Grow Your Business Exhibition

How I got started: Nigel Biggs, Pixology

Nigel started his career in electrical engineering but moved into software engineering in the late sixties. After five years with a computer manufacturer he joined a software house in the UK and for five years also worked in Germany. He then spent time in project management and marketing before working as a client manager for a larger software house.

Nigel founded his company in 1987 and quickly moved into custom software development. In 1995 the company, Pixology, started to develop its own digital imaging software products and later launched The Digital Camera Company as an internet-based camera retailer.

Pixology went public in 2003 and Nigel stayed on in a variety of roles until January 2006. Nigel is currently leading work for the Surrey Economic Partnership setting up an Innovation Network in Surrey to tackle local community problems. Nigel is passionate about innovation, running workshops and presentations for students and businesses.

Nigel is Chairman and Business Champion of the Surrey Enterprise Hub. He is a trained business mentor and also Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of Surrey.

How I Got Started: Claire Brown of Plant Passion

Claire Brown of Plant Passion shares her story of how she came to be running a thriving gardening business. Over to you Claire!

I spent the first 12 years of my career working my way up through Garden Centre management roles with Homebase, Wyevale group and The RHS at Wisley. Horticultural retail is a fast paced 7 day a week business, and I loved the peaks of absolute manic activities in the spring, and the buzz of planning and training staff for the seasons, but when William my son arrived in 2004, I realised that I didn’t actually like all of my job, that I loved working with the plants and customers, but didn’t like the admin side of my role, and that recruitment was my least favourite part.  Faced with going back to work after 6 months maternity leave to recruit a team of seasonal staff, I decided that although I loved working for the RHS, it was time to part company.

The idea for Plant Passion was formed while driving to a holiday in France, I weighed up regular salary from a prestigious company against more time with my son, no working on bank holidays and time to spend giving advice to clients and working out the best plants to go in their gardens , and setting up my own business won.

I was very lucky in that my husband could support me to start off with, so my aim for the first year was just to pay for my son’s childcare. 3 years on Plant passion has grown to have 5 staff, over a 100 clients who’ve taken advice, had planting projects completed, or had their gardens maintained and enhanced by the team, and I will be back at my RHS Salary by the time my son goes to School in September, - working 3 1/2 days a week. – oh and I now have a HR consultant to help me when I need to do any recruitment!

How I Got Started: Mike Lunch of Surrey Enterprise Hub

Following an exciting career building the PC business with Texas Instruments, Toshiba and IBM, I felt the time was right to “do my own thing”. I joined up with two friends to commercialise an invention developed at Leeds University. Sound Alert Technology patented “directional sound” as a means to guide people to safe exits from buildings, ships and tunnels. Using a special schh schh schh sound people immediately know which way to go – even in thick smoke. The system is installed in public buildings and tunnels in UK, Europe, USA and Australia and has been approved by the IMO for use on ships. Many reversing alarms on trucks now use this technology since it is safer and causes less disturbance to neighbours. The business was floated on a London stock exchange raising £2.2M in 2000.

During the last three years I worked as an interim CEO of two start-ups – put in by a VC concerned about their investment – in both cases I was instrumental to securing second round funding and growing their business. For the past 20 months I have been involved in supporting “high growth potential” businesses in Surrey. The Surrey Enterprise Hub, supported by SEEDA, is  a team of experienced business leaders happy to provide specialised advice and intensive support to a limited number of enterprising small businesses. We can support companies with a big idea with some barriers to competition, that can be scaled nationally or internationally whose founders have the drive to make it happen. The team will be at the Grow your Business exhibition in Guildford on 30th April.

Mike Lunch will also be a part of the "How I Got Started" panel on April 30th. To find out more about this seminar, or to register please visit the Grow Your Business website.

How I Got Started: Mike Lunch of Surrey Enterprise Hub

Following an exciting career building the PC business with Texas Instruments, Toshiba and IBM, I felt the time was right to “do my own thing”. I joined up with two friends to commercialise an invention developed at Leeds University. Sound Alert Technology patented “directional sound” as a means to guide people to safe exits from buildings, ships and tunnels. Using a special schh schh schh sound people immediately know which way to go – even in thick smoke. The system is installed in public buildings and tunnels in UK, Europe, USA and Australia and has been approved by the IMO for use on ships. Many reversing alarms on trucks now use this technology since it is safer and causes less disturbance to neighbours. The business was floated on a London stock exchange raising £2.2M in 2000.

During the last three years I worked as an interim CEO of two start-ups – put in by a VC concerned about their investment – in both cases I was instrumental to securing second round funding and growing their business. For the past 20 months I have been involved in supporting “high growth potential” businesses in Surrey. The Surrey Enterprise Hub, supported by SEEDA, is  a team of experienced business leaders happy to provide specialised advice and intensive support to a limited number of enterprising small businesses. We can support companies with a big idea with some barriers to competition, that can be scaled nationally or internationally whose founders have the drive to make it happen. The team will be at the Grow your Business exhibition in Guildford on 30th April.

Mike Lunch will also be a part of the "How I Got Started" panel on April 30th. To find out more about this seminar, or to register please visit the Grow Your Business website.

How I Got Started: Fiona Humberstone of Guildford printing.com

When I left University with my History degree I joined printing.com as a fast-track graduate. Having proven my worth in sales in Nottingham I moved to London to open my first store in Ealing and was very quickly promoted to Regional Director, looking after a number of company owned stores and franchises. I loved my job, earned a great salary and learned a lot.

Becoming pregnant in 2003 was a huge turning point for me. The corporate monster in me subsided and I became more focused on my bump and creating a sustainable life for the three of us. At the age of 25, I wasn't financially secure enough to be able to give up work, nor even substantially cut down my hours - we needed my salary. So nine months after having Ellie I reluctantly returned to work four days a week. My employer was fantastic at adapting my role to suit my new situation, but my priorities had shifted. If I had to go to work, rather than be at home with my daughter, then I wanted to do something that I loved doing. And I wanted to create a business that I could work around my family.

Fortunately I had the opportunity to buy a printing.com franchise, and six months after returning to work I set up Guildford printing.com from a serviced office; excited about the prospect of making exceptional graphic design and high quality, environmentally friendly print affordable for small businesses.

I absolutely love my job: the challenge of solving marketing and branding issues, the delight in saving someone money on their print; and ultimately the immense reward in creating a truly stonking brand that will transform a business.

Roll on two years and we're a team of five in our own beautiful listed offices overlooking the river Wey and one of the most successful printing.com franchises in the country. I have a fantastic team around me which means that I'm able to fulfil one of my ambitions, of working three days a week. I'm looking at expanding the business further by teaming up with existing Graphic Design businesses in the North Surrey and Berkshire area as well as expanding my own core business.

How is your business going? I'd love to meet you for a coffee and a chat, or perhaps we'll meet at a networking event soon?

How I got started: Ida Horner of Ethnic Supplies

In December 2006 I went home to Uganda for Christmas and whilst there I was invited to New Year’s eve party in South West Uganda. I had never been to this part of Uganda and found it difficult to reconcile the beauty of that part of the country with the poverty – I resolved to do something on my return to the UK

I quit my job as Housing Manager for a London council with a view to do something about the whole situation I had witnessed in South West Uganda. The result is Ethnic Supplies, an online business selling a range of products made by poverty-stricken women’s groups from Uganda as well as Tanzania, Kenya and Madagascar. Items include costume jewellery, mats, bags and silk scarves; all made by hand using natural materials and traditional methods.

I was unsure how best to go about it setting up a business and whilst searching for help on the internet she came across the Business Link website. I rang them up and told them what I was trying to do. They explained they offered one-to-one sessions with advisers for complete beginners like me. I made an appointment at my local centre in Woking, went in and everything has followed on from there. My Business Link adviser was able to articulate the ideas that I had and the whole process has been incredibly helpful.

Ethnic Supplies was launched in October and now helps suppliers such as Hand Products of Tanzania (HOT) which is made up of women from Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda some of whom have disabilities or are affected by HIV/AIDS. By the end of the year I had managed to get one of the line of bags into Exeter museum in Devon and I working hard to get into other outlets/gift shops.

What I'm doing is providing a market for these goods as the women don’t have anywhere to sell them apart from the odd tourist and clearly this is not enough to sustain them and their families. It is also a more dignified and sustainable way out of poverty.

Ida Horner will be part of our panel for the 'How I Got Started' seminar on 30th April. To hear Ida's story you can register for the seminar here. For further information on Ida's business or her products you can visit www.ethnicsupplies.co.uk