what’s on: business & legal
what’s on: business & legal
spotlight on:
leah hutcheon
We speak to Edinburgh entrepreneur, Leah Hutcheon about her decision
to start the online booking business, Appointedd. We find out about her
television appearance and ask her for advice on striking out alone.
How long have you lived
in Edinburgh and what
brought you here?
Tell me more about your
business,
appointedd.com
I moved here in 2000 for
university and fell in love with
the city pretty quickly. I met
my husband while at uni and so
it seemed natural to stay here
once we both graduated.
Appointedd is all about getting
small businesses the same
level of support that larger
businesses do. We have
some
fantastic
business
management software that
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enables service businesses
such as hairdressers, plumbers,
physiotherapists etc to take
bookings online and manage
their whole business in one
easy-to-use dashboard. I
used to be a magazine editor
and I was startled by the
disconnection between small
businesses and their target
market - the businesses often
have few ways to attract new
customers and, as a consumer,
I was frustrated by the way I
couldn’t make an appointment
with service providers out of
hours. Appointedd connects
businesses with consumers to
make everyone’s lives easier!
What do you love most
about your job?
No two days are the same. At
the moment the company is
comprised of myself and my
fabulous developer, Billy, and
so we both have to turn our
hands to so many different
things throughout the day.
We are currently raising
investment and that in itself
is a full time job.
What has been your
career highlight so far?
I’ve been so lucky in my
career and have had so many
highlights even in the last
year (winning £30k from
the Scottish EDGE Awards
is definitely up there), but I
have to say I probably get
the most joy from the
feedback we get from our
customers. It’s so great
hearing the positive impact
our system has on the lives
of small business owners.
One told us that Appointedd
saves a full day of work for
her because she can now
automate all her marketing
through our system - that just
makes me so proud!
You appeared on the
BBC’s The Entrepreneurs.
What did you learn from
this experience?
It was such a fantastic
experience. The team behind
the documentary were so
nice that you kind of forgot
they had the cameras rolling.
I think that made the show
because we were at ease and
brutally honest about the
ups and downs of starting
your own business. It’s such
a rollercoaster, but it’s great
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