Page 4 - Start Up Special: The Star January 2019

14 NINS www.thestar.co.uk Wednesday,January23,2019
START-UP SPECIAL
In association with
‘Girl power’ reigns on the dancefloor
Green for go after brain operation
When a friend’s handbag was stolen in a Sheffield night- club-andhercarwithit-Sue Burton was shocked and an- gry - so she invented a wrist accessory with a secret com- partment.
The faux-leather flower has just enough room for cards, keys and cash and does away with the dangers of dancing round your hand- bag and leaving it unattend- ed.
Originally designed for salsa and kizomba - a close- hold dance where women can’t carry bags - Sue made the first one to hold her cash, car key and lipstick.
Awareness quickly spread through the dance scene, she says, especially after Debbie McGee wore one on Strictly Come Dancing.
A manufacturer was ap- pointed and the Kizomba corsage has been sold around the world.
Sue said she feels proud when she sees one on a danc- er and reminds herself of how it began using her sew-
Robert Allott set up The Green Planet Advertiser to challenge himself after life saving brain surgery.
He fell ill on holiday in Thailand in 2009 and after an operation spent a week in intensive care.
By 2013 he had re-trained his brain to work and by 2017 he had completed the website and decided to turn it into a business.
Green Planet Advertis- er is a one-stop, eco, green directory for companies to advertise their credentials and products on one site. It offers competitively priced, flexible advertising with a link to a global marketplace which other advertising companies cannot, says Robert, of Shelley Drive, Barnsley.
And it vets all the compa- nies listed.
Robert with medics
He added: “The journey has been long and hard. It’s taken me eight years to get to where I am today, the website has been created and uploaded onto the in- ternet.
“The next big challenge is to create a successful In- ternet business and gen- erate wealth in the South Yorkshire area.”
www.greenplanetadver- tiser.com
Sue Burton and the corsage wrist accessory with a secret compartment
Life coach Mike’s outstanding service
ing machine. She added: “Ki- zomba corsage was created and designed especially for female dancers and has had 100 per cent female input,
from concept, design, man- ufacture, promoters, web designer and even photog- rapher.
“When women work to-
gether, incredible things can happen. Now that’s local girl power.”
http://www.kizombacor- sage.com
Following years of full-time employment in sales and marketing, Mike Lawrence, bought a self-help book - and his life changed for- ever.
He read ‘Think
and Grow Rich’
and joined training expert Alan David Kershaw’s academy where he was inspired to set up a life coaching and holistic hypnotherapy practice.
Mike, pictured, based at Redlands Business Cen- tre on Tapton House Road, was presented with a certif-
icate of recognition for outstanding services at a conference on anxiety manage- ment in Germany for conducting a workshop on allevi-
ating stress.
Mike Lawrence Holistic
Therapies www.mikelaw- rence.co.uk
Hobby gave Steve food for thought
Working as a surveyor for more than 20 years, Steve Jackson wanted a fresh chal- lenge and to indulge a pas- sion for birdlife, forged from his childhood on the family farm.
“My work was becoming increasingly office-based and rather sedentary and I could sense it probably wasn’t doing my health any good.
“I’d been thinking about starting my own business for a while, so I thought back to my farming days for inspi- ration. I remembered mix- ing animal feeds as a lad and always found it a really sat- isfying job, plus I’ve always experimented with my own feed mixes for the birds in our garden. So my business idea started from there re- ally.”
Steve took the plunge, bought a van, rented a small workshop at Woodbourn Business Centre, Jessell
Jamie sets ball rolling on football franchise
Steve Jackson has a passion for birdlife
Jamie Green played for Rotherham United for four years and made 62 league appearances, scoring the last goal at their Millmoor ground 10 years ago in a 1-0 victory over Barnet.
So he knows how much fun football can be.
And even though he trained as a physiotherapist and worked in the NHS for two years, he never left the game completely, working at ‘Mini Kicks’ Doncaster, which runs football classes.
Established by former pro Ben Hunter, and now re- branded as the Kixx Group,
Street, Sheffield, and Rive- lin Wild Bird Food took off.
“I had no income at this point, just surviving off sav- ings, which was a bit un- nerving. But once I’d got everything set up, I soon started getting regular cus- tomers and it’s just built from there.
“Everything’s done by
hand, but means it’s really good quality, which is what my customers want, but more importantly provides the best nutrition and energy for the birds.
“I’m now also selling feed- ers, nest boxes and bird ta- bles, plus feeds and habitats for other wildlife.
“Most customers or-
der from my website or just phonemeup–Ithendothe rest and deliver straight to their home myself, so they get more of the personal touch. I also use less packag- ing as a result, which I’ve tak- en further with our unique home feed-bin refilling ser- vice.”
www.rivelinwildbirdfood.co.uk
Jamie Green
last year Jamie purchased a franchise, launching his career in business.
He said: “Recently, we have had great success and delivering our innovative sessions to over 100 chil- dren at our academies.”