The Great British Entrepreneur Award winners bringing it home to the North East
These business owners are celebrating after winning big at the GBEA ceremony in London this week.
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Joanna Feeley, TrendBible
Joanna set up TrendBible in 2011 with the aim of identifying future consumer trends, specifically in home and interiors, children and gifts.
When the world can seem filled with pitfalls and uncertainties, TrendBible provides businesses with the knowledge of how the future of life at home will be in two to five years’ time.
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DISRUPTOR OF THE YEAR
Adam Jacobs, Bloom Procurement Services
In 2012, Adam established Bloom Procurement Services. The company was born out of his desire to provide a best-in-class procurement solution which enabled the delivery of outcomes, whilst reducing the time and cost associated with professional services procurement. As a Fellow at The Royal Society for Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce, Adam is passionate about social value and innovation and continually seeks to promote and embed outcomes-based thinking that delivers positive change for all.
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ENTREPRENEUR FOR GOOD AWARD
Sanjay Lobo, onHand
onHand is an on-demand, app-based corporate volunteering platform. Employees can do good locally or remotely and their impact is trackable.
The app supports charities, NHS teams and councils, vetting volunteers before matching them with older and vulnerable people who need help.
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FAMILY BUSINESS ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Hannah Evans, Cake Stories
Armed with a whisk in one hand, a mixing bowl in the other and the ambition to use cakes for the greater good, Hannah and mum Liz started Cake Stories from the family’s kitchen in 2012. Since then, together with her parents Liz and Jon and her husband, Ben, she’s led Cake Stories through quite the transformation. So, these days, you’re more likely to find Hannah in Cake Stories’ designated Bakehouse where her brilliant team of bakers whip up around 100 different varieties of cake for either of her two coffee shops, for wholesale in any of the 30 local retailers she supplies, or for postal delivery as part of her impressive online offering.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH HANNAH
HEALTH & BEAUTY ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Nicola Wood, The Wonderful Wig Company
In May 2016, aged 36, Nicola was diagnosed with breast cancer and had treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Newcastle. Her cancer treatment led to hair loss and body image concerns.
Finding good wigs, more so a good service, was difficult and the options she found available were outdated and old-fashioned. Nicola wanted to change this by helping people to access good quality wigs and up-to-date hairdressing; combining both skills to create truly bespoke wigs as unique as an individual’s own hair.
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FOOD & DRINK ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Mark Wong, IMPOSSIBREW®
Mark loves beer He loved it so much that he started studying alcohol professionally the moment he turned 18. His passion for complex flavours led him to become one of the highest scoring French Wine Scholars (FWS). One day, he received worrying news about his health and was advised to stop drinking. He missed the experience and none of the alcohol alternatives did it for him. Mark began searching for a healthy, relaxing alternative to booze that’s more than just ‘alcohol-free’. So he set up a team and started brewing in his kitchen.
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SCALE-UP ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
James Aspey, ECO Simplified
ECO Simplified are proud to boast over 40 years combined experience in the retrofit energy efficiency industry, and as a team, have been involved in the delivery of more than £145m of grant funding.
Its clients include numerous local authorities, social housing providers, private landlords, and PAS2035 accredited installers, all of whom benefit from services tailored to their specific needs. Services include bid-writing, project management, supply chain management, lead generation, operational change management, customer liaison, contract procurement, and administrative support.
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SERVICE INDUSTRIES ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Silvia Anghel (right), Vision Accountants
Founder and Qualified Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Silvia worked for ten years in large corporations such as Sage and Procter & Gamble where she gained significant tax knowledge. Mid pandemic, she decided to start Vision Accountants, so she can apply the knowledge she gained to small entrepreneurs..
She learned that the time spent with her family is more important than anything else and also no other job would give her the flexibility to do that. Silvia’s Vision is to spend more time with her family and help others to achieve their perfect work-life balance.
Vision Accountants are chartered cloud accountants simplifying compliance and tax advice for ambitious service-led businesses, ensuring peace of mind and freeing up valuable time to reach and exceed their goals. They specialise in proactive, tailored and human-centred support to meet the challenges of running and growing a business and work with a range of different businesses from start-ups to well-established companies across the UK including Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds and London.
Their perfect fit is helping service businesses such as digital, tech and creative agencies, offering all aspects of accountancy support such as Company set up and accounts, tax planning and advice, R&D tax credits, payroll and bookkeeping.
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SMALL BUSINESS ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Emma Black, Cascade Cash Management
Emma started Cascade Cash Management in 2012 from her kitchen table with her brother and one of her students. In between lectures, she was updating savings rates and building up the database with various banks. By 2015, it became increasingly apparent that she just couldn’t do both time-wise, so she left the university and went into Cascade full-time.
Since then, they’ve been looking at supporting universities and schools from the industry side and Emma is on the North East Regional Committee for the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH EMMA
START-UP ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Laura Hepburn, Greenology (Teesside) Limited
Greenology is comprised of a group of experts who focus on creative solutions for complex waste plastic projects. They’ve brought together leading people from the country to help bring energy to our local futures – through sustainable means. Their aim is to create jobs, energy and world class solutions to help look after our planet.
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SUSTAINABILITY ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Sophie Wilson & Charlotte Wilson, YANA Active
Founded by sister-duo Sophie and Charlotte, the ambitious Northern-born sisters have created a sisterhood community to encourage the warrior in every woman. Conscious creation is at the heart of the British-born brand, YANA™ Active. With a belief that every brand has a responsibility to support the planet and reduce consumer consumption.
The brand which launched in late 2019, has become a staple for females living every day active lives. YANA™’s activewear range uses fabric made from 78-100% recycled materials. 100% of YANA™’s technical performance garments, including all of their stretchwear is manufactured locally in a factory in Teesside. The sisters sourced fabrics from mills in The Midlands, supporting small businesses, whilst avoiding Co2 emissions from long haul transportation. A small amount of wholesale pieces are sourced from ethically transparent and vegan-friendly facilities.
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YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Jack Deverson, Evidence Based Education
Evidence Based Education combines years of experience in teaching and school leadership, in conducting research into educational leadership and evaluation, and in policy advice to the UK Government’s Department for Education.
This combination allows them to take an objective view on effective uses of evidence in education, while also developing pragmatic, thought-provoking training and tools, designed for the complex professional lives of teachers and school leaders.
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