Community Friendly Hairdresser at Cambridge Market

Local resident and hairdresser Jo Harding started trading at Cambridge Market back in May this year, and with it, brought a new and unique idea with her. The business, ‘Echo Cuts’, sees Jo save all the trimmings of hair she cuts, which is then bagged up and given to people to use, free of charge, as compost. Although the idea is new to the market scene, the actual concept has been around a long time, Jo’s grandparents using it for years when planting his slow growing plants. The uniqueness of an outside hairdressers has not only been a hit with the locals who use the market, but has also caught the attention of a lot of the tourists who visit the city. Having a stall at the market enables Jo to keep her prices down and offer visitors to the market a more convenient and affordable hair cut. Jo told MTN, “A lot of people can find high street salons intimidating, not to mention expensive. When I first got into hairdressing getting your haircut was always seen as a necessity, however nowadays it’s seen more as a luxury. With being able to offer lower prices I hope I can turn this back around to how it use to be so that people can afford it more often, and if your hair is good you feel good. Also my customers see that their cut offs are being put to good use by helping the environment. Having worked at salons previously I’ve seen just how much wastage there can be, but it doesn’t have to be like that.” A lot of people use the compost on their allotments and gardens, then call Jo when they want some more and then pick it up or she can deliver it by bicycle. She if often seen biking to and from appointments and the market, which is another of many ways that Jo helps the environment and is currently having a new bike trailer made with advertising space on it available for small businesses. She is also in the process of looking for a spinner, which means she can knit it together and give people the choice of having it either knitted or as it comes. Alongside keeping her business green and helping the environment Jo also does a fantastic job in supporting and raising the profile of local charities. Every haircut that Jo makes sees £1.00 go to a local charity and she dedicates roughly three months worth of money to an individual charity. Between May to August she helped the charity Childrens A + E at Addenbrookes (started by Junior Sister Byrne) and her donation helped buy new books for the patients. She is currently supporting the Arthur Rank Adult Hospice (September to December) and is looking at which local charity she will be supporting in January. All volunteers who work at the charities also get Community Friendly Hairdresser at Cambridge Market offered a free haircut. In summing up Jo told MTN, “The reason I do it is to try and raise the profile of our local charities, as well as donating to them. It is important that we give back to our local communities. People are quick to moan about the economy, yet they still order the majority of things online. They would genuinely be surprised if they came down and supported the local market at just how great it is, thus giving something back locally. The atmosphere at the market is fantastic, especially between us traders. Considering we are all independent businesses the teamwork is second to none, always helping each other out. Its almost like we are one big family, I love it there.” What does the future hold for Jo and Echo Cuts, Well, “One day I really hope I can expand the business and idea so it can be used at markets across the UK. Too help benefit local charities up and down the UK and of course the environment nationwide would be fantastic.”
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MARKET MATTERS - COLD FEET

How are the January sales for you? Lots of Shoppers seem to be voting with their feet and deserting the High Street in favour of online sales. ‘Why suffer cold and wet feet traipsing in search of bargains when you can stay at home and do it online?’ was the thinking behind another Government-supported attempt to revive our emptying High Streets. First there was the DCLGsponsored ‘Portas review’, then the ‘Town Team’ competition and the private ‘Grimsey Review’ and now it’s the turn of the ‘Distressed Town Centre Property Taskforce’ sponsored by the HM Treasury. You can download it from http://policy.bcsc.org.uk/beyondretail/index.asp It covers the usual big issues – lack of funding, online sales, fragmented land ownership and parking policy etc and outlines interesting initiatives such as the ‘retail business incubators’ in Cold Feet Wolverhampton and Tamworth. 

Also how Rotherham provides revenue and capital support for fledgling businesses. Some Councils like Birkenhead and Rochdale are promoting their High Street Markets as ‘retail differentiators’ and there’s a good argument to be had about why this hasn’t happened before. But like the reviews before it this one offers little else but local policy support for SME’s (‘Small and Medium-sized Enterprises’). There’s a nice picture of Stockport Market Hall and some welcome discussion of ‘provision of mentoring and...social media for independent retailers and small businesses’, but I can’t help thinking the review is still missing the blindingly obvious. SME’s are less deterred by the cost of rent and rates than the administrative burden of paperwork they encounter as they expand. If HM Treasury is serious about encouraging SME’s as ‘the engine room of the economy’ then it needs to take a long-term approach to relaxing Vat rules, tax thresholds, NI and employment legislation which apply to small businesses. Those costs are outside the control of any independent retailer and a very real disincentive to growth. You can always negotiate your rent downwards with a landlord, but just you wait and see what happens when you miss your Vat return. Didn’t David Osborne promise a ‘bonfire of paperwork’ in one of his budget speeches? That’s the way to cure SME’s cold feet. Someone else has definitely got cold feet, MP’s. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority created to set MP’s pay and expenses in the aftermath of the expenses scandal proposes to increase MP’s salaries by 11% to £74,000 p.a.in 2015, despite objections by all parliamentary leaders. The best bit is that MP’s have no way of stopping the increase unless they change the law they introduced a couple of years ago. Labour has said ‘any rise in MPs' pay must be considered in the light of...the cost-of-living crisis facing people across the country’ and the Prime Minister has threatened to abolish IPSA if it force-feeds MP’s with another eight thousand per annum. He didn’t mention anything about HS2 though. Great stuff. I wonder how many will vote in the abolition debate. And finally, some not-so-cold cold feet: German Scientists have discovered how Penguins manage to keep their feet (and the baby Penguins which sit upon them) nice and cosy during a blizzard. A similar problem is shared by many Traders on Open Markets. Apparently the Penguins bunch together and shuffle around in a sort of Mexican wave whilst squawking about the weather and how few fish there are to eat, or whatever. This keeps the ones in the middle toasty warm whilst they struggle not to get shuffled out to the edge. With cold Teutonic logic the scientists conclude the ‘regulars’ who are skilled at turning up first always secure the best pitches in the middle whilst the ‘casuals’ who can’t be arsed are left with the worst pitches at the edge. This sounds very familiar so I can’t work out why scientists needed to go to Antarctica to confirm it. So leave your moonboots at home and train a pair of Penguins to sit on your feet. Or if the Toby objects, then seize the business opportunity and start manufacturing Penguinlookalike boots. Keep shuffling. Spring is not that far away. 

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A cut above the rest, Godiva Barbers

If you have passed the little kiosk in Coventry’s Precinct lately (you know the one, located between Waterstones and Marks and Spencer), you will have noticed it’s taken on a new bright look. That’s because it’s home for a brand new venture by 22-year-old Connor Evans. 
This is Connors second venture in the city, recently turning around the fortunes of the market barbers and handing the now successful traditional barbers on to his younger brother Ciaran .
The brothers come from a family of Coventry hairdressers , their late father Mark Evans was a well-known personality and had several local award winning hair salons along with his wife Moira. Moira ‘s renaissance hair salon in Broadgate continues to be a top Coventry hairdressers and the hub of the family businesses.
Connor looks at it like this. 
“I started off training in salons in Coventry even working alongside my mum in renaissance and then I got the opportunity to take over the Market Barbers on the Market’s start-up scheme,
The Market was a great place to build up my customers and experience running my own place. Then when I got the opportunity to come up in to the city centre,  I thought it would be a good to expand the businesses with something a little different. 

So how is business?
“I have been open now for about 3 weeks  and I can’t believe the reaction ,  Godiva barbers is going really well. We want to develop this in to a long standing barber’s shop . It’s a great location to get your hair cut right in the city centre and we wanted to bring something a little quirky  into Coventry, something a little different and up to date which will attract people to the city centre as well”.

So what has the feedback been like, so far?
“We have had great feedback, people coming up chatting and taking pictures, I have my regular clients from down in the Market and Ciaran down there is building up his new barbers with new customers, We are  opening 7 days a week, so come along and try it out, we cater to all styles of hair, we can even book you in for a traditional cut throat shave”. 

Bow wow! National award for Bury Market trader

It’s anything but a dog’s life for a Bury Market trader who has won a national award in her first year of business.

Diddy Dapper Dogs was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the UK Pet Retailer of the Year category in the first Petquip awards.

Business owner Tracy Robinson began trading as a casual trader on Bury Market in May 2012, taking a three-day stall in October 2012 when her husband Nigel was made redundant. They now have a regular customer base at their Garden Block stall, and have a great relationship with other stall holders and customers.

Tracy said: “The market management have always been supportive and encouraged us each step of our journey, even when it has been through one of the coldest, hardest trading winters! It is less than one year since we opened our first shop premises, so when we put ourselves forward to be considered for this we never imagined that we would win an award.”

The stall sells everything a dog could need, from health products to treats and harnesses to coats. The couple also have a shop in Morecambe.
The first PetQuip Industry Awards were sponsored by Westland, Group 55/Animology, Symply Pet Foods/Canagan, Petface and PATS.

The awards were presented at a gala dinner in Harrogate by PetQuip’s director general Amanda Sizer-Barrett. Compere was Paul Huggins, CEO of JLM Global Foods.

“These first awards have been a great success,” said Pat Flynn, PetQuip’s trade association manager.

“We had a huge amount of high calibre entries and some well deserving winners. We have also had some great feedback with everyone enjoying themselves at the gala dinner and dancing well into the night thanks to a great band, the New Amen Corner.”

Penkridge Market seeks New Apprentice…

Are you a young budding entrepreneur - An Alan Sugar in the making? Well Penkridge Market may be the start of a very successful career.

The owners of Penkridge Market have announced today that they are launching a new initiative to help school leavers start their own business. They are offering any young entrepreneur, the opportunity to take a free stall on the Market, for two weeks, to see if their business idea works. If the stall is a success, the candidate will then be entered into a competition to win a long term pitch on the stall at a discounted rate, plus help and advice from the Market Manager and other Market Traders.

The competition is open to anyone aged 16 – 19 years old, who lives in Penkridge or the surrounding area. The winner will receive a 6 month pitch on the Market at a discounted rate, plus advice on marketing, sourcing suppliers and general business support from the Manager and other experienced Market Traders.

Matt Williams, Manager of Penkridge Market said:

“We know how tough it can be to start up a business at any age, but especially when you’re young. We’ve noticed one or two really bright, enthusiastic young people on the Market and we just wanted to give everyone a chance... and who knows where it might lead to, we could have another Alan Sugar in the making!”

Lord Sugar did indeed start his career at the tender age of 16 as a Market Trader and is now reported to be worth an estimated £770 million, making him one of the richest people in the UK! He started by simply selling car aerials and electrical goods out of his van and then moved on to selling homemade shampoo! At the grand age of 21 he started his most well-known and successful business, Amstrad, and the rest, as they say is history!

Matt is kindly offering a 10 foot pitch on the Market on a Saturday and if you don’t have the necessary equipment, he will even provide you with a table.

The Market attracts up to 5,000 people every Market day, from around the Region, including people from as far as Telford, Stoke and Walsall. It is therefore a great place to test out a business idea and to attract new customers.

Penkridge Market is situated in the centre of Penkridge, and is signposted off the A449 (postcode ST19 5AP).

For further information and to book a stall on the Market please call Matt Williams on 01785 714221. Please book early to avoid disappointment.

The Teenage Market

How a successful grass roots initiative in Stockport is now being launched nationally. The Teenage Market was created by teenage brothers, Tom and Joe Barratt, in their hometown of Stockport, to give young people free market stalls to try out their creative business ideas. The initiative was developed with the help and support of Stockport Market Manager, Paul Downs and his team, who gave the brothers the use of the renovated Indoor Victorian Market Hall free of charge. Tom and Joe believed that there should be a specialist market designed specifically for the large population of young people in the town, which would give them a free platform to be entrepreneurial, try out a new a business idea and sell creative products.

The concept of The Teenage Market immediately captured people’s imaginations and became an instant hit with young people in the North West. The Teenage Market gave young people who were already selling online a chance to trade at their local market and inspired those who have never considered the idea of trading on a market to give it a go.

Eighteen year old trader, India Wood, said: “The Teenage Market really brings the community together and makes the town a much nicer place. It gives aspirational young people a great opportunity to start something they could be very successful in and creates a totally different view of teen culture than is normally portrayed in the media.”

As well as a creative retail offer, The Teenage Market also included a performance element, giving a much needed, free platform to local performers and large community groups, to showcase their unique skills and talents. The Teenage Market quickly gained local, regional and national media attention and received online backing and support from the Queen of Shops herself, Mary Portas, who described the event as “unique, innovative, inspiring and game-changing”.

Stockport MP and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Markets, Ann Coffey, has also lent her support to the initiative, which she said: “offers young people an amazing opportunity to showcase their talent and a place to sell their goods.” She went on to say: “a new generation in our market place with their enthusiasm and vitality is proving a magnet to young and old and a powerful regenerative force. Every town should have a Teenage Market.”

The fusion of creative retail and live performance, created a thriving, bustling marketplace in Stockport which has acted as a catalyst to attract a new generation of shoppers and increase footfall to the market area. This achievement led to the brothers being awarded financial support for The Teenage Market from Stockport Council’s Business Challenge Fund which is now enabling them to develop the idea on a national level so that other towns can benefit from the influx of creativity, diversity and community spirit the events bring to market areas.

The brothers had received so many requests to run The Teenage Market in other towns around the country, that they came up with the idea of licensing the event and have created a toolkit from everything they have learned, which includes tips and advice as well as templates for marketing materials, which include the bright, eye-catching branding of The Teenage Market.

As well as this, the brothers have also developed an online portal which will make the management and promotion of each Teenage Market event incredibly easy. From the click of a button, organisers will be able to input the date, time and location of their Teenage Market and then use social media tools to share it online and invite traders to take part.

The national launch of The Teenage Market is being fully supported by NABMA, who are making the initiative a core part of Love Your Local Market 2014, as they look to focus on finding more ways to engage young people with market areas. NABMA CEO, Graham Wilson OBE, said: “The success of the Teenage Market is a clear indication of the positive contribution that young people can bring to markets and help secure the future prosperity of our industry”.

For more information on The Teenage Market visit www.theteenagemarket.co.uk

If you are interested in purchasing a Teenage Market licence and running Teenage Markets in your town then please email info@theteenagemarket.co.uk

Adam Corbally - Stay the right side of business's Smoke and Mirrors !

Well, I’m sure that the gorgeous weather has brought out the customers and with it some unwelcome competition.

I personally like competition, it makes you up your game and brings out the best in businesses, although the best person to compete against is yourself by asking yourself the simple question: ‘Can anyone else be doing something to threaten my business?’

If the answer is ‘yes’, then why aren’t you doing it instead?

I saw the new movie about a criminal gang of illusionists, Now You See Me, recently where the ‘magic’ is keeping the victim close and thinking they are looking at the trick when the trick is happening elsewhere. It’s the same in business, you have to keep the competition close and focused on what you are doing while all the time working on a new plan to develop the business further, without them knowing until it is too late. In this way you get to use your existing brand and overheads you already have in place to launch a new product or service, while the competition would have to start from scratch and take a much bigger risk.

Now take the tragic example of Blockbuster, who must be wishing they had remained one step ahead of the competition in the shape of LoveFilm or Netflix, who have cornered the online presence for film rentals. The key is never to let your business get complacent no matter how big you get. This is a technology driven fast changing business world we live in today, so we all have to be thinking ‘what next, where’s the next big thing I can tap into that is in line with my existing business?’ Comet, too, would have wished they had established a strong online presence in their heydays before all the competition got a head start on them.

It may be a cliché, but if we do what we have always done, we only get what we always have and, these days, that’s just not good enough. Another good example of creating you own competition to stay ahead of you rivals is the Independent newspaper, which set up the cheaper tabloid form of itself, the ‘i’. This new product has largely made up for flagging sales with the parent broadsheet offering. The Daily Mail, too, was quick to exploit the growth of online content provision by getting in early and investing heavily to become a major global player in this sector while other UK newspapers, which sold more hard copies than the Mail, are lagging behind in the digital market.

Online continues to grow apace and I find myself doing more transactions through my mobile phone than any other way and consumers are increasingly doing this. By exploring the chinks in your armour you can head off potential threats to your business before the rivals spot the potential. We all need to sit down and take a hard look at what would pose the biggest challenge to our businesses, both today and looking to the future.

So whether its introducing a new line to our stalls? delivery service? putting together that well overdue website? or maybe even bringing in that direct debit machine you have always talked about? it’s vital for us traders to keep exploring ways to raise the bar before someone else raises the bar for us!

The question is, what is stopping us from trying something new?

The answer, Ourselves.

You can catch up with my own brand at www.Adamcorbally.co.uk Twitter @TheAdamCorbally

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A Helping Hand From The Prince’s Trust

After losing his job in December 2011 and there being a lack of jobs available, Gary Turgoose wasn’t sure where to turn. He thought that setting up his own business may be a solution so googled ‘funding for businesses’ and was introduced to youth charity The Prince’s Trust. The Prince’s Trust Enterprise programme gives unemployed young people aged 18-30 the skills and confidence to set up in business or find a job. Once he had looked on the website, Gary got in touch with The Prince’s Trust and enrolled onto a taster session to find out more. This led to him going on a free 4-day course where he learnt all about how to do his financing, HMRC, tax returns, marketing and much more. After this course Gary put together a business plan and was provided with some funding, which enabled him to test trade in different areas and receive vital customer feedback. The completed business plan was then presented in front of a panel by Gary, and The Prince’s Trust provided him with a local business mentor and a grant.

The grant was used to purchase marketing materials a uniform, banner, business cards and a market stall. A mentor was then introduced to Gary, someone who he meets up with once a month to provided support, discuss ideas and see how the business is running compared to the business plan.

The Koala Mobile market stall can be seen at four different markets (Louth, Mablethorpe, Stamford and Hemswell) and at one of these markets Gary has just taken on a member of staff to help him. He also has a website with all his products on. www.koalamobile.co.uk, with FREE delivery for any purchases.

Gary told MTN,
“I really enjoy it. It is hard work but I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I now want to concentrate on growing the business and the brand. The Prince’s Trust have been amazing and if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be where I am today. Anyone who is wanting to learn things or needs help and advice, then I would definitely recommend they get in touch. It’s not just about the financial support you may receive, but the advice is priceless.”

Trudy Roberts from The Prince’s Trust in Lincolnshire said:
“Before Gary came onto our Enterprise programme he was struggling to find work but we helped him become his own boss with a grant and support from a local mentor. This year The Prince’s Trust is celebrating 30 years of setting up young people in business and Gary is one of 80,000 young entrepreneurs we’ve helped across the UK. We would encourage other unemployed young people out there to get in touch if they too are interested in setting up in business.”

For more information please visit www.princes-trust.org.uk / 0800 842 842

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