Page 13 - Survey 2020: The Star Business

Wednesday,January22,2020 www.thestar.co.uk THESTAR 13
START-UP SPECIAL
In association with
Firm is making some noise
New approach to health
Podcast software business Rebel Base Media has had an incredible start.
It demo-ed its Captivate. fm product at Apple’s head- quarters in Cupertino in Oc- tober and now claims to be the leading podcast hosting platform in this country.
The figures back it up: the firm has grown more than 40 per cent above year-end tar- gets with no marketing and revenue is growing at a ‘star- tling’ pace. The company has already hired two and is seek- ing a full-stack engineer.
And all this in the five months since it launched on August 29. Captivate.fm al- lows people to start a podcast quickly and easily. Rebel Base Media is based at Sheffield Technology Parks, Cooper Buildings, Arundel Street in the city centre, where it also has a dedicated podcast re- cording studio.
The firm’s success justi- fies all the ‘very, very long nights’ building the software by CEO Mark Asquith and co- founder Kieran.
Mark said: “The launch was amazing - we work pri- marily in the US and Capti-
PICTURE BY TIM CLEASBY
Kimberley Shepherd is using her own experience of beating a debilitating health condition to forge a new approach to health- care for women.
Working with other specialists, she aims to combine acupuncture, nu- trition, herbal medicine and self-care to create a new standard for women’s healthcare, from precon- ception, through mother- hood and into menopause.
The concept of Life + Lemons was born after own distressing journey when suffering interstitial cystitis.
She says she was passed from pillar to post with- in the private and public healthcare system, with no real answers. In the end she created her own treat- ment plan combining acu- puncture, nutrition and talk therapy to manage the con- dition and regain her qual- ity of life.
She retrained in acupunc- ture and has had a success- ful private practice for five years, specialising in wom- en’s health and fertility.
Now she is taking her ap- proach to the next level with a clinic based at 2 Artisans Yard, Dyson Place, Sharrow Vale, opening next month.
She said: “There still seems to be resistance to- wards acupuncture and therefore a lack of integra- tion into private and public services, for women’s health and fertility. However, our clinic works with evidence-based techniques
based on up to date, high quality re- search stud- ies. Things are chang- ing, slowly, but it is my intention to forge a more in- tegrated healthcare system here in Sheffield.”
l www. lifeandlemons. clinic/
Kimberley Shepherd.
Mark Asquith.
vate has allowed us to target the UK market much more - we're now the leading pod- cast hosting platform in the country and the Apple trip, plus working with Google and Spotify has really vali- dated the product.
“Plus, we've been able to help plenty of Sheffield busi- nesses and individuals to launch their own podcasts, too!”
RBM has a Sheffield busi- ness podcast at www.steelci- tybusiness.com
Running a small business takes time, effort and dedi- cation. You will enjoy some incredible highs and en- counter challenges beyond your wildest imagination. It can be a white-knuckle, rollercoaster ride and cer- tainly not one for the faint hearted.
Since 2016, Launchpad has been helping new entre- preneurs within the Shef- field City Region to overcome those challenges. Over the past three years alone, we have supported over 6,000 new businesses as well as equipping nearly 2,000 new entrepreneurs with the vital skills to transform their ide- as into a commercial reality.
But what does it take to succeed as an entrepre- neur?
Firstly, it’s important to stress that running any type of business isn’t a de- cision which should be tak- en lightly. Every year, more than 660,000 new business- es are registered with Com- panies House, all backed
Winning businesses at the Launchpad awards.
Without access to the right help and support, be- ing an entrepreneur can be a lonely journey.
Every company director and sole trader faces its own set of unique challenges, it’s one of the reasons why Launchpad was created.
Developed to provide support and guidance to business owners during their all-important first three years of trading, Launchpad provides tai- lored support, as well as access to a wide range of training events through- out Sheffield City Region. Our training is designed to equip new entrepreneurs and growing businesses with the practical help and support needed to realise their growth ambitions.
Getting involved with the programme not only provides an opportunity to master the essential skills needed to run a business, from understanding your legal obligations to gener- ating new sales, marketing
and financing your busi- ness, but the programme also delivers one-to-one business support, delivered by our team of knowledge- able and experienced busi- ness advisors.
All events provided through Launchpad are available to entrepreneurs based throughout Sheffield City Region and delivered in partnership with Busi- ness Sheffield, Enterprising Barnsley, Bassetlaw District Council, RiDO, Doncaster Chamber and the Prince’s Trust. A full list of our forth- coming events can be found at the end of this supplement, as well as via the Launchpad website: www.scrlaunchpad. co.uk/events
Whether you are think- ing of starting a business in 2020, or you already run a company and have been trading for less than three years, find out how Launch- pad can help to support your business journey, call: 03330 000 039 or visit www. scrlaunchpad.co.uk
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Grow your business with Launchpad
by aspiring entrepreneurs determined to make their mark on the world. A fifth of those businesses will not celebrate their first an- niversary and 60 per cent will cease trading within
three years.
Of course, whilst this
statistic will make diffi- cult reading for even the most optimistic of entre- preneurs, it is worth re- membering that there can
be many reasons why busi- nesses fail, but one of the most common reasons is simply not knowing how to access the vital support needed to support those ambitions.