The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 40: Dec/Jan 2018/19 | Page 20
START-UP SEPTEMBER WINNER ARMA-MI
In September to celebrate five years of The Business Exchange, we gave
back with our Start-up September competition. Designed to support a
new business in Wiltshire, the prize offered £5,000 worth of advertising
and PR support to a local start-up.
to resolve them.” Arma-Mi offers several
ranges from funky colourful designs in its
Rave and Ecentrix ranges, to smart, stylish,
classic rucksacks, perfect for commuters
or to be used by employees to enhance a
corporate image.
Mila was just 17 when she started her
entrepreneurial journey and 2018 has been
a landmark year, establishing her brand and
making those first sales. Mila added:“The
brand name Arma-Mi comes from a little
mammal called an Armadillo (first 4 letters)
– which is the shape of the rucksack and the
‘Mi’ (first two letters) of my name. All of our
bags come with our trademark armadillo
logo.”
Arma-Mi got noticed earlier this year
by Dragons’ Den’s Theo Paphitis. Mila
entered his Twitter competition #SBS (Small
Business Sunday) and he chose to retweet
Arma-Mi to his thousands of followers.“I was
ecstatic and hooked on Twitter that evening
Small Business Workshops in Swindon
businesswest.co.uk/SWGrowth
01275 376 226
[email protected]
The SME Growth Project supports small, start-up and high-growth businesses in Swindon and Wiltshire.
Funded by
In partnership with
watching the numbers of retweets and
interactions go up.”
2019 is set to be a great year for Mila and
her brand as she works on new designs and
launches her Classic range to the corporate
market. Businesses can personalise their
Arma-Mi rucksacks with their brand logo or
slogan with a minimum order of ten bags.
Arma-Mi is proud to be entirely designed
and manufactured in the UK with the
rucksacks being made just up the road in
Frome.
Mila’s ambition is to be stocked in
high-end retailers on the high street and
online and is set to further develop her
relationships with stockists next year. “One
of the great USPs business people will like
is the bags are loaded with USB charging
ports. Perfect for people on the go.”
@ArmaMi01
SERIES OF £10 WORKSHOPS
FOR SWINDON & WILTSHIRE
BUSINESSES
Good news for local business owners:
a series of popular low-cost business
workshops will be back in 2019.
The workshops teach essential
business and marketing skills to would-
be entrepreneurs and business owners in
Swindon and Wiltshire.
Delivered as part of the Swindon and
Wiltshire Growth Programme, the £10
workshops will take place at Park House in
Swindon every month.
Each workshop has been designed to
ensure business owners leave with the skills
and knowledge to successfully grow and
develop their business. Local entrepeneur
and founder of Silver Swift Drinks, Rose
Unwin, attended several of the workshops
in 2018:
“So far, I’ve attended Marketing Made
Easy, Social Media Made Easy and Finance &
Business Planning and the workshops have
been absolutely fantastic. I was so impressed
by the quality of the facilitator and the
content. I’ve learned copious amounts and
would recommend them to every Wiltshire
business.”
The workshops running in 2019 are:
• Marketing Made Easy
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THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2018
“The idea came to me
in class one day”
The well-deserved winner was 19-year-old
Mila Stanzani from Trowbridge, founder of
rucksack business Arma-Mi.
Whilst still at school Mila designed her
rucksack with a difference. Mila said:“The
idea came to me in class one day. When
unzipping my loaded rucksack, to get just
one thing out, the bag just flopped open
leaving me embarrassed with my lunch,
stationery and sweets everywhere. I thought
there must be a better way of designing this
and set to work.
“The difference with my design is that
the opening of the bag is rigid and holds its
shape, so even when the bag is crammed
and you’re looking for that one paperclip at
the bottom, nothing falls out. The solution
which offers a concertina front panel, not
only stops spillage, but gives a clear view
into the rucksack due to its large opening.
Prototyping flagged up all kinds of issues,
but my ‘out of the box thinking’ allowed me
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•
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Using Social Media in your Business
Marketing your Website
How to Grow your Business with LinkedIn
Business Planning and Finance for
Business
Business owners can attend all of the
workshops without being on the Swindon
and Wiltshire Growth programme, but
registering is beneficial as it provides
access to more tailored support from an
experienced adviser.
“From providing you with the skills to
market your business and create robust
financial plans, applying for a start-up
loan, or accessing tailored business advice,
working closely with growth advisers will give
your business a head start in a competitive
market.” – Tara Gillam, Business West
Ready to develop your business skills?
Head to www.businesswest.co.uk/
SWGrowth and book onto a workshop to get
started.
The programme is part-funded by the
European Commission (ERDF), Wiltshire
Council and Swindon Borough Council,
and is designed to enhance business
performance.