NEW YEAR , NEW HOPE
AN ALTERNATIVE TAKE ON BUSINESS IN 2020
By Fiona Scott
This year brought an event which none of us could have predicted and its impact has been so great for all of us , personally and professionally . It will be some time before the business community truly gets back on its feet . Here at The Business Exchange we will be with you all the way .
The news from 2020 was not all bleak . Some businesses have thrived by sheer luck that their product or service met needs in an unprecedented time . Some have ‘ pivoted ’ to |
provide their service or product in a different way and have survived by doing so – and some have changed what they do and how they do it dramatically . New businesses have |
been started and entrepreneurs have used adversity to be innovative . If nothing else this period of time has demonstrated the ingenuity , resilience , compassion and agility |
of the SME sector as never seen before .
Here are five different and positive stories to lighten the shade cast by the 2020 global pandemic .
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Tracy Richards at Aqueos Care |
For more info : www . aqueos . co . uk |
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Tracy , who lives with her family in Pewsey , set up her pet care company ten years ago offering dog and horse hygiene products . She had previously been managing director of a clothes wholesaler and was looking for a new challenge . Tracy has always loved animals particularly horses having ridden since a young age and having her own horses from her teenage years .
Tracy explained ,“ I ’ d been given some samples to try from a colleague on a product for the human dental market and it made me think that I could create the same sort
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of product for horses and dogs . I went on to undertake a year ’ s research and development to create a range of hygiene products which are environmentally friendly yet with active ingredients to tackle nasties such as Parvo Virus , Strangles and Ringworm .
“ Aqueos has always been an organically growing business . It ’ s had a steady turnover for several years and then lockdown came . As things progressed I realised I could create more larger sized bottles all made in the UK . Our products are alcohol and bleach free and sustainable yet have active ingredients which
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kill Covid-19 . Suddenly orders increased dramatically .”
As a consequence of the need for sanitiser products and Tracy ’ s strong supply chain the company ’ s turnover has increased by 100 per cent . This extra activity has deepened Tracy ’ s relationship with fellow Wiltshire businesswoman Claire Brewerton of the Virtual Business Centre . Claire and her team have been handling the increased volume of calls and orders .
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Jon Monie , Actor , Comic Writer and TV Presenter
For more info : www . jonmonie . co . uk
Jon who lives near Trowbridge , is well known across the South West as a TV presenter and a regular member of the pantomime cast at Bath ’ s Theatre Royal . During lockdown his livelihood dried up totally .
“ As time went by it became clear that the pantomimes would probably not go ahead this year . Pantomimes are an expensive undertaking with a large cast and to cover the costs and make a profit about 80 per cent of seats need to be sold . That was not going to be possible with social distancing . Some funding has been released by Government to help with putting on pantomimes however the reach is limited . Many smaller theatres have gone for alternative , cheaper productions . Jon decided to do something about it .
“ Over the summer when it was hot and I found it hard to sleep , I decided to write a one-act pantomime . This would keep the panto season alive , be based on the true spirit of pantomime , and a one act show means it could run three times a day which makes it more financially viable under the Covid-19 social distancing rules . As the project evolved , I realised it could also have a life beyond Covid-19 . I ’ m thrilled with it .”
Pantomonium ! is a one-act festival of pantomime involving a handful of traditional characters including Fairy Tales ( the fairy ), KillJoy ( the villain ), Prince Charmless , The Unknown Village Girl from the Village Ensemble , the comic character Billy Topps and the Dame , Tilly Topps .
“ I wanted it to scream and shout ‘ pantomime ’ embracing all the stereotypes and referencing some of the most iconic productions we all love . It involves just four actors playing six parts . In my story the unknown village girl is central , moving away from the often weaker female characters and also the Prince is a bit of an idiot .”
Bath ’ s Theatre Royal was unable to stage the production as it could not secure insurance for the play and was not in a position to underwrite the production itself . However Blackpool Grand Theatre has embraced Jon ’ s script and is staging the first ever production through Jon ’ s collaborative producer in panto Martin Dodd of UK Productions .
Jon added ,“ I ’ m thrilled that the show is going to be shown to audiences in and around Blackpool and for me personally , I hope to earn some income from it too now and in the future . This has been a creative outlet for me during this very difficult time for many working in the arts .”
Jon ’ s comic writing has won him recognition across the UK and in 2019 he won the award for Best Script in the Great British Pantomime Awards for Beauty & The Beast . Pandomonium ! opens on 18th December ( all being well ).
David Speight & Bob Bradley of Scaled
For more info : www . scal3d . com / category / project-chameleon
The engineers behind tech company Scaled , David Speight and Bob Bradley , have used lockdown to get Europe ’ s first 3D printed electric vehicle ready for trials .
Based in Swindon , the pair have used their large-scale 3D printing technology platform to create the Chameleon : a fully-functioning prototype electric vehicle for a single passenger . The story of their innovation is set to go global . The pair believe over time such a vehicle , which can be customised , offers a sustainable and affordable alternative for certain types of transport .
Bob said , “ Our prototype can achieve speeds of up to 45 mph and we have also used high-strength recycled plastic which is an additional environmental benefit
8 www . tbeswindonandwilts . co . uk to the electric vehicle aspect . In theory it should be possible to manufacture ecological light vehicles from materials that are currently dealt with as waste .” The Chameleon has the potential to appeal to :
• The person who doesn ’ t need to drive long distances .
• The person who lives alone or who has access to another vehicle for family use .
• The person who needs to use a company vehicle for short journeys during working hours .
• Security firms who need to patrol in a defined area or around a defined site .
• Travel hubs requiring short distance passenger transport eg airports or railway stations .
• Staff who need to move between multiple buildings across a large site .
David said ,“ The use of recycled plastic , which is strong , helps the circular economy because it means plastics can be recycled and used to create a long-lasting vehicle .”
The vehicle was created on the team ’ s Chameleon Platform which is a manufacturing cell , including robotics . Scaled was set up five years ago as a tech start-up to give the UK market access to large scale 3D printing .