"Since winning the 2009 IWCYC Challenge..." by Louise Bell, Healthy Glow

Since winning the Ifwecanyoucan Challenge the business has moved forward more than I could have imagined.

Looking back I didn’t really understand most of the questions people asked me when they were writing articles about me for the press. I was really pretty naïve and probably didn’t know much about running a business even though I was convinced I had something worth pushing and the determination to get Healthy Glow going, whatever it took.

How times have changed. And I’ve learnt so much in such a short space of time.

Winning the Challenge has been fantastic. I seem to have done lots of things right, I’ve done lots of things that I didn’t realise I knew how to do and I’ve met lots of people who have pointed me in the right direction and offered support when I needed it (I’ve met a few who I wasn’t too keen on but you’ve got to expect that – you’re never going to click with everyone).

We’ve got the set up in Tees Valley spot on. I’ve got two Healthy Glow franchisees in place – in Darlington and Stokesley – and we work really effectively as a team so we never let a customer down. Both of the girls do 60 spray tans a month (about half an hour per tan) and two thirds of the business is down to repeat customers which is perfect.

The next step was working out how to grow from there – and I’ve got the guys at the Entrepreneurs’ Forum to thank for an introduction to Graham Mylchreest from Be Franchising. It turns out they were looking for an opportunity that they could open up for women in the County Durham area to buy into as part of the LEGI programme – helping them to get back into work. So all of a sudden I’d got a partnership and my first master franchise licence was in place. Tada!

I’d also been doing a lot of work with my Google adwords which seemed to be working well (I rank number one for spray tanning) and one day I got an enquiry through from a woman with a marketing background who was looking to get back to work after having children. What I didn’t realise was that she’s from Germany – I didn’t even know that the adwords were international!

So I went about getting a ‘Passport to Export’ through UKTI so that I could get as much information as possible on the German market – do my homework! Germany is way behind us in terms of their attitude to sunbeds but things are changing so it’s the perfect time to get into the market.

I’ve teamed up with Claire Mitchell who’s a brilliant marketeer – who I met through ifwecanyoucan (she was a finalist in the Northern Echo area) – and we went out to Germany together to meet with Christina and we’ve started discussions about a master licence for her part of Germany.

The Germany trip was a valuable learning experience, I have decided to concentrate on the UK for the time being as I think the control of another country would stretch me too far at this stage. We need to expand in the UK first and that is where hopefully an Entrust programme called Coaching for High Growth will help, with guidance from people who have done it before.

It was great to spend time with Claire and we were able to get our heads together in how we are going to market Healthy Glow in the UK. Quite scary that we both had to go to another country to get time to talk to each other without interruption, but fab anyway!

I’ve been signposted to all sorts of people – and they keep telling me that I’m doing everything right and they can’t add anything. And eventually I was signposted to the very person I needed to speak to apparently – and the Forum had already put me in touch a few months earlier!

I’m in the process of getting my product IP sorted (I know what that means now!) – and I’ve got the supply sorted. In fact, I set the girls targets and it means I can pre-order because I know exactly how much I need. It’s a big relief because I went through a very dodgy period when I wasn’t sure I could get the stock I needed when I needed it.

I guess the next step is rolling it out! Which is so exciting and has come much quicker than I could ever have imagined.

I’d like to think I’d have got to this point eventually but winning the Challenge and the support I’ve had along the way has certainly got me there quicker and it’s given me so much confidence to trust my instinct, get on with it and not let any hurdle stand in my way.

I know there are lots more opportunities and lots of challenges to come but the ‘tada’ moments keep coming – and long may it continue.

'What Being Part of If we can, you can has meant to me', by Christine Pearce, 2009 Challenge Ambassador

This last year and being involved in the If We Can You Can Challenge has had an extremely positive affect on Restoration & Beyond. The publicity gained through the Hartlepool Mail has been invaluable and really helped our business to become known and even finding a new supplier.

When we entered, we had no idea just how much being linked to the Entrepreneurs Forum would help us to grow and become established.

When we were first short-listed we were invited to be questioned by a 'Dragon's Den' style panel consisting of local successful entrepreneurs, last year's finalists and representatives from ONE (One North East) and NECC (North East Chamber of Commerce).

At first it seemed a little daunting, but we soon got in to our flow and not only enjoyed the experience, but took a lot away from it too. It gave us the opportunity to have our business idea scrutinised by very experienced people in business and also to confirm to us that the concept and plan did stand up to scrutiny and was definitely worth pursuing. The unexpected outcome was that one of the judges, eventually became our mentor and investor as he was so convinced by us and our business.

Setting up in business is like a roller-coaster ride, but having the 'If We Can You Can' team and Entrepreneurs Forum behind us offering support, mentoring, introductions and much more, has really helped us to reach the summits. All of the other finalists have become friends too and we all support each other.

We like to express our thanks and appreciation for this to the whole team. We were delighted to attend the Entrepreneurs Forum Annual Conference last year which was a fantastic and inspirational experience and we hope to attend it again this year.

I would like to say to anybody who is either thinking of starting a business, or who is already up and running, to seriously consider entering this year on the 8th March. Why struggle alone when you can have all of the help, support and experience of seasoned entrepreneurs at your fingertips.

Our business emerged from the recession and redundancy. We hope we can show others that it is possible to turn your life and fortunes around by staying positive and turning problems into opportunities. After all, If we can, you certainly can!

Enter the Entrants....

Here a just a few quotes from the inspiring entrants taking part in the Challenge so far. Already there have been far too many to mention, but we’ve picked out a few lines from some people’s answers that we thought well worth sharing.

“Everyone has a purpose and a goal. My goal is to continue to develop my skills and business ideas which I have a passion and desire for.”

“I would like to see my business create enough revenue to allow more employees, premises to operate from instead of my home and new opportunities to form for myself and others. I have said in the past that I would like to become a commoner when I retire but try to live life to the full and to challenge myself in places that would be beneficial to obtaining new markets and seeking to help others.”

“I am of an age now that every day counts. There are a lot of people in the north east that have always wanted to do something good, something positive with a fantastic outcome, and as people get older they tend to think, hmm it’s all over for them. I do not feel that way, and if won I could be a role model to motivate and give hope that it’s NEVER too late to do something great with your life.”

“My life has been full of twists and turns, chances and opportunities. Knowing an opportunity and grabbing it with both hands and riding the very life out of it has been my greatest success to date…. I think being able to show your story off to everyone, especially the young’uns, will show them if a young lad with no college or university qualifications and a disability can go from always being £500 a month in debt to turning over £1.1 million pounds, then “If I can do it, so can you”. I would like to win to inspire people.”

“I want my kids to see that you can succeed if you work hard, put in the time and effort. I want them to learn that working to support yourself doesn’t have to mean working in an office and that it can actually be fun.”

…and here’s a comment we received when an entrant had submitted their answers:

“I have found these questions both inspirational and emotional, a fine way of concentrating the mind to the tasks ahead! So win or lose, thank you for the opportunity, here's to entrepreneurial potential!!!

Here’s to it indeed!

To get inspired and be inspiring, be crowned the Face of Entrepreneurship 2011, be part of a community and talk to others who’ve been there and done it, and lots of other benefits, visit www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/challenge.

Whether you’re thinking of starting, getting off the ground, or growing your business, be part of something amazing across the North East.