Business awards

HomeworkER

HomeworkER is an innovative web service designed to help those who work from home, whether as an employee or an employer.

With recent advances in ICT and the Internet, more and more people are working from home. This can lead to various problems, particularly isolation. This new site will eventually evolve into a dedicated support service, encouraging businesses to network virtually and offering advice and signposting on homeworking.

Councillor Tony Buchanan, convener for regeneration and economic development, said: "We are confident that this will be highly successful within the home working community, and feel that this is another step towards the council providing ongoing support to our local businesses."

Contact

Lynsey Hughes
Economic Development Assistant
Economic Development
Council Offices
2 Spiersbridge Way
Spiersbridge Business Park
Thornliebank
G46 8NG

Telephone: 0141 577 3773

HomeworkER businesses

Timeout Lifestyle Solutions

Anne Harvey of Newton Mearns established her Lifestyle Management 'Concierge' business with a grant from Business Gateway. While her core business is as a Personal Organiser offering services for busy professionals, she offers PA, administration and project management services to a number of small local businesses.

Timeout Lifestyle Solutions offers a personal and affordable lifestyle management service, which includes:

  • moving house

  • an independent service to find your dream home

  • organising removals

  • arranging utilities

  • forwarding your new address to people/companies that you specify

At Home

  • getting estimates for household repairs

  • finding suitable contractors for household repairs

  • meeting, greeting and overseeing contract work

  • co-ordinating deliveries or collections

  • shopping

  • arranging that special gift

At Play

  • planning parties or events

  • small business

  • PA, administration and project management

Anne approached Business Gateway for advice and assistance with starting up her business. She attended a business start up course and received help with preparing a business plan. She was also able to upgrade her PC equipment to undertake some marketing work, using a grant from the council.

Since starting up, Anne has attended further training seminars to help grow the business and has joined the Women into The Network Programme, which is run by Business Gateway to encourage female entrepreneurs.

You can contact Anne at:

Telephone: 0141 639 3256
Email:

Reid Underfloor Heating Systems

Reid Underfloor Heating Systems (Scotland) Ltd was established in Barrhead in 1999 by local man Stephen Reid. The company operates from a home-based HQ but carries out installation across all of Scotland and Northern England.

Underfloor heating is now widely recognised as one of the most effective methods of obtaining uniform heat distribution and high comfort levels. It also saves on space and is a more energy efficient way to heat your home. Underfloor heating is an ideal solution for refurbishment projects, conservatories, extensions and new builds.

Stephen wants to expand his mainly commercial customer base into the domestic market. He hopes that by undertaking more local marketing and developing a website that the business will capture a greater share of this emerging market. If you want to find out more about this product or the company, contact Stephen or Helen at:

Telephone: 0141 880 4443
Email: sales@ruhs.co.uk

Website:Reid Underfloor heating Systems

Liz Knox

Liz Knox is a professional graduate artist working in Neilston.

Liz is a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art where she specialised in Fine Art, mainly drawing and painting. Having decided to set up her own business, Liz received assistance from both the Business Gateway start up team and our Economic Development Service. She has been operating from her Neilston base since autumn 2001.

The work Liz produces is mainly paintings, usually in oil, sometimes in mixed media. The size of work can be as large or small as required and commissions may be undertaken, including mural work. For corporate clients, a rental scheme is available as a preliminary or alternative to buying a piece outright.

Liz's work is exhibited by major commercial galleries throughout Britain, but work may also be purchased directly from the artist. In 2003, she was the winner of the Kennox Prize for painting, a new major Scottish art award.

For further information, contact details and examples of her work, please visit:

Website:Liz Knox

Chris Brown: Croft Music

Chris Brown has just started up a home-based business, Croft Music, to publish the brass band music he has been writing over the years as a hobby. Chris played in and conducted a number of brass bands after leaving school, and now that he has taken early retirement, he has time to translate this hobby into a business.

Over the past few months, with the help of the Business Gateway, Chris has been working to get the infrastructure in place. He has used powerful musical software to convert the scores from handwritten manuscripts into a professional standard of print. At the same time, he has developed a website which will be the main sales vehicle for the music. Now the time is right to launch these products.

The initial market is brass bands in the UK, but the website provides the opportunity to target an international market, as brass bands are strong in many parts of Europe, Australasia, and North America.

Website Croft Music

Zippy Totz

Newton Mearns-based Tzippi Cameron started her business "Zippy Totz" in January 2003. While she operates the core business from home, she also uses local facilities to deliver pre-5 gymnastic sessions and children's parties across East Renfrewshire.

The purpose of Zippy Totz is to motivate kids to take an interest in sports and to provide valuable physical activity. The business can also facilitate parties for under 8's with gymnastics, fun and games and a bouncy castle as possible themes. A fundamental aim is to help build confidence, self discipline, balance and co-ordination amongst the children using the service.

When starting up her business Tzippi approached the local Business Gateway for advice and assistance. She attended a business start-up course and received help with preparing a business plan. She also received a grant from the council, which enabled her to buy PC equipment and undertake some marketing.

Since starting up Tzippi has attended further training seminars to help grow the business and has joined the Women into The Network programme, which is run by Business Gateway to encourage female entrepreneurs.

You can contact Zippy Totz at:

Telephone: 0141 639 2262
Mobile: 07787 721 545
Email:

Norman Yarwood

Norman Yarwood is an East Renfrewshire-based professional artist. He has been painting since the age of 11 and has a Master of Arts Degree in Creative and Cultural Studies from Glasgow University.

Generally Norman works by commission, creating one-off bespoke artworks at reasonable prices, painted to meet the wishes of the client. Norman also offers an Arts Consultancy service, if you are unsure about what type or style of art to choose for your home, business or as a gift. An Arts Leasing service is available, if leasing rather than buying is your preference. You also have the option to buy the piece(s) at favourable prices, taking into account the payments already made.

Norman's art is mainly non-figurative (modern abstract) and is informed by his travels in Scotland and the rest of the world over the last 25 years. If you are interested in commissioning a unique work of art, or purchasing any of the works shown on the website for your home, as a gift or for your business, then contact Norman at:

Telephone: 0141 638 6163
Email:

The gallery pages on the following website contain some of the works from his latest portfolio:

Website:Glasgow Art

J&S Associates

Have you ever been stung by bad debt? J&S Associates are an Eaglesham-based home business specialising in debt recovery, credit control and tracing. Over the past 20 years John McConnachie has gained vast experience in this field and has built up a wide range of contacts including lawyers, accountants and surveillance experts. He started up his own business 18 months ago and has increased his initial client book of 6 to more than 40 regular clients.

J&S Associates received financial assistance towards IT equipment and a business plan from Business Gateway, and funding towards marketing costs from our Economic Development team. John's work is very varied: for example, he can find himself chasing bad debts for a company, carrying out surveillance work in matrimonial disputes and advising companies on the suitability of doing business with a particular company.

John uses loft space as an office but as the business continues to grow, he has applied for planning consent to build an extension that would incorporate a purpose-built office. He is also planning to bring his wife Susan into the operation, to carry out some of legal, financial and administrative tasks.

Telecommunications form a significant part of the service, as John has to be contactable at all times, irrespective of where he is carrying out his work. He has recently undertaken IT training and has a dedicated business line to his house, an answering machine which can be accessed remotely, a mobile, email and website.

If you want to trace a business or an individual, or want advice and assistance on collecting an outstanding debt, contact:

J&S Associates
Telephone: 01355 303828
Mobile: 07734 236 691
Email:

Guardian Angels Productions

Guardian Angels Productions was set up in June 2001, with the purpose of bringing community theatre back into the community; to provide a platform to exhibit the original film and theatre works of writer Gary Dorfman, and to show off the raw talent of cast and crew alike. Guardian Angels Productions takes great pleasure in showing an audience the talent Glasgow has.

Previous Productions

Eastwood Theatre gave Guardian Angels Productions its first big chance. In September 2002 the curtain went up on “The Common Guy”, the original political comedy about Billy Common, a young man in a Govan political party who suddenly finds himself the Prime Minister. The show ran from the 19th to 21st September 2002, and drew an audience of approximately 600 over 4 nights, including a full house on the Saturday finale. It was through this first production that Eastwood Theatre, along with an unsuspecting audience, saw something they enjoyed and furthermore, the potential of an extraordinary company on its first steps.

The next production took place at Eastwood Theatre from April 18th to 19th 2003, and was titled “Enter My Mind”. This was a daring piece for Guardian Angels Productions, as they envisaged bringing back to Glasgow the old Vaudeville theatre in a modern style. “Enter My Mind” was a collection of sketches and music connected with a young man called “Angel” who wanted to be a rock singer, and his aggravating mother who had other ideas. This show took the audience by storm and was seen by over 300 people.

The response from both shows showed the company that they had captured a market of various ages who were taking a chance on previously unseen material, but who came out at the end, completing Guardian Angels Productions mission by being entertained. Eastwood Theatre was very supportive towards the company and has indicated that they wish to retain and build upon the local partnership that has been established.

Planned Productions

Writer Gary Dorfman is never short of ideas and has written many theatre plays and screenplays, so it is safe to say that if his winning style continues the company will not be short of productions. The next theatre production is called “Ill of the Dead”. It is a farcical comedy about a man called Marti who wakes up dead and, together with his bumbling Guardian Angel, has to find out who killed him and why.

Lights, Camera, Action

Guardian Angels Productions is branching into the wide world of film-making with its first feature film titled “Rage Heart”. This film is a clear departure from Guardian Angels Productions’ comic styling and sees the company producing a dark gothic thriller about a man who wakes up on a psychiatrist’s couch with no memory of how he got there or indeed, who he is.

Funding

All of the above productions have been brought to fruition without any form of funding. Guardian Angels Productions has been set up as a limited company to formalise its nature and help secure its future. None of the actors or crew have been paid to date for their involvement but have been given the opportunity to perform on a stage or in front of a camera. This may lead to other good things for them and Guardian Angels Productions are always keen to boost their natural talent. Finally, Guardian Angels Productions are not a company which sleeps…so keep your eyes open and watch this space…

Email:

Confidential Counselling

Confidential Counselling is an East Renfrewshire home-based business, owned and operated by Barbara Parr (Dip Coun.)

Barbara trained as a Person-Centred counsellor at Strathclyde University, where she obtained the Certificate in Counselling skills and the Diploma in Counselling. She is also a member of PCT Scotland and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Her practice conforms to the Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Barbara uses her counselling skills in a wide range of areas including: anxiety, stress, depression, bereavement, divorce and separation, suicidal thoughts, low self esteem, alcohol problems and survival issues. Prices start at £28 for a 50 minute session.

Barbara's contact details (for individuals and corporate clients) are:

Telephone: 0141 581 5177
Mobile: 07940 763 086
Email:

Eileen Menzies (Artist)

Eileen Menzies has started a small arts-related business from her home in Newton Mearns. Eileen had previously worked as a care nurse; when she recently took voluntary redundancy, she decided to give her Arts business a go. She has always been interested in art, painting, embroidery and so on. She is self-taught and has attended many art classes over the years.

Eileen paints a variety of subjects on varying surfaces, using oil, pastels, acrylic and silk paints. The subjects are then enhanced using other soft fabrics, such as organza or woven fabrics. The finished design, which may be padded, is inserted into a box frame which gives an impression of depth. Prices start at £45.00 and commissions are accepted.

Eileen aims to expand her business by reaching a larger number of clientele. She is hoping that business advice from the Small Business Gateway will help to get her off on the right footing.

Contact Eileen at:

Telephone: 0141 639 9306
Email:

Global Technologies International

Global Technologies International Ltd. (GTIL) was initially setup in late 1999 in Glasgow as an IT and Engineering Services company.

Specialising in the provision of IT services such as systems/website design & development, maintenance, training, hosting, etc. on a number of platforms including Microsoft and Java based technologies, GTIL has seen a phenomenal growth of over 200% since its inception. In addition, the company also provides engineering services, particularly to the construction industry, such as design, computer aided drafting, etc, and contract IT resources as part of their Manpower Augmentation Services portfolio.

The GTIL management team has over 90 years of combined cross-cultural experience, its members having worked for the likes of IBM Global, Oracle Corporation, American Express, HBOS Group, The Tata Group and HSBC. The team specialises in bringing blue chip IT methodologies and processes into SMEs, by assisting them in dealing with the key IT challenges of today, such as aligning IT with business, cost containment vs IT performance, moving staff up the value chain and better management of concurrent multi-location projects.

GTIL is strongly committed to the localised business model and is a staunch supporter of the 'Local presence - Local face' initiative. You will therefore find for example, a Scots programme/projects manager liaising with Scottish customers, an Indian for India-based operations and an Englishman for England-based projects. In order to provide its customers with more options and a wider range of services with obvious benefits at times, GTIL has recently partnered with Indian companies in the arena of eLearning, software development and business process outsourcing. This provides customers with the very competitive option of getting work done offshore, where appropriate, for advantages in terms of lower costs and shorter time-to-market.

To find out more or to make an initial appointment, contact:

Telephone: 07770 741 570 or 0141 589 4287
Email or

We Sell U

We Sell U offers businesses whose websites have yet to make an online profit a service which enables them to get a front-page listing on big search engines such as Google and Yahoo.

Renfrewshire entrepreneurs Philip Barnes and Andrew Park specialise in sending customers from 25 major search engines to websites. Unlike traditional website submission services, you only pay per customer. The front page listing itself is free to start with; your company pays on the basis of a pre-agreed fee per hit, that is, when the customer “walks though the web site door”.

We Sell U already has around 25 satisfied customers selling anything from hedges to holidays. "It took around 3 frustrating years to find the secret of how to get customers to my original web business, thepowerswitch.com. It was that painful process that made us realise there must be lots of small businesses who could exploit our experience, to bring them customers overnight". We Sell U was born to do just that.

For further information, contact Andrew with your website name at:

Email:

Alison Patrick

Alison Patrick was first established in October 1999 with an initial start up grant from Small Business Gateway.

Formerly involved in the marketing departments of large companies, Alison decided to set up as a Kinesiologist after following a three year part-time training course in Scotland. She became involved in Kinesiology about seven years ago, having had personal experience of the therapy to help with back problems and stress.

Kinesiology is relatively new to the UK, although it has been widely available in America and other parts of the world since the 1960s. It is a system of natural healthcare which combines modern methods of testing muscles and energy balancing with traditional concepts of Eastern medicine. It operates on an energy model to balance a person's energy physically,emotionally, mentally and nutritionally. It promotes the concept of self healing, while at the same time offering the person a better understanding of their own unique health needs.

Clients are seen by Alison on a one-to-one basis, initially for an hour and a half session, to assess their needs and to gain an insight into their lives. This initial consultation helps determine the kind of follow up work required. Kinesiology can help with with a range of health problems including food intolerances, eating disorders, phobias, shyness, PMT and irritable bowel syndrome. It can also help children with learning difficulties. It is ideal for people who suffer from low self-esteem and is great for those who generally just want to feel better about themselves and life. It can be life-changing, and enables people to feel more empowered about their lives and their reactions to the things that happen to them in life.

Alison has worked in various clinics across Scotland but is based locally within the East Renfrewshire area.

To find out more information or to book an initial consultation, please contact:

Telephone: 0141 638 7833
Email: