Uniqueworks Ltd – hands on support for a hands on business

Date: Monday 21st June 2010

Partners Stephanie and Jake started their dream business, Uniqueworks Ltd, to show off Jake’s talents as a furniture maker and sell his hand-crafted tables, chairs and accessories from a high street shop in Pembroke. With the help of PBI they launched their business and are successfully selling a range of high quality, hand-turned wooden gifts and furniture to homes across Pembrokeshire and the UK.

About the support

Like most small business owners, Stephanie and Jake have passion for their products and a sharp business acumen, but what was needed from PBI in the early days of the business, was to channel their enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit in the right areas, to bring about a profitable venture. Once up and running Uniqueworks accessed a wide range of support from PBI, from business planning advice, IT and marketing support.

Rhodri Packman, PBI Marketing Adviser, provided marketing guidance, where he spent time with Stephanie and Jake, getting them to work on what made them different as a business. Together they developed their important marketing messages and put in place a project plan that ensured Stephanie and Jake knew exactly who they were going to target and the best way to get their unique selling points across. Rhodri commented, “I love working with people who are passionate about their products. This makes it so much easier to find ways to market the business and to communicate this to potential customers.”

The Results

Uniqueworks opened their shop in June 2009 and are now planning the next step to expand to selling Jake’s sought after products on the internet. Stephanie is looking forward to a successful 2010 summer high street trade, with Jake busy with commissions and planning to run traditional carpentry courses. Word has spread about Jake’s talent which has resulted in Uniqueworks’ achieving the Pembrokeshire Produce mark and his furniture being enjoyed in homes across the UK.

In their own words

Peter Davies, Business adviser at PBI said; “At PBI we work as a team and I think it shows that the experience and knowledge we all bring to a business is really beneficial, and ensures that at each step in the growth of the business, PBI is here to help.”Stephanie concludes, “We've always thought Jake's furniture was a good product, and the fact that everything we sell is handmade and unique is really important. Peter, Rhodri and Sandra at PBI have helped to lift a lot of the worries of our first year of business, with their sound advice and focus upon best practice and success. I really would recommend any new local business get in touch with them. The positive feedback about our company from our customers has been fantastic and we're now really looking forward to expanding the business over the coming year”.

Uniqueworks received support through PBI’s ‘Business Support for Farm Diversification’ Programme. The programme has received funding through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. Click here for more information on the Rural Development Programme.

If you are interested in accessing support to help start, grow or improve your business, please contact PBI to find out more information about how we can assist you and eligibility for subsidised support schemes that you may be able to access.

Call: 01646 695300, eMail:info@pbi.org.uk or visit:www.pbi.org.uk