22 . Glasgow Business May/June 2014


PROFILE Glasgow Business Awards 2013 Winner Focus


Crowdfunding has Plan Bee buzzing


» Business to boost bee numbers nets funding to take it to the next level H


ave you heard the buzz? Plan Bee raised a staggering £105,890 through crowdfunding, which is remarkable considering its target


was only £60,000. Plan Bee, which specialises in the


establishment and management of beehives, well-exceeded expectations with its funding bid on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube. An award-winning, EU Commission


recognised, international micro business, Plan Bee had already secured investment from the Scotish Co-Investment Bank and was seeking the £60,000 figure for 11.8 per cent of the equity. Its clients include construction group


Balfour Beaty, mineral water group Highland Spring and other major businesses wanting to make a corporate social responsibility contribution. Plan Bee began aſter founder Warren Bader


decided to turn his back on his life as a music producer in London where he had worked with the likes of Tina Turner and Boyzone. To get away from it all he got himself an


allotment and started to grow heritage fruit trees and foodstuffs that the big supermarket chains didn’t sell. Ten he took that one step further… and


got a beehive. He fell in love with those litle creatures and started to devote more and more time to working with them. As his knowledge of bees grew, he decided


that he had to do something about the global decline of bees, particularly as a third of our foodstuffs, fruits, vegetables and crops rely on pollination to reproduce. And so, Plan Bee was born. Warren slowly


began to build Plan Bee, taking his own brand of corporate social sustainability – ‘return on involvement’ out to business. He convinced more and more businesses that


placing two bee hives on their premises or in a nominated location was the right thing to do. Warren took on employees, and formed the


next generation of Plan Bee – young people who would inherit the business and continue to build the sustainability brand for the future.


But in order to continue to build the vision


and his moto of (in this particular order) – Planet, People, Profit, he now has to seek fresh investment. Always one to look at the next big thing, and


having a keen interest in social media, Warren Bader looked to crowdfund the evolution of his organisation. Te aim was to give individuals


At The Glasgow Business Awards 2013, Plan Bee won the ‘Green Champion’ award


the opportunity to own a slice of this honey- making, planet-saving, people-employing, profit-making, bee-boosting, business. So he approached the crowdfunding


platform Crowdcube and the buzz began to spread, finally producing another dramatic example of success for this means of funding.


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