FEATURE: BUSINESS WITH A DIFFERENCE
Local business and marketing expert Ian Sanders continues his theme of optimism in a column about the vibrant spirit of enterprise in Southend.
When you hear talk of ‘business’ or ‘enterprise’ you might think of big companies, smart suits and The Apprentice TV show. But forget all that; I’m interested in the real life stories of ordinary people who are turning their talents into a business, those with the guts and determination to take an idea and make it happen. I think we have that real entrepreneurial spirit locally, whether it’s ‘Arthur Daley’ type characters looking to do ‘a deal’ or people looking to cash in on their talents.
There are a lot of success stories here on our doorstep in Southend and I’m not talking about big corporations, but small independent shops and businesses. Places like Southend’s Utopia Coffee Shop, which is open twelve hours a day serving coffee roasted on the premises. It’s the best espresso in town in a competitive High Street full of chains. Talking to the people that run it and work in it, it’s obvious how passionate they are about making it a success and how hard they work. And it’s not just Utopia – we’re fortunate in having a great selection of independent coffee shops, cafes and delis locally. Like any good business, each is united by hands-on
management, great service, passion and hard work.
Those cafes are joined by rows of independent shops – bakers, fishmongers, butchers, greengrocers, health food stores, clothes shops and bookshops. These are all small businesses often run by their owners, many of them competing with supermarkets and chains. It’s not easy. So it’s essential we support these neighbourhood shops otherwise our town will be full of (even more) boarded up shops.
Southend is also home to businesses selling creative talent: graphic designers, web agencies, iPhone app developers, photographers, film-makers, editors. There’s stacks of people locally running their small businesses from home, whether making kids clothes or baking cakes. Personally I find the area great for devising and incubating ideas; the fresh air (literally and metaphorically) and proximity to London provides the best of both worlds for entrepreneurs.
We’ve also got some innovative companies locally. There’s a new businesses Gibli.com run by local entrepreneur Charles Joynson who’s launched a website enabling companies to buy and sell knowledge online. You wouldn’t know a lot of these business existed. Just like Excalibur Screwbolts, whose home is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it industrial estate in Hockley. Excalibur produce bolts for many of the biggest construction projects around the world and last year were awarded a Queens Award for Enterprise for Innovation. This week I bumped into a guy in the queue at the post office who exports hand-made electronic devices to customers all around the world. In their own way, all these businesses are putting Southend on the map.
Understandably we hear a lot of grumbles locally about how bad things are in the economy. Yes, it’s a tough climate for launching a new business but with a good idea, hard graft and talent our Southend businesses are proving the naysayers that there’s still room for success.
Ian Sanders helps businesses stand out from the crowd to stay competitive and effective. He revels in soaking up and spreading new ideas, applying disruptive thinking to business and the workplace. He’s author of ‘Leap! Ditch Your Job, Start Your Own Business & Set Yourself Free’, ‘Juggle! Rethink Work, Reclaim Your Life’ and a free e-book ‘How To Unplan Your Business’. He also writes a regular column on business and management for BNET.com, the US website. When he’s not meeting clients in London you’ll find him in a local coffee shop, allegedly ‘working’, getting inspiration from his latest idea over an obligatory espresso.
Note: Pictures supplied by Dave Shields
