Well the results are in and I’ve actually won something for about the first time ever!
I’m obviously very pleased especially for my Mam, Dad, Girlfriend and beautiful, 9 month old daughter Olivia!
I’m told we did very well on the voting, so thank you to everyone who voted. I used a fair bit of free time to gather the votes. Everyone in Hartlepool and beyond knows about the challenge now, and how big it is, because I’ve DRONED on about votes for 4 weeks!
It was tough because the family is quite small but I’ve tried everything I could in my spare time. I even went to a charity function on bank holiday Sunday and stood up and asked everyone to text vote. There where about 300 people at the event, but as everyone was about to send someone shouted, ‘it’s a FIVER to text’
I couldn’t believe it as everyone was on their feet ready to press ‘send’. In the end about 20-30 did. Thanks to those who did text vote and it wasn’t a ‘fiver’. Is was £ 7.50!
I tried getting votes from as many continents and countries as I could and think I managed all the continents and about 20 different countries. I’m not sure I’ll ever find out exactly. I also tried to get someone famous???
The If We Can You Can Team noted that Christine and Paula from Restoration & Beyond (the competitor!) and myself both voted for each other! I’m pleased they noted this as we are rather proud to live in Hartlepool and wanted to represent out great town, as best as possible. I think we did that….
I wish Christine and Paula all the best in the future. Look forward to seeing you soon
I have some advice now. As soon as you see next years competition – ENTER IT. Now I have come through it (although it still goes on) I understand just how big and important it is. It exercises some very good skills from pitching, writing, speaking to the camera, IT – writing on blogs and photographic opportunities. I’ve had great coverage of our product for no cost…
Along the way everyone will meet some famous names, talk to influential people and see how, in my view, to organise event as grand as the Entrepreneurs Forum does.
I wish I could demonstrate how good the Entrepreneurs Form has been but my skills in writing could not do it justice
Thank you all
Ray
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Cactus Products Limited
Where did the Cactus come from?
Three years ago I took ownership of my first home. The house I chose bordered a public footpath that links the local park
I was quite concerned about this footpath and was my only issue with the house
Soon after buying the house I saw a publication in the Hartlepool Mail about using prickly plants to defend against intruders. A schedule of dates where the public could gain information about prickly plants where listed. It was hosted by Hartlepool Crime Prevention
After visiting the event I gained some knowledge of what the plants could do for the property but the down side was:
Cost £ 300
Take 2-3 days to plant
Plant inside my property and not outside – planned to start family!
3-5 years growth required to give desired protection
From here I spoke to some relatives about my concerns and they told me to put up carpet grippers. This was not a consideration as would not want to cause serious injury and they look terrible
I thought some more about the problem and as I owned a injection moulding company I came up with a plastic spiky strip the would give human intruders, cats and birds something to think about
Why did it take three years to develop?
At the time of the Cactus idea the moulding company I owed, Solutions-Injection Moulding Ltd was still in phase one of start up. We where reporting high sales but it was hard work keeping on top of the production side. Coupled with a new home with no lawn, floor coverings, curtain and blinds I was rather busy!
The Cactus came alive six months ago with the economic down turn ‘Credit Crunch’. Rather than sit and do nothing when sales where down 80% and customers decided not to pay invoices I decided it was time to motivate myself and stimulate some activity by coming up with our own product.
My Uncle Brian had told me previously that he’d ‘invested in the last recession and it got him through……’
Where is the Cactus now?
Now in production, and we have the capability to manufacture 4,000 Strips per day in any colour
Sales so far are over 14,000 strips
Stocked in ten local shops. Middlesbrough – Seaham. Available on Ebay and have reported sales every day since first listing.
Great response from everyone approached and feedback of, ‘it’s the cheapest, legal, easy to fit device that has been seen…’
Achieved grant funding to produce a dedicated on-line web-site with buy now facility and have already made investment in conventional marketing tools to aid bulk sales
Three years ago I took ownership of my first home. The house I chose bordered a public footpath that links the local park
I was quite concerned about this footpath and was my only issue with the house
Soon after buying the house I saw a publication in the Hartlepool Mail about using prickly plants to defend against intruders. A schedule of dates where the public could gain information about prickly plants where listed. It was hosted by Hartlepool Crime Prevention
After visiting the event I gained some knowledge of what the plants could do for the property but the down side was:
Cost £ 300
Take 2-3 days to plant
Plant inside my property and not outside – planned to start family!
3-5 years growth required to give desired protection
From here I spoke to some relatives about my concerns and they told me to put up carpet grippers. This was not a consideration as would not want to cause serious injury and they look terrible
I thought some more about the problem and as I owned a injection moulding company I came up with a plastic spiky strip the would give human intruders, cats and birds something to think about
Why did it take three years to develop?
At the time of the Cactus idea the moulding company I owed, Solutions-Injection Moulding Ltd was still in phase one of start up. We where reporting high sales but it was hard work keeping on top of the production side. Coupled with a new home with no lawn, floor coverings, curtain and blinds I was rather busy!
The Cactus came alive six months ago with the economic down turn ‘Credit Crunch’. Rather than sit and do nothing when sales where down 80% and customers decided not to pay invoices I decided it was time to motivate myself and stimulate some activity by coming up with our own product.
My Uncle Brian had told me previously that he’d ‘invested in the last recession and it got him through……’
Where is the Cactus now?
Now in production, and we have the capability to manufacture 4,000 Strips per day in any colour
Sales so far are over 14,000 strips
Stocked in ten local shops. Middlesbrough – Seaham. Available on Ebay and have reported sales every day since first listing.
Great response from everyone approached and feedback of, ‘it’s the cheapest, legal, easy to fit device that has been seen…’
Achieved grant funding to produce a dedicated on-line web-site with buy now facility and have already made investment in conventional marketing tools to aid bulk sales
Friday, 5 June 2009
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Leaving Stadium Plastics
At the end of 2000 I was offered an opportunity to join a company called Omega Plastics in Gateshead. Omega where the market leader in the manufacture of Rapid Cut Tooling, due to their technology, and the way they worked
I was tired of Stadium at this point and it was time for a new challenge, and a little more pay! It was also an opportunity to hook up with a few guys I knew. Paul McMorris, Richard Peacock who where ex-Stadium and Scott Newbegin who was a friend.
Omega was formed from a DTI led visit to Detroit, USA. Many businesses went over to the States and one of them, the Express Group, spotted an opportunity to do a joint venture with Omega USA
Omega had a market niche, great operating principals and employed the best people they could find in their field – I was just lucky! Express Group had a sales formula for success in the UK engineering and Omega grew in a few years from first order to about £ 2 Million turnover.
When I joined it was growing rapidly but it needed someone of my background commercially to bring some consistency to the way they worked. I would say it worked and in 2 years I think we grew the business to about £ 4M
Omega empowered their employees to make decisions and had confidence in our ability. Myself, Rich and Scott would leave home at 5.45am and normally not get home till 7.30pm as we loved the job and travelling together (we spent a few bob at Easington Services, they must miss us)
Some nights we’d work late brokering deals with Omega USA who where 5 hours behind us and have to either sleep on the floor, at work or book a hotel – it used to be fight for the single bed as we’d booked one room for TWO and the other ONE would climb in through the window.
Omega’s success was incredible in my view; they just nailed every part of the business from incoming enquiry to delivery of the product. It had a wonderful image and environment to work, hence the employees gave everything – it was the best decision I ever made, going to work there
Once the business got to £ 4M mark things changed and a plan was put in place to add other companies to Omega and offer a complete turnkey package from design to mass production (Omega was more prototyping) this was a huge mistake on their part and I feel it driven by greed.
There where ten of us who new it wasn’t to work but we could not prevent the Americans being bought out and this new company evolving.
Right from day one it was an expensive nightmare for the investors. The culture of all the separate business’s who joined us where completely different, there where more Directors and Managers than employees. Our right to make decisions where taken away and sales and profits tumbled.
To cut a long story short I left, walked out as I wasn’t willing to put my reputation on the line. I think something like 30 left in the next few months. The company went under a couple of times over the next few years, but for me I was just glad to be out of it – it was the second best decision I ever made, leaving
I had no plan of what I was going to do. I sat in a meeting on the Friday and told the directors of the company what I thought of them and never returned again. I had the job held open for me and they paid me for 3 months, but I would not return.
Within a few days of leaving my Grandmother died, a cousin got married and decided when talking to family to go away for a while. I floated around the Caribbean and USA for a couple of months and came home. I had a call to back to Stadium for double the money I’d left for 3 years earlier but declined.
I decided I would set up my own company manufacturing small injection mouldings and teamed up with now called Kannect Precision Services. My business, which I’m still running is called Solutions-Injection Moulding and is based in Hartlepool.
In the six years of trading we have won ‘Hartlepool’s, Best New Business’ developed over 200 new products for our customers and manufactured over 30 Million components. We’ve achieved ZERO defects status, had no customer complaints and 100% on-time delivery.
I was tired of Stadium at this point and it was time for a new challenge, and a little more pay! It was also an opportunity to hook up with a few guys I knew. Paul McMorris, Richard Peacock who where ex-Stadium and Scott Newbegin who was a friend.
Omega was formed from a DTI led visit to Detroit, USA. Many businesses went over to the States and one of them, the Express Group, spotted an opportunity to do a joint venture with Omega USA
Omega had a market niche, great operating principals and employed the best people they could find in their field – I was just lucky! Express Group had a sales formula for success in the UK engineering and Omega grew in a few years from first order to about £ 2 Million turnover.
When I joined it was growing rapidly but it needed someone of my background commercially to bring some consistency to the way they worked. I would say it worked and in 2 years I think we grew the business to about £ 4M
Omega empowered their employees to make decisions and had confidence in our ability. Myself, Rich and Scott would leave home at 5.45am and normally not get home till 7.30pm as we loved the job and travelling together (we spent a few bob at Easington Services, they must miss us)
Some nights we’d work late brokering deals with Omega USA who where 5 hours behind us and have to either sleep on the floor, at work or book a hotel – it used to be fight for the single bed as we’d booked one room for TWO and the other ONE would climb in through the window.
Omega’s success was incredible in my view; they just nailed every part of the business from incoming enquiry to delivery of the product. It had a wonderful image and environment to work, hence the employees gave everything – it was the best decision I ever made, going to work there
Once the business got to £ 4M mark things changed and a plan was put in place to add other companies to Omega and offer a complete turnkey package from design to mass production (Omega was more prototyping) this was a huge mistake on their part and I feel it driven by greed.
There where ten of us who new it wasn’t to work but we could not prevent the Americans being bought out and this new company evolving.
Right from day one it was an expensive nightmare for the investors. The culture of all the separate business’s who joined us where completely different, there where more Directors and Managers than employees. Our right to make decisions where taken away and sales and profits tumbled.
To cut a long story short I left, walked out as I wasn’t willing to put my reputation on the line. I think something like 30 left in the next few months. The company went under a couple of times over the next few years, but for me I was just glad to be out of it – it was the second best decision I ever made, leaving
I had no plan of what I was going to do. I sat in a meeting on the Friday and told the directors of the company what I thought of them and never returned again. I had the job held open for me and they paid me for 3 months, but I would not return.
Within a few days of leaving my Grandmother died, a cousin got married and decided when talking to family to go away for a while. I floated around the Caribbean and USA for a couple of months and came home. I had a call to back to Stadium for double the money I’d left for 3 years earlier but declined.
I decided I would set up my own company manufacturing small injection mouldings and teamed up with now called Kannect Precision Services. My business, which I’m still running is called Solutions-Injection Moulding and is based in Hartlepool.
In the six years of trading we have won ‘Hartlepool’s, Best New Business’ developed over 200 new products for our customers and manufactured over 30 Million components. We’ve achieved ZERO defects status, had no customer complaints and 100% on-time delivery.
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