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Direct Sitters is such a simple idea, and in hindsight one we wished we had thought of first! Direct Sitters provide quality CRB checked, fully insured, vetted and trustworthy house sitters to wait for engineers, repairmen and home deliveries, saving you the hassle - simple! Even more simple and impressive is the pretty low loan of £2700 that Marcus Simpson, then in his early 20’s gai...
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For those of you who think it can take an age to start a business don’t panic - it doesn’t have to be that way! Philip Crilly is a case in point - having conceived, set up and launched Eatibbles within a three month period. When Philip mentions in one of his answers “back in February 2013”, he is not speaking ironically - he literally only started the process of starti...
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We love Tribewanted - the social project that builds a ‘tribe’ of local communities, partners and members (from all over the World) to co-create a new and sustainable village, somewhere in the world. So when we read Eimer Peters' blog about leaving her consultancy job for IBM to do some volunteering work for Tribewanted Sierra Leone, we were keen to get Eimer to write a piece for Star...
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At Startacus we like to give you a variety of articles. Sometimes we’ll write about a successful business. Sometimes we’ll write about an inspirational story in which the odds were stacked heavily against someone. Today, we have the happy opportunity to wrap the two into one.Summly, when it was created, was akin to a drop in the metaphorical ocean of the internet. That it was sold then...
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Payroll Local with Brixton Pounds. Intrigued? Startacus outlines this London based initiative currently doing the rounds (and pay packets too).In 2009 Brixton, a district in South London followed other towns in England like Totnes in Devon and Strand in Gloucestershire, in introducing a form of local currency. Intended as an alternative to the pound sterling, it provides an interesting case study ...
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An integral part of any business plan is of course the Market Research. Before you can really move on with your concept or idea, it’s essential to undertake sufficient research so that you can get a real insight into your target market. There are several ways of doing this research - from doing vox pops in the street through to creating focus groups. One of the most efficient and accurate wa...
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Self Starter Krisi Smith, co-founder of Bluebird Tea Co. tells us how your Granny is essential to any successful business idea.I have some very wise, important and never heard before business advice to share with you, so make sure you’re listening carefully: your granny is absolutely key to your business success! Sound a bit bizarre? Anyone who knows me, or has tried my banana tea, can ...
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If you’re based in Scotland and have an idea for a business or project within the Arts or Creative Industries, you’ve only a couple more weeks’ left to apply for the Starter for 6 Programme. If you’re unsure if your idea would fall within the “Creative Industries” remit, here are the main areas it covers: Advertising, Architecture, Art and antiques markets, Comp...
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Whilst many of us may harbour ideas for businesses, not all of us will act on them and it’s often the case that we have an idea, do nothing about it and then months, maybe years later we see someone who has acted on that very idea and created a business. We may get annoyed - have a little rant perhaps - “But I thought of that first..” or even “ Why didn’t I bother doi...
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The latest initiative from Springboard, the UK based accelerator programme has just been launched and is pretty unique in that it is the world’s first ever accelerator bootcamp which is specifically targeting the ‘Internet of Things.’ The bootcamp which is now open for applications will see 10 startup businesses working in any area of the ‘Internet of Things’ underta...
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