Entrepreneur Harpreet Kaur learned a thing or two about straight talking after she clinched the coveted crown in the BBC’s long-running The Apprentice last year. She faced Lord Sugar’s infamous boardroom but says she emerged stronger for it.
“There’s nothing fluffy or airy-fairy about him. He was inspirational to me when I was growing up – this business billionaire who had no corporate background or fancy education. He showed me that if you want something you have to go and get it.”
Kaur’s tenacious attitude is shared by many young people in the UK – according to research on new entrepreneurial trends [pdf] by Adobe, makers of creative and marketing software. Almost a quarter (23%) of 18- to 24-year-olds hate the idea of the traditional nine to five, with nearly half (45%) saying they have their own “innovative” ideas for making it alone, and 64% planning to start a business in the next three years.
The owner of three successful dessert parlours in West Yorkshire selling freshly made crepes and waffles, Kaur credits Sugar and co-star Karren Brady, “a strong, boss woman”, with providing the inspiration for her to steer her business in a bold, new direction.
As she points out, it’s difficult to expand a bricks and mortar business beyond its borders – and you can’t send crepes in the post. “I thought: ‘How do I turn a food business into an online concern?’ Hands down, my biggest leap forward came from the decision to create a product that could be sold nationwide in a cost-effective way.”
As one of the final challenges on The Apprentice, she searched for ideas on how to expand her business. She went on to rebrand it as Oh So Yum and came up with the innovative cookie cup – a dessert based on classic sweets, from Rolos to Creme Eggs, in a rich, biscuity shell. They’re now sold in Selfridges and online, and unlike the crepes, they travel well. Today her business has a six-figure turnover, and she’s set her sights on forging more partnerships with leading brands.
But building a digital brand is more complex than it looks. “Today, you have to move quickly,” she says. “When I first set up nearly eight years ago, the world wasn’t as digital – Instagram and other platforms weren’t as big as they are now. But the days when you could post some pretty pictures and rely on Google reviews are gone.”
Today she’s working from home with her dogs Waffle and Cookie, but she’s often on the move and more reliant than ever on tech to keep in touch. “I need to be in three places at once. My stores are open late. I might be in meetings or coming down to London. I need to run my business on the go with tools that are simple to use.”
She uses the app Adobe Express to create lively marketing and snappy social media content in-house, even though she says she has no flair for design. “I’m not a particularly creative person. But [Adobe Express] helps you build engaging content. Online is the only way you can tell people about your business these days because that’s where everyone is.”
Today, retailers can sell on a host of different platforms, and this presents logistical problems – images and marketing material for instance must be tailored to fit the likes of TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn or Facebook. “With apps like [Adobe Express], you literally click a button and it does it all for you.” Previously she worked with designers to build brands and logos, but this proved pricey and time-consuming. “As a small business, you need to save your time and money wherever you can.” Adobe Express, she says, offers adaptable templates that can integrate a business brand.
She is not alone, with the research by Adobe showing one in 20 Gen Z respondents would prefer to “do it themselves” rather than hiring experts in each field to do the job for them.
From design to market
Another young entrepreneur who was determined to bring her product to market is Kira Goode. As well as overcoming hurdles in the production of her portable device for cleaning and storing menstrual cups and investment to bring it to launch, there was the issue of people getting used to the gadget. The support she’s received from other startups has been her greatest source of inspiration and practical advice.
The entrepreneur grew up loving TV shows such as Dragons’ Den and The Apprentice and began her business career at the age of 10, selling cakes in her mum’s staff room.
Cup Squared (Cup²) began as a research project while Goode was an engineering student at the University of Bristol, where she graduated in 2021. The product makes it easier for women to use menstrual cups rather than disposable pads and tampons: “It’s better for people and the environment.” She and her co-founder plan to begin manufacturing later this year, with a view to a 2024 launch.
With upwards of 700,000 followers on her social media accounts, Goode asked communities for feedback on early prototypes, and is delighted with the final design, made from recycled medical-grade plastic. “We’re very user-centric. I’m naturally quite creative, but I like to work from inspiration from others rather than start with a blank page.”
She used Adobe Express to create a short competition video pitch and was a winner at this year’s Small Business Goes Big contest, run by Adobe and Enterprise Nation. “The templates, which gave suggestions on how we could structure our video in different ways, were a great starting point,” she says.
After such a positive experience, Goode adds she will use Adobe’s software to create marketing material as the launch approaches. “It will be useful once we’ve developed our brand a little more. It allows you to integrate your visual identity automatically on to whatever you’re producing.”
In the future, both business owners say they would like to give back – Goode is considering a buy-one-donate-one model, while Kaur says she’d like to support young entrepreneurs in a tough business climate. “We have to change the way we do business and think creatively,” says Kaur, “because traditional strategies don’t bring the returns they once did.”
Adobe Express and Enterprise Nation are partnering for the next stage of Small Business Goes Big this month, giving 10 small businesses retail space at 58 Oxford Street, London, between 17 and 26 May.
Adobe Express supports small business owners like Harpreet Kaur and Kira Goode to create eye-catching content quickly and easily. Bring your business vision to life using Adobe Express now. To learn more, visit: adobe.com/express