“It all started in October when one of my clients asked me if I objected to being nominated for an Award.   I was taken totally by surprise. I had never considered applying, let alone I would have dreamed to be nominated!” says Anna Mangini, director and founder of AMIVA (UK) Ltd.

Anna Mangini was nominated for the category of ‘Customer Impact’ at the Enterprising Women Award.   Anna was shortlisted and become a finalist at the Award Ceremony held in Cambridge in late November.

 AMIVA is based in Codicote and has been supporting local, and not so local, businesses for the last 5 years with all their administration and secretarial needs.   Over the last few years, AMIVA has built a nice group of clients who regularly rely on its ‘remote’ services to run their businesses efficiently.    Anna also runs Office Decluttering, funded nearly three years ago, which offers on-site support and organisation of office space in need of a helping hand. Anna is a born organiser and her clients have found renewed energies, inspiration and space in their offices after Anna has worked her magic.

“Being nominated for the Award was a real eye opener”, says Anna. “Next year I will try again for the EW Award and for others, like the FBS.   By being part of it, doors have opened for me, and in the space of a few weeks I met a lot of very interesting people, as well as coming across exciting ideas to develop in the New Year.    I have already been in touch with the UH Marketing department and we are working together on a feasibility project.   I could not have envisaged all this happening a few months ago!   Being nominated was the culmination of lots of work done over the year.   Back in the spring, I got together with SBI and I was given support and inspiration to progress and develop parts of the business.   My meetings with the SBI advisors were invaluable, especially at a time when business was very slow.   I have now ended 2009 on a high note and I am starting 2010 with a busy diary and looking forward to all the new opportunities it will bring”.   For more info: www.amiva.org.uk or www.officedecluttering.co.uk . Or contact Anna on 07778 241768.

Business Magnet

In June 2004 two young men called into SBI’s Stevenage offices for a business counselling meeting to discuss an idea that they had of starting their own business.

Little did they know that they were the fifteenth thousandth client of SBI, the local Enterprise Agency. As a result we were able to obtain some local press coverage for the business start up and subsequently enter them into the following year’s New Business Awards, which they won!

Little did we at SBI (now SBI Enterprise Hertfordshire) know that Businessmagnet.co.uk would go on over the intervening five years to become a leading UK business to business directory, achieving the number two position on Google as a business directory world wide, and recently reaching one million pounds annual turnover.

Daniel French and Lee Cheesman met up with David Wall for some input to their plans to start an online business directory in June 2004. Both Daniel and Lee brought IT and sales experience to their plans but neither had any previous knowledge of running their own business. David arranged a business start up workshop and supported Daniel and Lee to incorporate the business the business as a limited company in the following July.

The first eighteen months of existence provided a tough introduction to the world of business with Lee admitting that for a time they had lived in constant fear of the arrival of bills to be paid. Never the less during the second half of 2005 David helped Daniel and Lee review the operation of the business to date and put together an application for the Hertfordshire New Business Awards. In November of that year Businessmagnet won the best new internet business sector.

As the benefits of Businessmagnets unique facilities software, providing superb search engine optimisation, became apparent the turn over began to climb and with Daniel and Lees relentless focus on top quality personalised customer service, so to did the customer base and the need for more staff.

Businessmagnets t eam has been carefully selected to ensure the right blend of sales, marketing and account management skills as well as an in depth knowledge of all the opportunities that the directory provides for existing and potential clients. In addition to Daniel and Lee the team now numbers twelve plus some programming and marketing support and in August 2008 the business moved to new offices in Stevenage. The Directors are pleased that a much more professional image is now portrayed to their visitors and that the Businessmagnet team has an excellent working environment with room for further expansion.

The business has achieved one million pounds annualised turnover this year and the directors, whilst watching the current economic situation very closely, feel that continued growth is achievable. The annual retention for existing customers is approaching 90%, not perhaps surprising for a directory receiving 3 million page views per month and where its unique “Magnet links” achieved 75% appearance on the first page on a Google search for its advertisers.

Daniel and Lee have learnt an enormous amount about business in five years and are cautiously optimistic about the future. Asked about the secret of their success Lee mentioned the need for assistance and tenacity during hard times and then highlighted the business focus on its customers. “The customer pays all the bills. Achieve success for your customer in his business and you will be successful too”.

Enterprising woman awards 2009

Enterprise Challenge – do you know someone who has overcome

significant barriers in their journey towards developing their business?

Julie left the NHS at a senior nursing and midwifery level in 2005.

She makes a regular income from renting rooms from her property in Hertfordshire

Her first business CHANGES FOREVER was born in 2006 specialising in Relationship and Lifestyle coaching E.g. life post divorce and separation; bereavement and so on. The organisation is becoming THE place for healing relationships delivering bespoke client packages and inspirational workshops.

MNC Developments in 2007 is her second business with partner Rob New. This combined his genius as a design engineer and with her marketing skills. The goal is to help new inventions to market. They weren’t keen to gain investment and so they created their own product solving a problem suffered by between 4-6million men in the UK alone: MYTENRING – THE non invasive answer to Erectile Dysfunction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKn7XRib_Jo

Greatest business achievements to date:

Julie’s journey thus far hasn’t been an easy one and this is why she should win the category for Enterprise Challenge 2009:

As a single parent she put her 2 girls into one bedroom together, rented out 2 rooms in their house and completed her year long coaching diploma.

MYTENRING has been a tough product to market but she has persisted and been determined for it to succeed.

Rob her wonderful partner in life and business for the past 5 years is paralysed from mid-chest and has had very long spells of ill health including a very touch and go year 2007/ 8 when Julie very nearly lost him. Despite a successful operation in June 2008 his energy levels fluctuate and life can be a bit of a challenge! The district nurse is regular visitor and they are no stranger to hospitals.

However, on February 25^th Julie was put to the greatest test when out of the blue she received the devastating news that her ex husband Richard had died very suddenly aged 44 (they were together for 17 years). She was faced with having to tell their 2 beautiful girls Amy and Polly that their Dad was dead. Polly had just turned 13 and Amy was 16. She has devoted the past 7 months to making sure they were emotionally supported Amy passed her GCSEs with flying colours and they are both settling in their amazing new school that has come as a gift from their Dad.

She is a loving, caring devoted partner and mother and a true entrepreneur. Nothing has yet stopped her achieving her goals. A real inspiration to everyone that has the pleasure to be touched by her heart and soul.

Julie Jones related to SBI Adviser Michael Veasey on inviting him to an inspiration event celebrating Changes Forever’s success in January:

It is actually ultimately a day inspired by YOU!! (after our business growth day at the beginning of the year). Despite the happenings of this year on a personal level I am still focussed on what we created that day and thank you for that.

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