Enterprise Nation

The wait is over. On Friday at just after 4pm we announced our 2009 Home Business of the Year. That business is CocoRose London. It’s a business that’s run from 5 to 9, embodies the outsourcing of which we speak and is trading across borders. It’s run by the lovely Janan Leo and her partner, Gareth Austin-Jones. Together they make for mighty fine home business partners.

How are you promoting your business, being efficient and increasing your profitability?

I enjoy promoting CocoRose through business networking events and socialising through friends, websites and social media sites. Maintaining a flexible approach to ideas and collaborations helps drive opportunities, leading to increased promotion and sales.

I recognise that being efficient and increasing profitability run in parallel so I outsource areas of the business that benefit from experts within the field. This ensures my time and energy is proactively spent on driving sales and growing the business strategically.

CocoRose’s PR agent drives brand awareness through traditional and online media. Creative marketing campaigns and press releases coincide with our new ranges, trends, events and exhibitions. We also directly communicate with customers through monthly newsletters and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. We will soon launch a promotional video which will be the first of a series that will communicate our brand and product through quirky and relevant storylines.

CocoRose’s digital agency promotes the website and drives traffic through search engine optimisation and Pay Per Click advertising. Our website is our global shop window, open 24/7 and enabling worldwide access and sales opportunities.

How are you successfully combining your business with your domestic life and maintaining a healthy environment both in and out of your home office?

This is undoubtedly my biggest challenge. Setting up and developing a business whilst being in full time employment and also ensuring time for myself, partner and friends is tough but this is life, it’s busy and that’s when it’s exciting!

Very quickly, I recognised that to make the most of my valuable time, I had to seamlessly combine CocoRose with my domestic life. Time management, organisation and working in parallel are crucial to maintaining a healthy environment both in and out of my home office.

Three areas of advice I have to offer are;
1 – if possible, involve your partner. Gareth and I now spend more time together and talking shop is more fun!
2 – It was clear from the start that to fully benefit and appreciate my working and relaxation time, I needed to create extra space to separate home and business. Gareth and I converted our loft into an office, better known as “The Shoedoir”. We also converted the back room into storage and this ensures our living areas are not cluttered.
3 – It is important to extract enjoyment from the ordinary or what may be perceived as normal routine because that is your free time, like walking or going food shopping.

How are you making the most of technology to improve your business and your lifestyle?

Modern technology has given me the opportunity to create and develop CocoRose whilst also holding down a full time job. It has enabled me to reduce the risk financially but also to maximise my valuable time to benefit my business and lifestyle.

Financially, having a web based business allows me to work remotely from home rather than have overheads of a shop or office. It also maximises brand communication and offers accessibility and availability to a global audience in a cost effective way. This is possible through email, newsletters, website optimisation, PPC advertising and social media options such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter and chat rooms.

Technology and access to wifi whilst I am “on the go” allows me to manage the business efficiently and maximise any spare time I have. Online banking, the ability to send emails, update social media status and the website and manage orders whilst commuting or travelling provide few examples. I recognise that connectivity provides the flexibility needed to adapt and move quickly in a fast moving marketplace.

Technology for me is a critical tool to help me try and fulfill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run. Well, and enabling me to free up time to watch the X Factor!

Why we love this business

This business personifies all that is good about home business:

• Janan shows you can start and grow a business whilst holding down a day job
• The company outsources and sub-contracts to experts and professionals
• The business has rapidly expanded overseas
• It is a business that utilises the skills of a couple who used to just live together and now make a living together
• Not only does Janan go in search for advice, she also offers it in her winning application
• This company never says ‘no’ to a PR opportunity and always makes time for the media
• We think it’s a business with enormous potential!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Janan and Gareth who win:

• A top of the range notebook from HP and Intel 
• 6 months free storage with Access Self Storage
• 6 months of a Moneypenny PA
• A brand review with creative agency, Jump To
• An appearance on the Working Lunch show!

CocoRose London

Janan is pictured here with Emma Jones