IN THROUGH THE OUTFIELD

By Neil Infield on business, entrepreneurship & innovation

Neil covering Dee’s meeting with Mark Prisk, Shadow Minister for Business & Enterprise. Dee toured the Minister around the BIPC explaining how the centre’s resources had benefitted her as an entrepreneur.

Mark Prisk the Shadow Minister for Business and Enterprise came to visit the Business & IP Centre on 11 December and was suitably impressed. For his visit we were able to introduce him to Dee Wright The Hairforce, one of our ’success stories’. She made a big impression on him as can be seen on the Conservative Business Relations website.

Wikipedia Article
Neil Infield’s Blog

Mark Prisk MP at the British Library Business & IP Centre

Then we made it onto the Conservatives website…

‘Dee is just one success story from the Business and IP Centre. In just six months from June to December 2006, Dee Wright’s new business The Hairforce, based in Primrose Hill, has created employment for five people – herself, plus one in finance and administration, and three fellow “lice assassins”. Over the next five years, Dee (47) plans to establish a network of 40 plus full and part-time staff in London, while branching out into the rest of the UK followed by the rest of Europe. The nature of her business means that it attracts mainly female workers, a significant proportion of whom are mums who need a job to fit around school hours. The Hairforce is an innovative nit and lice removal service for parents whose children have picked up the dreaded bugs. After just three sessions with one of Dee’s lice assassins both the nits and the lice are gone, and recommendations from grateful parents have already put The Hairforce on the map in North London. Dee credits the British Library with enabling her to put together such a strong business case. This has recently helped her win an important financial grant. She says: “I initially used the British Library resources to research the medical facts and reports, and then a wonderful gentleman at the Library told me to go to the Business & IP Centre to find out more about the market and population demographics – the resource was invaluable.’

Mark Prisk said:

“An entrepreneur needs market analysis, information and advice to an idea and make it into a business, product or service.

The British Library Business and IP Centre has an unrivalled ability to provide all three so that today’s good ideas is tomorrow’s profitable enterprise.”

Link to the article