint each I might add, he said “You need drop everything else, drop it all now and just focus on this, This is ‘It’ Jonathan” I can still hear it echoing…

So Jonathan, what is Pressglue? What are you guys are trying to solve?

Instant-on, engaging, low-tech, content rich, monetisable news magazines for ANYONE

Why? In order for someone with passion and an idea about casting news on a simple subject, community or group with a news style site it needs funds what ever way you cut it. Programmers need paying, servers need renting and so on, for one individual to get a whiz bang online news rolling they need to stump up the cash. FACT

The issue here is that your cant see how its going to go and people loose money trying to get market before they see profit or even traffic, this breeds despondency and ultimately leads to failure. I want to change that culture.

I want to show how a school, a volunteer group, a charity, a blogger, a journalist or even a company can test out the market, get feedback , attract readers and grow a content rich online news magazine for free before powering up monetization tools and annual subscriptions…

What were you doing before you founded Pressglue?

Easy, photography and The Knutsford Times (my own online community news title) I was still fiddling with digital ideas, helping people understand tech issues and web apps, trying to get vanhire.com running and that’s the tip of the dilution iceberg.

What was your biggest challenge during the starting up phase?

Staying focused, killing off distractions but Chris’s echoey voice kept me on track along with a amazing mentor and investor co-founder

How have you been able to fund Pressglue?

John Haynes has been the funding angel behind it, he understands the mechanics of business and has helped me plan it out. I had a renewed respect for the difficulties that came with raising the money to invest in something new.

Getting investments is always such a hot topic, how were you able to get such great investors onboard?

That is a great question…. There are so many things that need to equinox for an investor to come to the table. For me it wasn’t easy, lots of people knew that I had interesting and potential ideas but were nervous about me remaining focused, that’s the real truth. “What is he up to this time” is the kind of feedback I would hear.

In Jan 2011 I needed some commercial advice on something and to see if a guy I knew could find a buyer for a business asset. At the end of the discussion he asked what else was I upto. So, I showed him the same plan I showed Chris in the Autumn of 2010. John asked if I had any numbers and my partner, now fiancé cranked out a spreadsheet with some basic figures and potential returns. He asked what do you think might be needed to get it rolling, £60k? I said “perhaps more if we need to move it into another gear..”

Some £200,000+ and 18 months later we are at a highly advanced stage ready to move into the next stage of funding and development.

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

Listen to feedback, look at where other tools have struggled to gain airspeed and stabilise the development team.

How were you able to get traction in the first few months of launch?

We gave and are still giving a lot of sites away for free, pulled in support help and advise on content collation for even the smallest of content builders. I have become more evangelical about what we want to achieve and what I believe in. It takes a lot of energy but we will make a difference. That has helped us gain traction.

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

Totally, and that is part of the message, if you are going to get into business you need to have the flexibility to change and bend in the feedback wind. It is so important that startups recognize that change is inevitable and that in most cases funds are almost certainly required to commit to change and make it 100% effective

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

All of it, the whole thing. Everyday “IS” the journey, I see it with my eyes wide open and approach everything with a totally positive attitude no mater what.

What do you love most about your job?

The challenges, the new things that I have to learn commercially and electronically, listening to feedback and how we can interpret it into digital effectiveness.

What can we be expecting from Pressglue in 2012?

Mmm… LOTS! My CTO says I keep hitting him with “idea grenades..” but I really need to be careful here so I can tell you that we are going to major on social news casting and mobile dev ( in progress now) over the forthcoming months.

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

If you have “the” idea, research it fully and check the marketplace, if there is an opening and your gut says YES it’s probably the killer idea. The research and back line will show due diligence to you and your investor.

Remain totally focused and believe in what you are doing become immersed, obsess about it if you have to but you must be ‘at one’ with the idea and the business.

Be flexible, be prepared to change, spend and embrace the release of stock to really grow your idea.

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!

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.

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.

Searchmetrics is an business intelligence company which provides search and social analytics software to support search marketers across the globe. The company provide clients with softwares which delivers data to help them analyse, track, measure and improve their marketing campaigns and to automate a variety of processes so they can work more efficiently.

I caught up with the founder and CTO of Searchmetrics, Marcus Tober.

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

I wasn’t necessarily the type of person who thought about starting a business at school. When I was young my real passion was history.

Tell me how the idea for Search Metrics came about?

It happened gradually. As part of the thesis for my computer science degree I had created a set of free SEO tools which I published online on my Linkvendor web site in 2005. At the time, Berlin, where I was living, was a hotbed for web design and search agencies and Linkvendor got a lot of hits and was at one time getting up to 30,000 users a day.

Later when I set up my own search agency, SEOSolutions, I developed some tools to help me work with my own clients. And In 2007 I was approached with an offer from Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. They had heard about what I was doing and suggested that we create a new company to develop and sell software tools for search, as well as to continue providing SEO services. Holtzbrinck Publishing provided the financial backing to start Searchmetrie which eventually became what is now Searchmetrics. Now we also have other investors including Neuhaus Partners and Iris Capital.

What were you doing before you started the company?

My initial career choice was medicine and I actually joined the army after school, where I started my medical training. I was an army paramedic trainee for four years which included a spell in the Kosovo war. This experience had a lasting effect on me as you can imagine and I eventually left the army and decided to switch careers. I went on to study web design and computer science while working for a number of web design and search agencies in Berlin.

What is Searchmetrics?

Searchmetrics is essentially a business intelligence company. We provide search and social analytics software to support search marketers across the globe. Our software delivers data to help them analyse, track, measure and improve their marketing campaigns and to automate a variety of processes so they can work more efficiently.

What are you trying to solve with Searchmetrics?

The data and insights we provide are key business intelligence which helps marketers address knowledge gaps related to search and these insights allow them to develop and improve their search marketing campaigns

Talk me through the first few months of running the business? What would you say was the hardest part of starting the business?

Actually, for us it wasn’t that hard, we were doing good work and our reputation spread quickly. We got business through referrals. We had the typical problems associated with growing very quickly – having to move to bigger offices as we expanded, and finding ourselves having recruiting staff to handle specific areas such as HR and finance – which we’d not really needed before.

Perhaps the one thing I found difficult to get used to at first was the detailed reporting I had to do for the investors. Holtzbrinck Publishing rightly needed to have updates about how the company was being run and what we were doing. However I wasn’t used to preparing those meticulous, time consuming reports and I did become a little frustrated with it. But it’s obviously all part of the job!

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

We are true to the original idea, in that we are still providing online business intelligence to support search marketers. But search has now evolved to include a social dimension, so the range of data we provide now also encompasses social insights.

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

I think one of the most important decisions we made was to become focused on the software business. In the early days of the company, I would find myself doing anything that clients needed; developing web sites, running the SEO and developing content if required. But we had to make the conscious decision to focus on the software side. And that is what our businesses is now known for.

Another crucial decision happened last year, when, against other advice, we made the decision to launch our Searchmetrics Essentials software. Previously we had focused on one product – our Searchmetrics Suite product, a powerful enterprise solution which is designed for larger agencies and in-house search departments. But Essentials is designed for smaller organisations and even includes a lot of complimentary data that anyone can access without registering. It allows a much wider audience to experience our data and has made a big difference in our awareness, with lots of positive feedback and reviews on social networks. Essentials is great for our visibility and reputation.

Is the business profitable?

The business is growing healthily. We are VC funded and today we are in growing mode – which means we need to spend the money to get market share. Once we have achieved market share, we know there are profits to be made. So our plan is not necessarily to be profitable at the moment.

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

To be honest there have been too many memorable moments. My life is a blaze of emails, I’m always in working mode and I’m always thinking about new ideas and new product features. This is my life….and it is too difficult to pick specific moments.

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

My main advice is that, first and foremost, you must focus on the product or service you are offering. This is more important today than ever because information spreads so far, so quickly. If you don’t have a good product or you have some problems, then this bad news can quickly be known internationally. And likewise if your product is outstanding – then this positive reputation can quickly spread, far and wide. Keep focusing on the product; if it’s really good, you can generate a viral marketing effect.

What can we be expecting from you and Searchmetrics in 2012?

In the second half of the year we plan to release a new version of the Searchmetrics Suite. This is not just the old Ssuite with a few new features, this will be a completely new product with a new architecture. It’s going to be extremely cool.

Also because there is now a high and well known correlation between search and social, we will be launching some exciting new social data products later in the year. However, it’s important to remember that we’re primarily interested providing in data about how social effects search, so our products will not be competing with mainstream social media monitoring products.

Mitesh Patel is the Founder and Managing Director of Fifosys, a company he started 10 years ago after completing a Masters in Computer Science at University of Hertfordshire. Fifosys delivers IT support and solutions to clients from a wide range of sectors based all over the world, their key services include cloud computing along with tailored ITsupport, budget planning, auditing and project management.

I recently had a little chat with Mitesh and this is our full conversation.

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

I’m fine thanks– thank you for inviting me to YHP

No problem, great to have you here.

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

I grew up in Kent and studied in Victoria before going to University in Hertfordshire. Okay I have missed a few rebel years in Tooting but it was all good learning and allowed me to develop those essential personal skills.

In 1992 I took a year out to become a dancer and lived in India although upon returning to the UK I realised this was not my passion.

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

I started the business at the age of 22 in my University Library, where at this point I had just completed my master’s degree in Computer science.

Who was your inspiration growing and why?

My father was my inspiration as I saw the way he maintained a positive attitude at all times during his challenges in raising our family. He made sure that no matter what we were always smiling.

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

The idea actually came about with two friends I studied my Masters with whilst in a university computer centre. Whilst all our colleagues were looking for jobs, we decided to start up an outsourcing business developing applications in India and providing the consultancy in the UK. The model has developed and unfortunately I have no partners, but the message to support businesses in using technology still remains.

Starting up any business the start is always a struggle and I started with very humble growth in an office with no windows and no heating. When the staff left the office on a Friday I would stay behind and clean the office throughout as we could not afford a cleaner. Starting from the bottom up has taught me a lot.

What was your biggest challenge during the startup phase?

Finding someone willing to believe in what I say as I had nothing to show them.

How have you been able to fund the business?

I was able to fund Fifosys from my savings which were from working whilst at university. The £3,000 was the starting point to what Fifosys is today.

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

· Delivered to clients what we said we were going to deliver
· Made our service transparent
· Employed the right people
· Acquired a competitor

What makes you different from other players in your sector?

In a crowded market for “IT Support”, Fifosys needs to be different, therefore we provide the link between IT and the business, and ensure that the IT strategy meets the ever changing business requirements. It also helps us explain to clients the risks associated with poor IT decisions, and how good IT decisions can make a big difference. We do this by taking time to understand clients’ businesses and then understand what their users need from their IT.

What is the business model?

Deliver measure and charge for time.

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

There have been so many highlights with Fifosys and I personally feel the ability to employ people and help them feel part of a journey of your vision is priceless.

Meeting great people and constantly learning and developing is a lot of fun.

What can we be expecting from your company in 2012?

Another acquisition and larges share of mid-market.

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

· Challenge your idea by testing it thoroughly
· Have a plan that you are HAPPY to stick to
· Take your own advise

As an artist, Adam travelled a lot, he would travel extensively for his exhibitions. He would occasionally give talks at the local art or design schools about his profession, but after finding it difficult to connect with the audience, he decided he needed a better way to tell his story – he wanted them to see the big picture. He decided to do something about it, he created Prezi and that was over 10 years ago.

Today, Prezi has over 10 million users on its platform

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

More like the innovator type. When I was five, I never ate any sweets I got right away. I wanted to eat a little every day – but my brother and dad always snuck up on my sweets! So, I built a small mechanical alarm system that protected my goods. In my studies in architectural design, I actually focused much more on possibilities of interactivity in architecture than on building plans. Later, I became an artist, and worked with radio waves and heat instead of traditional materials.

What were you doing before you founded the company?

I worked as a media artist. I was also a founding member of an innovation lab called Kitchen Budapest. Examples include Reorient, a space made of thousands of electronic toys, Ping Genius Loci- a field of outdoor analogue pixels, and Brainmirror- a mixed reality experience presenting MRI through a mirror..

Tell me how the idea for Prezi came about?

As an artist, I travelled for my exhibitions extensively, and, often, I would give talks at the local art or design schools about what I do. Frankly – I found it very hard to develop my story on slides— they felt so disconnected, it was hard to see the big picture, and to craft a good thread for the story. So, I built a simple zooming canvas, just for personal use for my presentations. This was about 10 years ago. So, Prezi really came about to answer a personal need.

Then, I met Peter Halacsy, now CTO of Prezi, who liked the idea, but wanted to create an easy-to-use tool for it. I think he was interested in it for himself actually, as he was teaching a lot. Then came Peter Arvai, CEO, who pushed us to become a global product, and SaaS, beyond our personal use

What is Prezi?

Prezis are zooming presentations, that were fun to create. People can create them on prezi.com for free, and already 10 million users have chosen to do so. Because you see you ideas next to each other, prezi helps you to think through what you want to say for the audience, prezis create memorable experiences. Beyond the 1st ‘wow-moment’, actually seeing texts, images, videos on a large canvas, helps you to memorize them much better.

It is like that old technique for learning words – you put them on stickies in your room, and your brain will associate them with a location. same happens in prezi. people associate ideas to location on the zooming canvas, and they remember more.

What are you trying to solve with Prezi?

Sharing of ideas should be both fun, engaging, and efficient. Today people present and email slides for this purpose. I really don’t think that is the best humanity can do.

Talk me through the first few months of running the business? What would you say was the hardest part of starting the business?

Understanding that some people don’t think exactly like we do – to keep track to this, we incorporate user research, user testing, and statistical data for the usage of our product tightly into our core values.

How were you able to fund the business?

Before we launched our product, and were running in private beta mode, we sold single prezi presentations for large events. We delivered the technology and the design too. Luckily after we unveiled prezi to the public, we have always been cash flow positive. Later, we raised capital investment with TED Conferences, in 2009, and then in 2011 with Accel Partners.

How has your market changed in the past few years? How has your business changed to keep pace?

The idea of zooming is becoming more common, people are more accustomed to it thanks to smartphone browsing. This really helps our learning curve.

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

Our business model is still the same, a freemium model where privacy of content sets the packages apart.

Our product has matured massively, and we understood that it does not only work great at ballroom presentations, but on daily meetings, and as a remote delivery as well. Prezi also has become very popular in education, given that it is really good for explaining complex matters.

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

Sharing and thinking in a team. Now we are 70 people, and each one is fantastic professional— who know more than us, the founders, in their respective professions! Attracting this talent by giving them intellectual space was crucial.

Is the business profitable? What is your business model?

Yes, prezi is cash-flow positive. Our business model is Freemium. Anyone can use the public Prezi license for free. Paid (Prezi Pro) users receive the desktop app, as well as a private option for their online prezis.

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

Every fews days I receive an email, from someone I’ve never met, from the US or Asia, anywhere, thanking me for doing prezi. They say that they feel creative, happy, and became successful thanks to our tool. This fuels a never ending, and truly fantastic drive to work harder and make prezi better every day.

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

- Try your idea as early as you can. get feedback from people, reality.

- Don’t be afraid to change

- Believe in and respect others, who join your journey.

What can we be expecting from you and Prezi in 2012?

Lots of new features, with an even simpler workflow so you can create a fantastic prezi quickly– just before you need to give the talk. (I already do this for my conference talks )