Entrepreneurs hope to make pop-up small business surgery a regular event

The Editor -
L-R, Lucy Rigley, LInda Harrison, Paula Duck, Leah Follington, and Helen Reynolds all gave advice at the Elevate Your Brand event

Five York entrepreneurs are celebrating the success of their first pop-up advice surgery for small businesses.

Elevate Your Brand, held last month, was an innovative free event bringing together experts from PR, SEO, web design, social media and brand photography to offer professional advice in a friendly, relaxed environment.
Anyone running a start-up or small business in York could sign up for last month’s event at York CVS on Priory Street. Attendees gained 15-minute one-to-one sessions with each expert:

• Helen Reynolds, Founder of Ink Gardener Copywriting – SEO

• Linda Harrison, Freelance PR Consultant – PR

• Lucy Rigley, Freelance Digital and Graphic Designer – web design

• Paula Duck, Professional Photographer - brand photography

• Leah Follington, Bricks and Clicks Marketing – social media

The event was hosted by Momentic, which supports small businesses in the city as part of the Start and Grow Programme - funded by City of York Council. Helen, Linda, Lucy, Paula and Leah are all members of the Start and Grow Programme.

Helen and Linda initially got the idea for the event after running a live online Q&A in PR and SEO in July for small businesses. They soon realised there was a big demand for this type of business support.
After approaching Momentic, they launched the first Elevate Your Brand event with fellow experts Lucy, Paula and Leah.
Helen, who creates Google and customer-friendly content for websites ranging from holiday cottages to cathedrals, said: "I've always wanted to replicate the Superfast North Yorkshire pop-up business 'cafes' I volunteered for a few years ago.

“The generous offer of a venue by the Start and Grow programme and the other experts kindly volunteering their time created a winning formula.
“It was a pleasure to talk with such enthusiastic entrepreneurs, and busting the myth that you have to spend a fortune to get higher in Google. With Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), it's a case of 'you don't know what you don't know' - but once you do, the sky's the limit!"
Linda, a former national newspaper journalist who offers PR services to SMEs and charities, said: “We were blown away by the level of interest, especially from businesses outside York who were unable to join us.
“As business owners ourselves, we understand the many challenges around growing your brand, especially in the current financial climate. But it is achievable.

“I’m a huge advocate of demystifying PR – it’s not just for big brands. And I hope the businesses I met can start to use the tips I shared to DIY their PR, and get featured in newspapers and magazines.”
The event received such positive feedback that Linda and Helen plan to evolve it into a regular event – and open it up to businesses outside York.
Janet Jay, a Business Adviser with Momentic, said: “The event was a great opportunity for Momentic to support our existing clients in putting on an event to highlight their services as well as to offer the wider York business community the opportunity to get free professional business advice targeted to their needs. Momentic’s Start & Grow Programme is free to anyone thinking of starting a business or already running a small business in York, and offers a unique package of support.”

• For further details on Momentic, visit Start and Grow York – Momentic