Search Results

Just last week we gave you the lowdown on Shopify's fantastic competition for budding online retailers and so to continue that thread, we searched high and low for a business which would demonstrate how a simple idea can grow into a highly successful online business. That’s how we stumbled across Laura Zander from California who over the past decade has knitted her way to international succe...
Read Post »

If you’ve got a product that you want to start selling online, then this is the perfect time to do just that. Why now you may ask? Well, basically because the eCommerce platform Shopify have just launched their latest Build-A-Business competition and they’ve partnered up with the Huffington Post so it’s even bigger and better than before. Entering couldn’t be eas...
Read Post »

If you’ve created a product that you’d like to be sold in retail channels, knowing how to pitch is essential. It doesn’t matter if you are pitching to an independent store owner or if you’re pitching to a large multiple - getting your pitch right is a must. Here are some basic Tips on How to Pitch to Retailers that we reckon should help... Do your research Doing research...
Read Post »

Do you know your dahlias from your delphiniums and your carnations from your chrysanthemums?  Ever thought about turning your flair for flowers into a budding business? So far in our “How to start a” series we have discussed the intricacies of starting a range of businesses including a starting a B&B, a bookstore business and a warehouse business and this week in honour of s...
Read Post »

As the UK enjoys the much anticipated return of the sun this week, ice-cream vans up and down the country are putting the pedal to the metal to make the most of the remaining days of Summer. However one such van promises to be a an unexpected treat for style-conscious sun-seekers and a bitter disappointment for children seeking sweet refreshment - here's the scoop... (sorry I couldn't resist&helli...
Read Post »

At Startacus we are not ashamed to admit that we've got a bit of a thing for the whole pop-up phenomenon, from pop-up shops to pop-up restaurants - we love them all!  So you can imagine how excited we were to discover a couple of clever ladies in Hanley, Stoke-on-trent, who have made the daring decision to turn their pop-up shop into...wait for it... a Stop-up Shop! Number 26 Pop up Shop cam...
Read Post »

Ever had that Eureka moment when you are lying on the beach and you have that ‘great idea’? It might be the ‘next blockbuster film’ or a ‘career change’ you really decide you want to make. Or...it might just be an invention you reckon could be the next big thing... In this case Jonathan Meare had an idea for a solution to that pain in the back moment when your ...
Read Post »

Ebay shoppable windows...If you are a regular reader of Startacus, you’ve probably picked up by now that we do like any type of innovation or creativity linked with “saving the high street”. From pop up shops, a pop up village (yep you read that right) to trader markets, and conferences addressing the future of the high street, we do like to feature the good news and inspiration...
Read Post »

If you’re a designer in any discipline, you’ll be only too well aware of how difficult it can be to make your mark on the world, as it were, and get your creative work noticed. It has been refreshing then to see a rise in recent years in digital platforms where creatives can actually showcase and promote their wares - something that is exactly what our latest Startup of the Week is aim...
Read Post »

The pop-up phenomenon seems to be here to stay - whether it’s a pop-up shop giving an independent creative the chance at running their own retail outlet or the pop-up gallery where artists and artisans alike can showcase their wares - and that’s surely no bad thing. The whole notion of providing a place for people to be enterprising and creative is pretty close to our hearts here at St...
Read Post »