I’d built the prototype by hand in a tent in my garden and knew that when orders started coming that wouldn’t do, but I had no idea how to nurture a start-up. When I heard about The Studio and the support it offers to graduates, I applied for a place and was thrilled to be just one of 10 companies to be accepted.
One year into my two-year tenancy, I have had ample access to the facilities, financial support and mentoring I needed to launch Asap. The mentors are a great source of advice on all sorts of things: finance, IP, sales forecasts, marketing – basically everything you need to know to get a business off the ground.
In 2012, I was selected to compete in BBC3’s Be Your Own Boss business show, presented by Richard Reed – co-founder of Innocent Drinks. The BBC gave me just six weeks to develop Asap and knock the business into shape so that I was ready to pitch my ideas to Richard Reed. For a great procrastinator like me, this was a really good motivator. I had to make a lot of decisions very quickly and really get my business plan in order.
During the show, Richard Reed introduced me to Sir Richard Branson. I couldn’t believe it – having only just established my fledgling business, I had the opportunity to discuss my plans with the Virgin boss!
He was very enthusiastic and made a fantastic offer – to fly the Asap prototype out to Bondi Beach for its official product launch.
In April 2013, I was thrilled to be named Best Start-up Business of the Year in the Lloyds TSB Enterprise Awards. Together with the fantastic support I’ve received through The Studio, the Award’s two-year mentoring package will add further value to the Asap proposition and enhance my business acumen.