This week we spoke to Inspirations, a business that many of you will know on the Wirral! We’re sure it’s at least a part of everyone’s Christmas calendar to take a trip here.

As a retail business that traditionally made most of its sales from people flocking through the door for it’s seasonal displays, so we wanted to know how they’d adapted since lockdown hit.

Hi! Could you introduce your business to our readers?

Inspirations Wholesale are a Wirral-based business who specialise in providing beautiful products for your home or business, as well as offering floral supplies. We source products from all over the globe to bring everything from homewares and furniture, to artificial flowers and home fragrance products to our customers.

We are best known for our Christmas range as we are one of the largest stockists of Christmas product lines in the North West, if not further afield. We can source almost anything with our vast global supply chain and Wirral has been our home from the very beginning.

One of the founders of Inspirations, Paul Reeves

What’s the story behind Inspirations, how long has the business been going?

Inspirations Wholesale was founded in 1999 by Husband and wife Paul & Kate Reeves. Paul worked engineering and Kate was an interior designer, they began the business as a side line project from the garage of their home.

They never dreamt the business would grow the scale it has. They have put their life’s work into establishing the business and now Inspirations is firmly a part of the Wirral way of life. With a 30,000 sq.ft. warehouse situated on Old Hall Road in Bromborough, full of beautiful products, Inspirations employs over 25 people from all over the Wirral and has grown from strength to strength for over 20 years.

What challenges has COVID brought to your business?

In truth as a result of COVID-19 the business took a dramatic downturn. We immediately felt the impact from the downfall in the amount of customers that were visiting our store. Our footfall began to drop as soon as news of COVID-19 reached the area and we were truly worried about our business’s future.

We are not a UK wide business, we are only based on the Wirral, so we rely solely on the local people from Wirral, Liverpool, Chester and North Wales to visit our store and support our business, but understandably now was the time to worry about safety and we felt the impact of that straight away. We closed our doors as we felt it was the safest way we could look after our staff and our customers and we began to trade solely online.

How have you adapted to these challenges with a digital strategy?​ Are you investing more time in social media?

Luckily for us we had already implemented a strategy to improve our social media presence and we had also recently invested in a brand new website mid-2019. With regards to adapting we had to sharpen our skill set in both these sectors. In fact we continue to do so.

We are trying our very best to improve the amount of products we can offer on our website. We have had some truly tremendous support from some amazing people on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook and for this we will be forever grateful. We now have a dedicated team working daily on our output and we hope to give people the vision from our photography that they would ordinarily get from our in store displays.

Our website www.inspirationswholesale.co.uk and our social media platforms have allowed us to stay in touch with those that loved us in the beginning but it’s also allowed us to show our ranges and our visions to many new people. This has been a lifeline for us to date and we hope to continue the grow this side of business and are improving our skill set every day.

Do you think the changes you’ve made will have a positive effect on your business going forward?

I honestly do, I’m not sure things will return back to what we remember pre-COVID – not least for some time anyway. Where we grow in strength and knowledge on social media platforms and web-based sales, we can only benefit from in the future.

We can reach a larger audience and show the whole of the country our visions and products which is amazing, so we hope this will have a very positive effect on our business. We believe this has added another string to our bow, but we are also aware that we may have lost one at the same time, with people less likely to attend the store as they used to. We anticipate things won’t get back to normal for a while at least, but we hope we can get back to trading very soon.

What advice can you give to businesses struggling to adapt?

My advice would simply be to utilise the freedom to share your products, visions and services through any online platform possible, and if you can, adapt your stock range or services to meet the demands of people. What people want now is no doubt very different to what they may have wanted, should we have never come across this pandemic. Social Media feels like scary place to get involved in at first but it is a new way of life.

It will be so important for you moving forward and whilst the opportunity to use these platforms for free is here, don’t miss out. We honestly grew our own fan base from 1500 followers to over 20,000 followers in just 6 months. That’s 20,000 incredible people who get to see our range and our offers every single time we post, and for this we are truly grateful. If you’re new to this social media world, or have only just started your own page, then find a business that is within your sector that has already established itself on social media platforms (because there is always one I promise) and look at how they post, how they put information out there and how they use imagery.

You can learn so much and ask for support from your customers, ask them to share your business and offers. We are here for Wirral and the local communities and since we have started out on social media they have really been there for us to.

What’s next? What’s the plan for when this is all over?​

I’m sure that much like everyone else, we are looking forward to going back to some form of normality. We are anticipating a change in shopping behaviour, so we will be reacting to that by increasing our capacity to deal with online and telephone orders. We have so many products to share with our customer base, so we can’t wait to see people walking around our store again with all the safety and social distancing measures in place.

As a business we carry over 55,000 products at any one time so as you can imagine we can’t possibly share all that on the website alone. We have stunning homewares, realistic flowers and home fragrance products, as well as indoor & garden furniture to showcase from our store right now. We will put on some incredible offers on to help people get what they can just in time for the summer to arrive.

After this we will move swiftly onto Christmas, we absolutely love Christmas and this year our range will be bigger and better than ever before. With all of the following seasons to come completely covered in our stock range we hope to get back to normal as quickly as possible and can’t wait to share this journey with our amazing and loyal customer base.

As a business that has staff, how have you been managing? Have you kept staff busy or found a safe solution to help your business survive?

This is a very difficult time for all of us and we as a business are still navigating our way through the best solutions we can, we are currently implementing as much as we can to ensure staff and customer safety is our utmost priority.

At the moment we are only trading online so we have a very small task force in however we are working on plans for social distancing , time management and safe working for all . This is going to be challenging for all business types so we are always learning and always looking for the best solutions out there that we can implement into our business.

Tell us more about your work with the Johnson Foundation, now seems a great time for businesses to invest some time in charitable work.

First of all I’d like to say a personal thank you to the Johnston foundation for the work they do. They are an incredible group of people working hard every day and yes you are right. Now really is the time that we can all look at what we do for those around us. It was an honour to work with the Johnson foundation in producing the hampers for our local heroes and to think we had a small part to play in putting a smile on so many people’s faces is something we can be very proud off.

During these times of need so many people have really gone above and beyond to support the local community. These are incredible people and the more you learn of the good acts they have taken the more you want to be part of it. There’s no better feeling than to know you have helped someone in their time of need and the Johnson Foundation have allowed us to be part of this very special project.

Shop online with Inspirations at InspirationsWholesale.co.uk, or connect with them on Facebook or Instagram.

Interested in more interviews with Wirral businesses? Don’t forget to follow us on social to get the latest updates!

The post COVID and My Digital Business – Inspirations appeared first on My Digital Wirral.

In this article we’re speaking to Melissa, the founder of a coaching business based on the Wirral, but available to all. We wanted to know how Melissa’s business, a model based on human interaction, had adapted to lockdown and social-distancing. E-volve is also a start-up, having launched in 2019, so we knew many of our readers would be interested to hear how COVID has forced this fledgling business to adapt.

Having to self-isolate long-term due to pregnancy and not qualifying for the government’s COVID support schemes, we think Melissa’s advice on dealing with adversity is inspirational. Take a read!

Hi! Could you introduce yourself and your business to our readers?

My name is Melissa Howard and I am the founder of E-volve Global and The Printable Boutique.

I am a certified mindset coach, speaker and empowerment photographer for female entrepreneurs and professionals who want to reclaim their confidence and identity.

How and when did you start your business?

I launched my coaching practice alongside my full-time role in early 2019.  I officially incorporated my business in October 2019 when I left my full time role.

What challenges has COVID brought to your business? 

My business came to a standstill somewhat overnight.  The majority of my regular coaching clients experienced business/assignment cancellations which had a knock-on effect with me.  Similar to a chain in the housing market!  My photography assignments have now been cancelled for the foreseeable future as I had planned to take a break from this arm of my business until 2021 to spend time with my newborn.   I am 24 weeks pregnant and will likely need to self-isolate for the remainder of my pregnancy.

I don’t qualify for any of the Governments support programmes so I decided to take the opportunity to add a couple more strings to my bow.

How have you adapted to these challenges with a digital strategy?

In the past three weeks I have:

• Launched a range of digital colouring therapy books for people to download and print from home. There is something for everyone; all ages and genders.  The digital products have received over 140 5* reviews from people around the world who are now home-schooling and/or wanting to practice self-care at home.  Www.theprintableboutique.com
• I’ve also launched a 6 week intensive mindset support short course for mums and mums-to-be to help them build resilience and instil a new found confidence.    90% of my coaching practice was working with clients 1:1, so this has been a big change for me but one I’ve been meaning to do for a long while.
• Started a free pregnancy support group on Facebook to help ladies in isolation who may feel isolated, overwhelmed and scared with everything going on. They have access to practical advice for improving their mindset and mental well-being.  Ultimately, the group is a safe place for women to come together in a ‘Corona-talk-free-zone’.  Last week, we started a 21 Day Gratitude Challenge.

Do you think the changes you’ve made will have a positive effect on your business going forward?

Most definitely.  The self-study online programmes have been on my to-do lists for many months but something I didn’t feel I had the time to do.  Strangely, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be to plan, design and launch.  It was the same with launching the digital colouring therapy books, finding the time to design the books, build a new website and market didn’t take as long as expected.

They are by no means perfect or finished, but they are done and helping people all around the world.

What advice can you give to other businesses struggling to adapt?

If you’re struggling to adapt, speak to your customers/network and see where you can support them and add value.  The target market and topic for my online course was developed following a discussion with some of the ladies in my free pregnancy support group.  I developed the free support group because I wanted to help other pregnant women who may be struggling in self-isolation.

Done is better than perfect.  If you have an idea, map it out and get started.

Stay connected with your peers, colleagues, clients (…..and family!) even if you can’t provide paid services, you can still be there for them which they won’t forget.

What’s next for your business? What’s the plan when all this is over?

I’m planning to increase my self-study course library and digital colouring book designs over the coming months. I’ll be looking to work with brands and bloggers, as affiliates, to expand the reach of my content and products.

My business is shifting from being highly reliant on me, to being largely automated and passive.  I see this is a positive shift for my business so I can spend more time innovating, helping my clients and spending quality time with my growing family.

This situation has highlighted a myriad of threats and opportunities for me to explore so the next task on the list is designing a robust contingency and business plan!

You can view Melissa’s website over at e-volveglobal.com, or head over and give her a follow on Instagram and Facebook.

Interested in more interviews with Wirral businesses? Don’t forget to follow us on social to get the latest updates!

The post COVID and My Digital Business – E-volve Global / The Printable Boutique appeared first on My Digital Wirral.

However, when many expected to see resignation, many local SMEs fought back. You only need to glance at social media to see that businesses on the Wirral are determined to ride this pandemic out to the end, and come out of it stronger than ever. Many have adapted their strategies, taking on a more digital approach to run their business effectively within the government social distancing guidelines.

Some have moved to a contactless delivery model, and others are releasing digital reiterations of their products. The innovation, ingenuity and straight up tenacity of these businesses has even made some of them busier than ever.

Impressed and inspired by businesses around the Wirral, we reached out to a few for an interview, to see what the driving force and thoughts are behind their actions.

As the first in a series, we spoke to Joe at Peninsular Properties, a successful rental agency based in Prenton, Birkenhead but covering the entire Wirral.

I’m sure you’ll be interested to know how the pandemic is affecting businesses based in the housing industry, and how they plan to keep their business moving forward.

Do you have a business based on the Wirral and would like to share your experience? Let us know here!

Hi! Could you introduce yourself and your business to our readers?

My name is Joe Martin-Bindley and our business is Peninsular Property. We are investment and property management specialists based in Birkenhead.

How and when did you start your business?

I have been in the property industry for the last 15 years and set Peninsular up back in 2016.

What challenges has COVID brought to your business?

The main challenges have been with our tenant database, as part of our group we have a letting agency managing approx. 200 tenants. We have worked closely with our tenants during this time to allow them as much flexibility as possible.

How have you adapted to these challenges with a digital strategy?​

We have regularly kept in close contact with all of our clients via social media and newsletters. We have even gone as far as offering virtual viewings for interested parties which has gone down well.

Do you think the changes you’ve made will have a positive effect on your business going forward?

Absolutely, we feel that if as a business we can get through this current pandemic we can get through anything!

What advice can you give to other businesses struggling to adapt?

There is so much help and advice out there so never be afraid to ask. No-one in business has ever been in this position before and likely never will be again. We are all in the same boat and no matter how alone you feel you never are. Times are hard but they won’t be forever.

What’s next for your business? What’s the plan when all this is over?

Our staff are currently working remotely so I am looking forward to getting normality resumed in our office. We will then look to really kick on with the second half of the year and assisting our clients and their investments in the time we have lost.

Has COVID presented any particular challenges specific to your industry?

The main challenge has been the mortgage markets and tenants rental payments. We have worked closely with both our tenants and landlords during this period. Some landlords and tenants haven’t been as lucky and I suspect it may take the market a number of years to full recover.

How do you think COVID will change the housing industry going forward as a whole?

I think the housing industry will take some years to recover if you consider the amount of issues people are having. On the flip side however it will be very much a buyers market after the pandemic so if you are a first time buyer or investor it can certainly be seen as a positive.

Do you anticipate the lockdown will change how people expect to get their information going forward?

I think the property world was heading that way regardless in terms of virtual house tours and being more social media based, however the current situation has certainly accelerated that. As a business we have a big social media presence online and have certainly pushed this on the back on the lockdown. It also goes to show tenants don’t always need to see properties before they move in as a video tour can be just as good as a face to face viewing.

You can view properties on offer at Peninsular Properties website, or head over and give them a follow on Facebook and Twitter.

Interested in more interviews with Wirral businesses? Don’t forget to follow us on social to get the latest updates!

The post COVID and My Digital Business – Peninsular Property appeared first on My Digital Wirral.

Keeko Kids was founded by Sarah Chinnaraja in 1998 with the goal of providing ‘passive play for children, creating friendly and accommodating environments as well as complimenting customer service’.

They provide colouring products to restaurants, cafes as well as a number of large clients such as McDonald’s, ASDA and M&S.

What was your motivation behind wanting to get into the colouring products industry?

I became aware of a gap in the market when my 1^st child was young and also wanted a job that would fit in with her and allow me to be there for her outside of school hours.

I began the business thinking I would get a ‘proper job’ when my daughter was older!

We understand that in 2003 you started a relationship with McDonald’s, how impactful has this relationship been in the success of your business?

The relationship with McDonald’s totally changed our business. Within a few months of our product being introduced to 10 McDonald’s Restaurants in Northern Ireland we had orders from over 1000 restaurants in the UK. We immediately needed more staff and larger premises, I’m pleased to say we haven’t looked back since.

What’s in-store for the future of Keeko Kids?

This is an exciting time for Keeko as we have completed a recent merger with our sister company and we are in a strong position to move forward as we continue to produce British made quality products, expanding our range and reaching out to new opportunities.

Recently you celebrated the merger of Keeko Kids and British crayon supplier Stadium, what does this merger mean for you?

The merger means that we can consolidate our resources, save costs and time. We can really build the company and brand with a strengthened direction and drive.

It is wonderful to have the whole business in one place and to streamline our production and focus.

What has been your favourite project thus far?

Its hard to say….every project has been amazing. It is always hugely exciting to win new major clients, but the recent project of bringing the companies together has to be my favourite so far as its been a huge time of reflection and marked a great success and achievement. Which has been wonderful to celebrate with the team who have shared the journey.

Having to buy Stadium after it went into administration in 2009 must have been a serious challenge, are there any other significant challenges you have faced since founding Keeko Kids?

Yes it was a massive challenge but one that we took on with gusto.

There have been many other challenges and difficult periods but nothing that we haven’t been able to overcome with hard work, determination and a positive attitude from an incredible & loyal team.

Finally, is there any advice you would like to pass on to people who are starting their own business?

Its hard work, its stressful and it’s a huge responsibility, but if you have a concept or product that works be prepared for a challenge and go for it. Treat your staff well and be good, honest and always transparent.

Check out Keeko Kids’ Services at www.keekokids.co.uk and follow them on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

If you run a business and want to be featured on My Digital Wirral drop us a line here.

The post Keeko Kids speak on the success of their business, their recent merger with Stadium Crayons and more appeared first on My Digital Wirral.

Founded by Walter Penketh in 1976, Penketh Group have over 40 years experience in providing bespoke workplace design, furniture, interiors and technology solutions for businesses.

How many people are a part of the team at Penketh Group?

Chris: We currently have a team of 67 within the group, which are split across our Wirral head office and our working showroom in Manchester city centre. We are actually looking to recruit this year and going into next year too as we continue to grow. It’s an exciting time for us.

Are there any significant challenges you face when taking on these office design projects?

Chris: Discovering what a client really wants to achieve is the biggest challenge as they need to articulate something that they aren’t experts on. So, they aren’t always able to express exactly what it is they want or the specific problems they’re facing. Whilst this is the biggest challenge, it’s also a massive part of the process that we really enjoy as we help our clients uncover the key issues that need to be addressed and then share insights and solutions to those issues. I’d also say budgets and time constraints are very important but that’s always been the case and always will be, I guess.

What has been your largest project to date?

Chris: We’ve worked with some great businesses helping them with their office refurbishment projects recently including Jaguar Land Rover, Handelsbanken and the University of Manchester. Our biggest project to date though was probably Unilever GIO. The project was their new European IT HQ in North Wales and all of the workstation was a bespoke design and the installation programme was so tight we worked in shifts around the clock to achieve it. The end result was a fantastic workplace and an extremely happy client – so happy, in fact, we got an equally large order when we helped them relocate to new premises 7 years later.

How important has your online presence (website, social media etc.) been in the success of your business?

Steph: Our digital presence and website are things we have been investing a great deal of time and energy into over the past couple of years and we’re definitely seeing the impact. Since giving our online presence some TLC, we’ve had more customers finding us via internet search and social which is great. In a world where we’re all attached to technology for most of the day, an online presence is often the first thing prospective customers see of your brand and this is something we’re taking very seriously. So, to answer the question, our online presence is becoming more important as we continue to develop and refine it.

What can we expect in the future from Penketh Group?

Chris: Well, we’re always looking to improve our offering for clients and recently we have added a virtual showroom to our website to give a wider choice of products. It’s an exciting addition to what we can offer online and offline. We’re also in the process of refreshing our Manchester showroom in Bruntwood’s Neo building which will be ready to view in October. We’ve got plenty of things in the pipeline to make working with Penketh Group even better!

What sets you apart from other Office Interior Design companies in the North-West?

Chris: It’s a bit cliché but we have a great team that genuinely care about our clients’ needs and helping them achieve their aspirations. That mindset means you always get great service but more importantly as we get to know our clients better, we can tailor our offering to suit their individual business requirements. The number of long-term clients we retain proves to us it’s the right approach. Several team members have been with Penketh Group for over 20 years and when you mix that experience with the creative talent of our newer members you get a perfect blend. So, it’s our people that help set us apart from the rest.

Is there any advice you would like to give to people on improving their business’ online awareness?

Steph: The biggest piece of advice I would probably offer after many years working in digital marketing is to always be yourself and be authentic. Consider your brand, what it stands for, who your audience is and mould your strategy accordingly. I see so many businesses just using social media platforms or communication tactics for the sake of it. I even saw a portaloo company promoting their Snapchat handle on a van on a motorway the other day! What is that content even going to consist of?! Make sure everything has its purpose, be true to your brand and that way, you’ll find yourself in front of the right people and everything else should follow.

Check out Penketh Group’s services at www.penkethgroup.com and follow them on social media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

If you run a business and want to be featured on My Digital Wirral drop us a line here.

The post Featured Wirral Business: Penketh Group appeared first on My Digital Wirral.

International Translations Limited have over 40 years of experience in providing high quality language solutions for household brands such as Bentley and the Co-op. The services they provide include translation, interpreting, and international content marketing.

In addition to her role as Managing Director for International Translation Limited, leadership award winner Corinne Smith uses her experience to mentor others, including undergraduate students at the University of Liverpool.

How many employees do you have?

We employ 4 people – 2 are home based and the rest office based.

What’s your vision for the business?

After having taken ITL ‘kicking and screaming’ into the 21^st Century, my mission is to become the biggest translation agency in the North West of England in the next 5 years.

How do you find and retain clients?

I am the face of the business, so have to attend as many networking events as possible. Traditional forms of advertising are dead – even an unsexy industry such as translation needs to harness the power of social media and we do this with great success.  In terms of retaining clients we make sure we offer a high quality, reliable service and we communicate with our customers regularly so have established good working relationships with them.

What’s your most memorable project or client?

We were asked to translate some information explaining how to insert an enema for a charity which is not your everyday kind of document!

How has ITL used an online presence to be successful?

ITL was fairly late to the game with its online presence. I mentioned my having brought the company ‘kicking and screaming’ into the modern era. My parents, who founded the business, didn’t have any understanding of what it is or how important it is to have an online presence. We use the typical channels – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin to promote International Translations Limited online – but it is about creating interesting content people want to read. I have an instagram – The No B***s*** Business Guide – which is humorous and authentic and contains experiences of my daily life running ITL.

What’s a normal day like for you?

Gym, emails, meetings, networking, and then chilling with the horse/dogs (down time is just as important as work time!)

What happens on the less normal days?!

It can get a little chaotic when we have to rush large projects into lots of different languages as everything needs to move quickly so the job can get underway and completed on time but without compromising the quality of the work so there are times when everyone has to drop what they’re doing so as not to let the customers down. We still need to run the business and meet with prospective clients and network too but we always find a way to make everything happen at the right time.

What skills have you found most useful in your role?

I’m naturally quite chatty and outgoing so I think that has been really helpful when it comes to networking and speaking to people in business. I’ve been learning as I go with the business so I’m acquiring new skills frequently and constantly reading, learning and trying to increase my business skill set.

Is there a piece of advice you think is particularly important to pass on?

Do not compare you or your business to anyone else and theirs.

Check out International Translations Limited’s services at www.itltranslations.com and follow them on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |LinkedIn

If you run a business and want to be featured on My Digital Wirral drop us a line here.

The post Featured Wirral Business: International Translations Limited appeared first on My Digital Wirral.

What inspired your business venture?

Quite simply, I needed a change in careers. Changes in my personal life meant I couldn’t work full time hours within an office setting. So starting up my own business, where I could choose the hours & time I worked, felt like the best option.

Did you experience any difficulties or challenges whilst starting up your business?

There has been lots! Even though I had studied retail marketing at university, I literally had no clue how to set up and run a business. I was lucky enough to receive support from the Women’s Organisation in Liverpool, along with the Government’s New Enterprise Allowance. I have also gained invaluable support and advice from the networking group BizMums. Without their support, I probably would have given up years ago!

We know you’ve studied fashion – why did you choose to specialise in children’s wear over women’s wear?

I chose kidswear mainly because I had a lack of space! My business was run from our dining room table so making smaller scale clothing was an easier option than women’s wear. But if I had the space, I would have loved to create women’s wear instead!

What does the New Year have in store for Little Miss P?

This year has gone by so quickly already! Since the beginning of 2018, there had been less demand for my children’s wear ranges, but I was getting asked for other handmade items instead. So I launched a gift range, and a range of reusable items that can help reduce the amount of single use plastics in your daily routine. These have proven really popular. I’m also kept busy making travel purses for another small business called Freyaluna and working on my customer orders. I’ve been working on my Etsy shop a lot this year as well.

Whilst building your brand from the ground up – how did you approach marketing your brand to start off with?

I created my social media presence quite early on, along with a fully transactional website. I have also marketed myself the old fashioned way at craft fairs and artisan events. I also network as I feel that helps me get across my passion for my business by being able to tell people about me.

Do you have any exciting events coming up in the future?

I’m going to be at this year’s Summer Arts Market on June 1st which is ace recognition for my business.

What particular challenges did you encounter when balancing motherhood and business?

I’m not sure I can successfully answer that as I always feel I have lots of plates spinning! I spend half my week looking after my two year old, and the other half creating for Little Miss P. I also work late into the evenings after I have put the kids to bed. I’m lucky that I do have this flexibility as it wouldn’t be possible in a 9-5 job.

How does your offering differ from existing children’s wear brands?

The children’s wear I offered was a take on classic styles that I wore as a child in the 1980s (just a bit less frilly!). My biggest thing, is that an item has to be practical and functional – I think that is my Yorkshire-ness! So the garments had to be fun but easy to wear and care for. My need for functionality has continued into my eco-friendly range, where the items are desirable and nice to look at, but they also have a use to them.

What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs who are considering starting up their own business?

Don’t give up! Success can take a while to come but if you are passionate about it, it will happen. And don’t always believe others hype on social media, they might not be as successful as you think!

Check out Little Miss P’s products at www.littlemissp.co.uk and follow them on social media: Facebook | Twitter

If you run a business and want to be featured on My Digital Wirral drop us a line here.

The post Featured Wirral Business: Little Miss P appeared first on My Digital Wirral.

What made you decide to start your own business?

I have spent so many years being employed I didn’t see myself ever even being self-employed never mind opening a therapy centre. As the saying goes, never say never.

For many years I wanted to learn Indian Head Massage. I was a little naive to think it was just about the massage techniques when it is much more than that as you must learn the anatomy, physiology, Ayurveda, Chakra systems and so much more. Having started to train in Indian Head Massage there was no stopping me, I wanted to learn so much more about Ayurveda.

Seeing the positive results with clients on their mental and physical health, I just knew that having my own business was the way to go.

When starting your business did you face any challenges?

I worked full-time shift work, so it was hard to have a regular time for clients. I used to rent a room on a Saturday but that meant every other week I had to massage with no sleep. I packed my full-time job in, in December 2017, not really knowing which direction to turn to. In February 2018, three years since my first course, Basement 55 Therapies arrived.

What sets you apart from other Holistic Therapists on the Wirral?

I am highly trained in Ayurveda Massage and the first person, in a therapy centre setting, to offer Dien Chan Zone and Ayurvedic Yoga Massage. I care enough about my work to give up a regular income to follow my dream.

Did you face any difficulties establishing an online presence when you started Basement 55 Therapies?

Time, there isn’t a lot of it when you think about what we must pack in to each day. Regular postings on Facebook and Instagram take time. Then the content for the website and blogs too. Creating a brand online is slow, you just have to persevere.

Where do you see your business in the future?

I can see Basement 55 Therapies being a place to go for well-being, from young to older. There will be announcements on social media, so please look out for them.

Do you have any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs to grow their business online?

Seek expert advice. Be consistent and never give up.

Check out Basement 55 Therapies’ services at www.basement55therapies.co.uk and follow them on social media: Facebook | Twitter

If you run a business and want to be featured on My Digital Wirral drop us a line here.

The post Featured Wirral Business: Basement 55 Therapies appeared first on My Digital Wirral.

What inspired your business venture?

My business, Owen Drew Luxury Candles, was inspired by my lack of satisfaction with the offering from high street brands of candles. I hated that they were so dirty, owing to the fact they are produced from paraffin based petroleum wax. I also hated how poorly they burned and the disappointing scent throw, so I set about making my own candles from entirely natural soy wax and scenting them generously with essential oils. The difference was huge and soon after I started selling them, the demand blew me away.

Did you experience any difficulties or challenges whilst starting up your business?

I was working full time when I started the business so it was hard work. I also struggled with people not taking me seriously – mainly family and some colleagues. I think often when you do something brave, some people will you to fail. I had so many people asking me with disbelief how I could possibly compete in such a crowded market place but this made me all the more determined to succeed!

What does the New Year have in store for Owen Drew Candles?

We have lots of exciting plans including our new Romeo & Juliet Inspired Valentines Collection, featuring a candle spiked with Deadly Nightshade. We will also be releasing bath and body products as well as our first signature perfume.

What sets your candles apart from other well-established candle brands?

What sets us apart is that our candles are not mass produced. They are made with love and care in small batches. We also use only natural products meaning they are a lot more expensive to produce but the quality is clear to see.

Did you face any difficulties when you first launched your website?

Yes, template websites are good to a point but as your business grows, they can be very limited.

Do you have any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs to grow their business online?

My advice would be not to pay for traditional advertising (magazines, radio, newspapers) but instead invest in sponsored advertising on social media.

Check out the Owen Drew Candles store at www.owendrewcandles.com or follow them on social media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

If you run a business and want to be featured on My Digital Wirral drop us a line here.

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However, there’s plenty other uses for the gadget – they aren’t simply a novelty to pull out when there’s an opportunity for a cool picture.

One person who knows all about their capabilities from a business perspective is Sam Barnes, director of Wirral-based company Drone Factor. Along with business partner Amy Jane Marshall, they use drones to help those who require their aerial surveying services.

We caught up with Sam to discuss what they do, how to get your hands on a qualified to fly a drone, and their upcoming workshop in partnership with the Royal Photographic Society (RPS).

Phil: Hi Sam, thanks for agreeing to talk with us. To begin with, could you summarise what it is you do as a company?

Sam: We take the expense away from others to provide drone services. Say for example that you’re a quantity surveyor. If you want a map or a nice photograph of the place you’ve designed, or an aerial shot, that you want to use for commercial purposes. If you want to do it in house, then you’re looking at least £6000 just to get that photograph. By the time you’ve done your licencing, insurance, bought the drone itself – plus the other stuff that comes into it – the costs are that much.

We can provide mapping, inspections, cinematics and photography and it’s going to be cheaper for the number of times you’d use us than doing it yourself.

Phil: So what drove you to start the business? I believe you have an interest in electronics and a background in graphic design.

Sam: Well, it was my background in graphic design that lead to motion graphics, which then lead to video and video production. When I lived in Canada I worked at a recording studio where I made a number of music videos. That was the first time I came into contact with and used a drone, as it happened to crossover with some architectural visualisation I was doing. It’s funny that a few years later I’m doing the same thing but under my own steam.

From Amy’s point of view, it was an interest in remote controlled stuff from a young age. I mean I had a remote control car as a child, but Amy had seven or ten! It was a different ball game for her.

There was also the drive to work for ourselves. We knew we were capable because we were driven enough and organised enough to be able to hold it down to call ourselves business people. For example, Amy’s at home doing stuff right now, and I’m here doing this interview. I’ve spent the morning having meetings with other people as well, so we manage our time and in theory are in two places at once.

Phil: What are your aims as a business?

Sam: I don’t want to talk in terms of turnover but I think what we really aim to do is to have a nice solid base of clients who are using us to expedite their objectives. Take the architect who’s working on a new project. It’s day two and he’s already done a site visit and thinks “well I can send a drone up from the north east and another photo from the south west” he’ll then pick up the phone, we go and do the photos and he gets on with his project, it enhances the entire workflow for him.

Doing that type of thing on a repeat basis is ultimately our goal.

We want to be a “go to” for mapping, inspections, (building) site updates etc. That’s where we’re aiming because that’s the kind of work we enjoy.

Phil: You’ve recently announced that you’re partnering with the Royal Photographic Society for a two day aerial workshop over the August bank holiday weekend. Could you tell us a little bit about that?

Sam: We were approached by the Royal Photographic Society following one of our images being printed as the front page on The Lake magazine. We decided it would be worthwhile taking the opportunity to promote safe drone use in the hobbyist community, in particular to create an informative and interactive workshop for those who could be caught out by the UK drone laws whilst in pursuit of a unique image.

We hope the course is well received, and we aim to put more courses on in 2019 across the UK. For this pilot course, we are at two exclusive sites: Thurstaston Country Park and a secret location in Ellesmere Port, where attendees will be able to capture images no one else has — or will — be able to, unless they are on the workshop.

Phil: The image on the front of The Lake Magazine was because you covered the Wirral Kayak challenge wasn’t it? Could you tell us a little bit about how you got involved in that?

Sam: Yes, that’s right. Well, we went to the big fireworks display at New Brighton last year and it was phenomenal. But it was tainted for us because we saw no less than five drones flying in the night with no additional lights above the crowd of thousands of people and they were taking off and landing in the middle of it.

We know obviously that the law says one thing and they were doing the complete opposite. We didn’t want to see that happen with the Wirral Kayak Challenge. We covered that event in a legal way going through Wirral Country Parks, Natural England, the Environment Agency and then Wirral Borough Council, as well as talking to Air Traffic Control. That’s five major authorities we had to get in touch with and get permission from to be able to carry it out.

Phil: By covering the Wirral Kayak Challenge did you feel that you had set a standard of what’s expected of drone services?

Sam: It’s about reassuring people. It’s vaguely a public service announcement that this is what should be going on.

Everyone involved in the Wirral Kayak Challenge signed to say, “I’m happy to have the drone fly within 50 metres” so we could get fairly close.

With the bigger events, I can’t notify everybody and frankly, some people might not want it anyway so I always keep my distance.

Phil: How did covering the Wirral Kayak Challenge go?

Sam: Covering the Kayak Challenge was amazing fun, flying from the safety boat and having the opportunity to obtain rarely seen angles of the Wirral Peninsula from the air – on such a wonderfully beautiful day too – was something not easily forgotten.

Despite a brief engine issue first thing in the morning as we made our way up the Mersey, the day went off without a hitch. The main challenge really was taking off and landing from a small boat – the skipper was brilliant and really helped keep things steady for the take offs and landings!

Phil: What does it take to become a talented drone pilot?

Sam: Well to begin with, you need really good spatial awareness. You need to be able to predict motion. I’ve had the drone flying at 60 MPH in a 25 MPH wind, going downwind. I knew it was going to take me nearly 100 metres to comfortably stop it and then start bringing it back, whereas normally it would probably stop within about 10 (metres). It’s that side of things you need to be comfortable with.

The big drone I have here, I wouldn’t put that in the hands of anybody who hasn’t flown before. I would say you need to be very competent before flying one of these. It’s very complicated because it does a lot of stuff itself. People can blame the drone but in actual fact it’s their control, they’re not thinking it through.

So you need to have a level of confidence, you’ve got to be able to react quickly and not just panic.

Then there’s your training. There’s a number of ways to do it, you can go an NQE (Nationally Qualified Entity). You do a flight test and a theory test. After that point, once you have your theory and your flight certificates, you can then create either yourself or using a template, your own Operations Manual.

An operations manual can take at least three months to come back from the CAA. So you can go do a course but you wouldn’t be able to fly commercially until a couple of months down the line. It’s not just bang there you go, and unfortunately loads of people go on to the course thinking that that’s the case.

Then there’s the insurance, which you can only get if you have your PfCO (Permission for Commercial Operations) which is specifically for drones. We use ad hoc insurance at the moment, so if I have a roof inspection, I can say, “I’m here, here’s my 500 metre circle” and I’m insured for flying in that area.

For every single flight you do, you also have to do a full on flight plan.

The last one I did, involved approximately two hours of flying doing various things. One part of it is mapping, the other is close detail photography for an inspection for maintenance purposes. It’s probably taken longer to build the flight plan than it will to actually execute. I think it’s about an 8 to 10 page document.

For every commercial flight, you’ve got to have all of your insurance documents available, not literally on you but you can have them on your phone/email. I’ve got to make sure I’ve notified the right authorities such as Wirral Country Parks or basically anyone within a distance that I feel needs notification. Anyone who is within 50 metres I will definitely notify.

Phil: What’s the most interesting or enjoyable place you’ve surveyed or done cinematic work for?

Sam: It’d have to be Ness Gardens for the 70^th anniversary of Gardeners Question Time. Several years ago, I actually did the photography on the ground, way before I got into drones.

This time we got to meet the whole panel. We were working with Something Else Productions, which is by extension the BBC. It was a really fun day, including the flight planning side of it and figuring out the different spots to cover different parts of the event. I think that was my favourite to date.

Interested in learning more about Drone Factor? You can sign up to their aerial photography workshop taking place on August 25 and 26 here. For anything else, you can catch them on their website or over on Facebook or Twitter.

The post Drone Factor talk aerial workshops, drone logistics and Wirral Kayak Challenge appeared first on My Digital Wirral.