Sustainable, renewable, plastic free. These buzz words connect to a surge in ‘ethical’ businesses & start ups. How can VA’s support these ethically savvy entrepreneurs?
Written by Katy Jane for and on behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd.
In the first of a two part blog, Virtually Smart Ltd will be exploring the different ways VA’s can support ethically diverse businesses. This week, we will explore some of the local start-ups making waves in our communities & how Virtually Smart Ltd could assist with their business diversity. Next week, we look at the ways Virtually Smart Ltd’s corporate packages can support CEO’s & Directors of commercial industry leaders, making global impacts.
Ethically diverse startups are popping up all over the place & with very good reason. The entrepreneurial spirit in the UK continues to grow & strive as more & more people turn their backs on PAYE & move in to the self-employed sectors. However, with increasing media coverage & a greater understanding of global climate matters, we are beginning to see a marked increase in ethically mindful startups.
One of the trending Facebook posts currently explores the following message for Christmas:
“Buy local, Buy handmade, Buy from people you know, Buy from self-employed”
& this has a very purposeful incentive.
With the decrease in high street sales & many of our high street brands being closed in 2018, small independent ethical businesses are poking their heads above the business parapet & starting to make themselves seen & known. With names such as Toys r Us, Poundworld, Carpetright, Maplin all closing due to poor sales & Prezzo, M&S & Mothercare looking to close many of it’s stores; our concerns about the larger high street names have been met.
We are a nation of online shoppers. With £1 in every £5 spent in the UK being spent online, we have all been seduced by the vastly reduced online prices & availability of an international shopping experience at our finger tips.
However, despite the concerns & the bigger businesses showing the strain, the smaller independent sector in the UK has seen an upturn.
“The rapid growth of self-employment has been a pronounced feature of the UK labour market in recent years. The number of self-employed increased from 3.3 million people (12.0% of the labour force) in 2001 to 4.8 million (15.1% of the labour force) in 2017” (1)
With the entrepreneurial spirit of the UK self-employed workforce, comes a keen interest in the passion for ethically sourced, local produce & business. In addition, consumers have over the past few years started to voice their concerns about their buying choices & how they are more mindful of making ethical decisions with their purchases.
“Mintel’s 2015 UK consumer report found that 76% of UK adults say that the ethical and sustainable credentials of their products and the reputation of companies or brands are important when making a buying decision.” (2)
With this in mind, Virtually Smart Ltd have chosen to explore three local independent businesses, which all have a very strong ethical message & how they are making their mark with consumers.
Feed Me Momma. Chichester, West Sussex.
Feed Me Momma is a Chichester, West Sussex based startup. Feed Me Momma is vision of it’s founder Toni Debollla Surin. “Feed Me Momma is a plant-based meal prep company, based in Chichester West Sussex. Wellness is at the heart of ‘Feed me momma’ Toni is sharing her love of cooking and spreading plant-based wellness.” (3) With a considerable Instagram following (3044 followers @ 12.11.18) & a savvy website, Toni has bridged the gap from dream to reality & is thriving.
“Having dreamt of running a food business for many years, never finding the courage to take the leap. After posting food prep on social media, Toni was inundated with requests; and so ‘Feed Me Momma’ was born.”
“I’ve had an amazing response and it’s been such an exciting adventure. I beam from ear to ear knowing I am helping spread the message of wellness and plant-based choices. I cannot wait to see where this journey takes me” (4)
The Body Suite. Chichester, West Sussex.
The Body Suite is an established Pilates & wellness centre in the heart of Chichester, West Sussex. Dee Bodle – The Body Suite Proprietor, has been teaching fitness since 1998 and started her Pilates career in 2001 training with the Pilates Institute. Pilates has become a vastly popular conditioning programme for people of all abilities & has proven to be a whole body treatment, as well as targeting specific physical conditions.
Dee Bodle has worked tirelessly over the past 10 years to build The Body Suite. From her beginnings as an independent instructor, to now being an owner of a greatly successful all encompassing wellness business; Dee is a trailblazer when it comes to successful ethically diverse business ideas. Dee Bodle has now added yet another layer to her business empire as Dee and her partner Rafael Gomes have started The Bodeswell Academy. “The Bodeswell Academy is Dee’s most recent adventure with her partner Rafael Gomes, with their Pilates Teacher Training programmes.” (4)
The Refillery. Chichester, West Sussex.
The Refillery is a new startup, with a very traditional message. “The Refillery is a dry store that you can buy dry foods by weight. Meaning there is less waste and less plastic packaging.” (5)
The idea of a ‘scoop & weigh’ shop is not new, with many existing companies across the UK having established many years ago. However, with interest continually growing in ethically sourced, plastic free shopping, The Refillery have started to rekindle the UK’s love of being able to weigh out what they need, rather than having purchase sizes dictated by plastic packaging.
There are so many more local businesses making their stand for an ethically diverse consumer experience. Sinah Common Honey, BB Vegan Ltd & a plethora of local farm shops, are just a snapshot of the local independent ethically minded businesses surrounding me.
However, underneath all of the ethical messages, these are businesses, run by entrepreneurs, Directors, Sole traders & environmentally ethically savvy business owners & with this responsibility comes the need for the running of the business. Administration, paper work, policies, procedures, GDPR, social media marketing, are all part of running a modern business & those elements of a business must be kept on top of to ensure success.
With this in mind, Virtually Smart Ltd have considered the ways in which VA’s & in particular Virtually Smart Ltd, can support these independent businesses.
Working with a VA – Collaborating with a VA means you get 1-2-1 service, tailor made for your business & business needs. Virtually Smart Ltd take the time to not only get to know you & your business needs, but also undertake plenty of research to gain a true insight into your business, the sector you represent & your ethical message centre. Furthermore, you get to choose how many hours a week or month you wish to collaborate with us & we will ensure your business needs are undertaken with consideration, efficiency & professionalism.
Policies & procedures – Every business whether a startup, independent or corporate giant needs to ensure that it has the correct policies & procedures in place. As part of Virtually Smart Ltd’s ‘Business Support’ systems, we offer to assess your processes, undertake a policy review/audit & subsequently make recommendations going forward.
Terms & conditions – Every business needs an air tight set of T’s & C’s. Virtually Smart Ltd offer an instigation & review service to ensure your businesses T’s & C’s are correct for your business.
GDPR – Ensuring your business, systems & procedures are GDPR compliant is an important part of running any business. Virtually Smart Ltd offer a complete audit service to ensure your business is running within GDPR parameters.
Business Administration – The day to day running of a business can become overwhelming. Virtually Smart Ltd have tailored made business solutions to help support any business & enable business owners to concentrate on the running of their business, whilst we undertake the back office business actions. (6)
Social media Marketing & monitoring.
Client avatar – Do you know who your client avatar is? Your target audience? Have you considered where you want to aim your brand?
Social media analysis – Understanding where your target audience ‘hangs out’ is vital for maximum audience coverage. Virtually Smart Ltd can build a profile, based on research, to see where your niche market consumers & followers reside.
Social media, blogging, website content – Although video marketing is a greatly effective way of engaging your audience, we must remember that Google is still powered by words. Virtually Smart Ltd offer expert blogging & website content writing as part of it’s Social Media Marketing systems. (6)
Business coaching & 1-1 mentoring – If you are feeling overwhelmed & need some business direction, Helena Parrott – VA/ Director of Virtually Smart Ltd offers 1-2-1 sessions to help you re-focus, harness strategies which will work for you & boost your confidence in the business world. (6)
Written by Katy Jane for and on behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd.
(2)https://startups.co.uk/what-is-an-ethical-business/
(3)https://www.feedmemomma.co.uk/?fbclid=IwAR05ge2Fvm4a8VUgxaH8SedoIHJbYzQfTgli8Rmz4ujlHVY-bHDpV6E0Ce0
(4)https://www.thebodysuite.co.uk/dee-bodle-pilates/
(5) https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheRefilleryChichester/about/?ref=page_internal
(6) https://www.virtuallysmartltd.com/our-services
