Name: Tajinder Nanuwa
Age: 27
Business: Urban Apothecary Ltd - www.urbanapothecary.co.uk
Type of business: Distributor of luxurious Beauty & Home Products and web retailer of Beauty, Bath & Body and Home
Start date: February 2006

When did you first decide you wanted to start your own business?
Having worked in the beauty industry from the ripe age of 16 it was natural progression for me once I’d worked up the ranks within the industry.

I started off as a promotions girl spraying fragrance, to an Account Manager managing a cosmetic house at 16 to becoming an Area Manager at 22 and then UK Key Account Manager for a Premium French bath and body brand at the age of 23.

Tell us about your business
My business was set-up to primarily distribute brands not currently available in the UK. So this entailed sourcing brands from around the world including Hollywood, Australia, France and California.

We supply upmarket department stores including Selfridges, Heals and John Lewis to name but a few and many independent boutiques around the UK.

Was it your first business idea and where did it come from?
I had always wanted to work for myself mainly because my family had always owned their own businesses rather than being employed by someone. I had many ideas over the years but this one just ticked all the boxes.

I set-up as a distributor as I wanted to utilise the experience I had gained and manage my own brands without producing one from scratch. The only way of doing this was to distribute a brand that was already up and running but not available in the UK.

Was your decision to start a business inspired by any other companies or individuals?
The decision to start my business was inspired by my family and wanting to progress. I’ve always had a progressive career and didn’t want to stand still for too long!

What makes you think there’s a market for your business?
The demand for new / niche brands in the UK is huge. Buyers are always on the look out for something with a point of difference and consumers like to try new things. I search for brands that have a new concept or are a first for the UK and can safely say that I have successfully secured the exclusive distribution of some fantastic brands!

Once you’d decided to start a business, what did you do first?
Search for brands! That was the hardest part to begin with and now I keep finding fantastic brands that I can’t distribute as I have more than enough at this time.

What research did you do?
I carried out a lot of research to begin with mainly on regulations relating to the industry, importing goods as these were things I hadn’t really dealt with in my previous roles but knew they were essential. My family provided knowledge on registering the company, tax and much more!

As I was working in the industry it was easy to research the reaction to brands and asked some of my contacts and friends within the industry to take a look at numerous products before committing to distributing them.

What advice did you seek?
I contacted a few. One was Business Link Leicestershire who were extremely helpful and sent me out information on absolutely everything including details on courses and grants and another was the DTI whose website was extremely informative. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending them to any new start-up.

What other help did you get?
I was lucky that I received much encouragement and support from family and my contacts within the industry which really helped. Also I met other distributors who were extremely helpful.

Does the government need to provide more help to people trying to start a business?
Yes, I think so. There is certainly much more support than there was say 10 years ago but I think there needs to me more help. I think the biggest factor preventing new businesses starting up in the first instance is funding. I think there could be more schemes in place for loans or grants for new business start-ups.

Talk us through the process of writing your business plan.
My business plan was relatively straightforward to write as I had learnt all about business planning whilst studying for my Degree in Management and Masters in Management.

Many of the banks provide software and documents for writing a business plan but I had my own format which worked.

How useful has your business plan been and do you think you’ll stick to it as your business begins to grow?
My business plan has been useful and am very much a believer in it but I believe is should be used as a guide and not strictly followed. With regards to expenditure I try to but I also don’t want to miss a good opportunity if it comes along sooner than planned.

How much did it cost to start the business?
Enough to buy a small house in Leicestershire!

How did you fund this?
I fully financed the business myself but would have welcomed a cash injection from a grant or loan for young entrepreneurs but couldn’t find one to suit my needs.