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 20 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 • • • • 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.