Top 5 for Resources
Mixcloud
One of the most exciting startups to launch last year, Mixcloud has ambitions to become the ‘YouTube of radio’. The team have kept their costs at rock-bottom by living in a rented warehouse and swapping skills with their peers instead of paying freelancers.
Ambition Communications
Having originally worked for the agency, managing director Rebecca McKinlay decided to buy it but was turned down by her bank. Months of negotiations followed, and McKinlay managed to persuade an investor to buy the agency, whom she then bought out in stages.
TruffleShuffle
Vintage t-shirts may not seem the most lucrative of businesses, but this website, was started with just £10. With a little marketing expertise and a lot of press coverage, it has now grown into a £3.5m business - proof that good PR really does work.
Dust and Vac
Energetic founder Lisa Langmead gave herself £15 with which to start her business. Rejecting the idea of flyers because they were too expensive, she bought 100 scouring pads and ironed name labels with her company’s name and phone number on, pushing them through clients’ doors – and she says she’s never looked back.
Creative Soles
Designing a new pair of shoes usually takes a great deal of time and money. But having developed its own technology, Creative Soles can replicate the process at a fraction of the cost, allowing its clients to create their own, customised pairs of shoes.
'Cash is king' goes the old adage - but when you don't have
much, the next best thing is resourcefulness. The businesses in
this category are the cool customers who have worked out how they
can reduce the cost of an expensive production process, saved money
by living on a shoestring or clawed their way out of
bankruptcy.
Watch the video below to see why we thought Mixcloud has been
smart with its resources: