Pitching To Win! - The Pitch 2014 Competition

Just this week I found out that I had made the quarter final of The Pitch 2014. This is fantastic news, I did enter the competition last year, however I was naive in my entry and quite frankly it was too soon for me to have all the information or have learned enough information about my product, business and customers and so this year twelve months down the line, and more focused I decided to enter again.

Founded in 2008 it is Britain's biggest small business competition. The first part of the competition short-lists 100 businesses who are then invited to attend a boot camp where they will  receive coaching and mentoring to hone their pitching skills.
Alongside this, every short listed entrant receives a personalised 'Profile Pitch Page', which you can use to attract voters to vote for your business.This is a Digital Marketing Award run within the second stage of the competition and will be decided later on in the year at The Pitch Final.

Here is our link to that page I would love your support!

http://www.thepitchuk.com/shortlist/kease-keyring/360

This will come on the back of my trip to Oxford Summer School in August, the prize I have been awarded
by The Retail Factor Competition. I am so excited to be attending this wonderful course which is a management development course designed specifically for retail. (You can find them on Twitter @OSSretail )

I look forward to blogging all about the experience which has been given to me by The fantastic Mall Corporation who promote and inspire new business in the UK through their yearly competition, and a big thank you to Lorraine Jones the Manager at Blackburn Mall, Sara Jones the National Operations Manager all the people who work there (including all the Vicky's!) for their help and support during and after The Competition and Paula Holden at www.icgonline.co.uk for help with the press release.
Here is the Link for The Mall's Corporation Company Website:
http://www.themall.co.uk/business/about/our-people/

It has been a fantastic first year in my business journey I have learned and continue to learn lots of new skills and have met some great people from all different aspects of business from designers, manufacturers, retailers, managers, entrepreneurs (who have become and will remain friends).It has not been easy and I don't expect that it ever will but overcoming the challenges are part of this journey and I have been fortunate to have realised the opportunities that have arisen and then taken them.

I will leave you then with my head full of ideas to make the most of these opportunities and a quick couple of days away  to Barcelona with my now newly qualified journalist/PR Media degree celebrating son!

The Retail Factor 2014

I'm delighted to announce that after three weeks of hard work, followed by a month of tense anticipation, I have been given special recognition from the Mall's Retail Factor! As a result I will be going to the Oxford Summer School this month, which is a fabulous opportunity for me and something I will hopefully learn a lot from! Here is the press release by The Mall to explain the competition in more detail:                 
                       
NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR HARD WORKING MUM

Chorley Mum of two Sue Seddon has gained national recognition in The Mall Blackburn’s National Retail Factor competition. 

Judges took the decision to reward Sue with the Award of Distinction in recognition of her passion, drive and creativity. She has also been awarded a place on the coveted Oxford Summer School in August, which provides professional retail advice.

The overall winner of the national final was Recluse Colony from The Mall Wood Green, which sold handmade up cycled & recycled products including jewellery, accessories, home-wares, footwear and clothing.

The Retail Factor launched in January and hopefuls were asked to pitch their business models in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style presentation.

Four local finalists were chosen by a line up of prestigious judges to trade from a Pop Up Shop in The Mall Blackburn.

Kease Keyrings went head to head with Tutus and Tulle, Irresistible Cupcakes and clothing company Krosl and the two finalists were selected based on profits, creativity, drive and business acumen.

Loraine Jones, General Manager at The Mall Blackburn, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Sue has been awarded a place at the fantastic Oxford Summer School in recognition of all her hard work.

“From the moment the judges met Sue we all agreed she has the professionalism and passion to go far in business and her products were lovely.

“She also showed real entrepreneurial skills by listening to customers and evolving her product range to add accessories to her exclusive keyrings throughout her trading in the Pop Up Shop, which added to her success.”

“I would like to thank all our entrants and finalists for making this year another Retail Factor success story and extend a special thank you to our fabulous judges Nicola Clayton, Head of Commercial and Business Development at Blackburn College, Salma Chaudhry, Principle Business Adviser at Regenerate Pennine Lancashire and Lancashire Telegraph Journalist Bill Jacobs.”

Sue Seddon added: “I could not believe it when I received the call to say I was going to the Oxford Summer School as I hadn’t even considered getting this far in the competition.

“I firmly believe that in order to be successful in business you have to work hard and be professional at all times so it is wonderful to hear that these were just two of the reasons the judges selected me.

“The Oxford Summer School looks amazing and I can’t wait to go. I am so pleased that I entered the Retail Factor competition as it has given my business a real boost.

“I would urge anyone who has a business idea or has recently started a business to enter the competition next year, the help I have received and the recognition I have gained is. phenomenal and I would like to thank everyone at The Mall for believing in my business.”

Kease Keyrings provides a wide range of unique keyrings that can be clipped to belts, bags, running shorts and much more, solving the age-old problem of lost keys.

The Retail Factor is an annual competition aimed at supporting and nurturing retail start-ups and established small retail businesses in the local community.

Here's a little collage to give you a taste of my three weeks at Blackburn Mall