There are many exciting things happening at the moment for Count On It labels, firstly we are joining forces with Charles Mattocks, aka 'The Poor Chef', an upcoming chef in the US that aims to show families how to cook a delicious meal for $7. He's got great tips on frugal cooking and has produced a book "Eat Well, Eat Cheap', a magazine, has appeared on the Today show, to name a few and also has a sauce range. He will be demonstrating Count On It labels at the many show's he appears at, as well as on TV - we'll keep you posted when it goes live.
Another highlight for Count On It labels has been it's continued publicity, here's a great article by Maisha Frost on myself and Count On It labels that appeared in yesterday's Daily Express.
Finally, in the autumn you can catch up with us at the Designer Baby Show - more details of this will follow - so keep popping back and we will let you know where we'll be and what offers we will have.
Catch you soon, Lyndsey
WINNING GAME PLAN PAYS FOR NEW IDEA
Wednesday September 2,2009
By Maisha Frost
YOU'VE got the enterprising idea and the passion, but no capital.
You’re too small and untried to be a candidate for a bank loan and remortgaging property’s not an option. Where do you go? How about a TV game show? You can win thousands of pounds and invest it in becoming that entrepreneur of your dreams.
That’s exactly what Lyndsey Young and Allan Bulwich did and they’ve been on a roll ever since.
Young won £15,500 as one of the first contestants on Channel 4’s Deal Or No Deal and put it all into setting up a food labelling business to reduce waste. Bulwich walked away with £50,000 from ITV’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and started his photography venture specialising in affordable, personal portraits.
It was while running her home-based design agency that Young, a mother of two sons, came up with the concept to help people cut the amount of food they throw away. With the Government planning measures to reduce this, Young’s Count On It labels are well-timed.
They act as a memory-jogger so food isn’t left in the fridge or cupboard for longer than advisable, or cleared out too soon.
These come as sheets of peel-off dated stickers that people can attach to a jar or package when opened. They act as a memory-jogger so food isn’t left in the fridge or cupboard for longer than advisable, or cleared out too soon.
“Time and again I would open a jar, say of pesto, and forget when I did it, then throw it away barely used because I didn’t want to risk it with my sons.” Young explains.
Although her husband Jason was supporting her, she realised she would not have the spare cash to take her rudimentary designs through the prototype stage. “I didn’t have the track record for a bank, so I thought I’d have a go with Deal Or No Deal. I was nervous but very determined not to be tempted and quit once I had a bit of cash. The money gave me a cushion, freed me to take a risk not possible otherwise with a young family.”
Young, who lives Bottesford, Leicestershire, tested her idea on locals and, boosted by the positive feedback, then got help from Business Link on registering trademarks and patents. “They saved me about £3,000 in consultancy fees,” she says. The prototype stickers sheets and commercial production have been done in partnership with a printer in Yorkshire.
“It took months to get it right, from the correct glue to producing sheets of labels and making sure the product would work in fridges and freezers.”
First year turnover of £25,000 should climb sharply now, withorders from Lakeland and Bettaware. And the labels, which cost about £1.95 for a pack of 25, are proving highly versatile. As well as food, they are being used for medicines, contact lenses and filters. A trade pack version will supply commercial kitchens .
Family commitments have made networking difficult but Young has discovered an alternative, Twitter: “The word-of-mouth marketing is very effective. I can talk to other mums and those interested in healthy food.
“Because of this, I have a distributor in America and a potential one in Australia.
“I think I would have pursued my idea come what may but winning the game show money undoubtedly speeded up that journey.”
www.count-on-it.co.uk
Business Link: 0845 6009006;
www.businesslink.gov.uk
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