April Bowden, director of Play the Field, explains why the business should win the home business category of the Guardian Small Business Showcase competition.
I set up my digital marketing agency, Play the Field, over a year ago. When I say set up, I set the business up initially on my phone in a cafe on holiday. I had just been made redundent and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. Suddenly my business idea of offering affordable marketing to small businesses came to me. I set up my business page from my phone and advertised my services on social media before I had a desk, website or any structure in place.
As soon as I arrived home, I set up a pop-up desk in my local bookshop, which happened to have a lovely cafe selling local produce. It seemed a perfect way to get out of the house, find inspiration and support local businesses – something my business surrounded itself upon.
I now run my business from my bedroom, a cafe, a service station or a pop-up desk in a friend’s office in Newcastle. I arrange calls using FaceTime or Skype to talk to clients who are time poor.
I am now hoping to inspire others to set up their own businesses in the comfort of their home, whatever their idea is.
All entries which meet the competition criteria are published and our judging panel select a shortlist of the top three for each category. Winners are announced at an awards ceremony in summer 2016.
