LEAD FEATURE
Ahead of Global Entrepreneurship Week, SMEs get on the export map
someone to manufacture and bring her vision to life.
Castle developed a unique portable toilet, called BoginaBag, after a camping trip in Dorset. Waking up in the middle of the night and needing to use the facilities, she decided there must be a better option than having to trek across a dark, cold campsite in the early hours. Dismissing the existing bulky chemical- based options she initially found, she quickly realised she would have to come up with her own alternative. The BoginaBag comprises a comfortable three-legged stool, with a removable piece of material in the middle which, when taken away, reveals a hole. A specially designed plastic bag is then fi tted around the stool, which includes a pad which can absorb up to 400 times its own weight in liquid. Once the bag has been used, it is tied up and can be disposed of. There is no need for chemicals, the bags are degradable and the folded stool, which is only 1kg in weight, can be carried in a shoulder- slung pack.
Although she had previously worked at two of the UK’s major retailers, the world of product development was new
to Castle, who found herself having to navigate the diffi cult path of product design, patents and manufacturing. Once the product was developed, with the help of Innovate Product Design Ltd, Castle contacted the UK Manufacturing Advisory Service but was told that the product she was looking for could not be manufactured within the UK.
Castle says: “It was quite frustrating to get to that stage and then hit a brick wall. One of my previous roles had involved importing so I decided to look at using a manufacturer in the Far East. It was through a simple online search that I originally stumbled across
Alibaba.com.” Castle wanted a manufacturer that could produce both the bags and the stools and initially got prices from a number of factories, after sending them a product specifi cation. The manufacturers then sent samples and discussions started from there.
She says: “
Alibaba.com was really easy to use. The site gave me the ability to see the products that factories were already producing and in some cases gave a good idea as to pricing and minimum order quantities, so I wasn’t starting from scratch. The response from
suppliers was always very quick, so nothing took too long. “We eventually chose a company called Glory Power Inc for a number of reasons. The company offered a competitive price and it was already making products similar to the bags that I needed to produce. Considering the barriers in terms of language and distance, it has all been a relatively smooth process. Glory Power was obviously keen to build a long term relationship and get the product right – as were we.” BoginaBag received its fi rst delivery in spring 2010 and is now selling via
boginabag.com through other online retailers and Castle recently won funding on Dragon’s Den. The company may also start to sell via
Alibaba.com in the future.
DESPERATELY SEEKING… OFFICE SPACE
BUSINESS SOLUTION: REGUS When you want to take your business global it is incredibly useful to have a base in the town, city or country you are expanding into. That’s where a serviced offi ce company can come in handy. Andrew Brown is director of communications at leading serviced
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