Small businesses are the thriving heart of the UK economy. All 4.8m of them, keeping 23.9m of us employed and turning over £3,100bn – giving Britain’s stop start finances the lifeline it needs. With this in mind we teamed up with Smarta.com to give these small business a boost too. We’ve created the #O2SmartaBiz of the week. It’s our search for the smartest most innovative businesses in the UK. Fancy getting your business involved? Then Follow @O2BusinessUK and @SmartaHQ for your chance to be our #O2SmartaBiz of the week http://www.smarta.com/blog/2013/4/are-you-the-smarta-and-o2-business-of-the-week
Here’s our round up for the businesses that have been exceptional in May and another chance for us to give them the exposure they truly deserve.
May 28 – http://www.smarta.com/blog/2013/5/o2smartabiz-winner-fit-britches
Fit Britches – Founder Farnaz Khan is attracting attention from all over the world for her innovative clothing that helps people feel fit. Its range includes underwear designed and clinically proven to help lose inches, reduce signs of cellulite and aid skin elasticity. The business only launched in January and has already received over 400,00 hits to its website and served customers in over 50 countries. The popularity of this brand is snowballing across the globe and it won our #O2SmartaBiz of the week after it received a feature in a hugely popular Malaysian newspaper.
What’s your smartest tip for entrepreneurs?
“Word of mouth is the best form of marketing. Spread the word through press, social media and digital marketing. Look at marketing channels such as social media as a new market e.g. Facebook has 1bn users. If Facebook was a country it would be the third largest country in the world! There are 750 tweets per second sent on Twitter, which currently reaches 500m users. 3m new blogs are added every month. Through the power of the internet there are no boundaries our businesses are limitless and can go global, reach new markets, and reach new heights.”
May 20 – http://www.smarta.com/blog/2013/5/o2smartabiz-winner-footfall123
Footfall123 – Creating new technology and using it to grow businesses is always worth celebrating. We decided to award innovative loyalty and offers platform Footfall123 the #O2SmartaBiz for producing the TimeOut card using its redemptive tech. Founder, Ben Chesser is leading the way for small business owners showing that a start-up can have better knowledge and be better equipped than established brands to win the big contracts – with the contract to produce the TimeOut card a perfect example.
What’s your smartest tip for other entrepreneurs?
“Know very clearly what you are selling, and then get really good at delivering it.”
May 13 – http://www.smarta.com/blog/2013/5/o2smartabiz-winner-altrincham-hq
Altrincham HQ – community focused social media training and management business, Altrincham HQ won us over with its event focused on helping fellow small businesses. Founder Alex McCann started the business with the aim of helping businesses in his local area and its events are actively providing entrepreneurs with the tips and tricks to grow and develop their businesses.
What’s your smartest tip for other entrepreneurs?
“Out-care your competition and ingrain a culture of character over a culture of personality within your business. Work hard, be helpful and care about your local community – it sounds simple, but so many people care about slick presentations and business psychology that they’ve forgotten the basics of what most people truly respect Offer traditional values with new technology and you’re onto a winning formula!”
May 7 – http://www.smarta.com/blog/2013/5/o2smartabiz-winner-the-london-studio
The London Studio – A leading design company that’s working smart to punch above its weight. Founder Soula Zavacopoulous is growing the business globally and became the #O2SmartaBiz of the week after licensing 43 designs to a US publisher and shipping an order to Canada too.
What’s your smartest tip for entrepreneurs?
“Expanding into licensing has really helped the business grow. The London Studio has never received any outside funding, it is growing organically, so licensing my designs to other companies has been fantastic as it means I can expand into new markets, new territories and produce new products without the associated marketing, sales and manufacturing costs.
By utilising the greater distribution and manufacturing power of the larger companies I license my designs to, I’m not only growing my business through increased sales, but it will also build brand awareness of key ranges such as The Wisdom of Kids. “
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