Skip to main content

A (Belated) Happy Birthday To Us

Put a solitary candle on the cake, it’s Informi’s one year birthday (OK, actually it was in September). So, what have we been up to during our first year of existence? 

After a couple of months in Beta mode, the Informi website went live back in September 2016, back in the days when ‘President Trump’ was still a dream (or nightmare). And, just like President Trump answered the call of his impassioned voters, Informi answered the call of small business owners and prospective startups everywhere. We’ll stop the comparisons there. Here’s the big number breakdown of our first year ‘in office’ and some of our highlights.

How did we arrive here?

First of all, a little bit about the not-so-mysterious forces behind Informi. We’re a small team, most of us split between AAT activity and Informi. That’s Product Managers, Darren and Dan, Digital Marketing Manager, Huw, and our trusted media team, Adam and Jude, with plenty of help from others around AAT.  

The Informi project itself had been in the pipeline for a number of years and was driven by AAT’s charitable objectives to do more to support small businesses and, in turn, AAT members. We identified that many business owners were struggling to get the guidance necessary at key stages of their development. Informi, complemented by AAT’s accounting and finance expertise, would be a free and impartial resource to empower business owners to make better decisions.

So, that was the brief but getting to the Informi you see today took a bit of time. The site went through various stages of researchfocus groups and tests – much like a new business product or service.

An early concept of the Informi site design

Various website concepts and designs were drawn up and tested before we launched the Beta version of the website in July 2016. Through this Beta phase, AAT Licensed Members were the first to test Informi and were encouraged to give their feedback. 

The response was overwhelmingly positive and our nerves were eased. Emboldened, we removed our Beta stabilisers and launched officially in September. 

 

Giving you the guidance you need

Since then, we’ve seen over 150,000 visitors to the website, flocking to read our finely-tuned blend of inspiring blogs and instructional how-to articles. And our support hasn’t stopped there. Recently we’ve launched two ebooks which have been widely downloaded and shared. 

 

Our two ebooks have been well received.

 

The first ebook, how to start a business in 20 days, provides an action plan to help you get your business up and running – in, yes, you guessed it, 20 days. The second ebook, details how you can work more effectively with your accountant, with tips to help in areas such as planning, cash flow, and chasing late payments. Rest assured, there’ll be more to follow. 

 

Getting out and about

It’s all well and good publishing A-grade content but sometimes you’ve got to put yourself out there.

 

We exhibited at The Business Show in both November 2016 and May 2017.

 

We exhibited at The Business Show in both November 2016 and May 2017, taking with us business owner and licensed accountant Henry Cooper who delivered an inspiring and uplifting talk on why start-ups fail. Darren Nicholls, Informi Product Manager, also critiqued the state of the UK’s small businesses in his well-received talk.  

In April, we headed up to Manchester for the Northern Business Exhibition, and another chance to road-test our expertly crafted elevator pitch: “Informi is really good and free.” Actually, it’s a little more refined than that. While our four-date Informi UK tour was modest in scale, each of these events has proved invaluable in finding out what matters to you. 

 

Going social

Most businesses today harness the power of social media to spread their message and sell their products. Well, we’re no different – except what we’re selling is free and entirely good for you. 

In a slightly surprising twist, Instagram has proven to be our biggest channel with over 7,000 followers hooked on our endless supply of inspirational quotes.

 

Instagram has proven to be our biggest channel with over 7,000 followers.

 

Our Facebook and Twitter accounts are ticking along nicely too, with just over 950 and 1600 followers respectively. 

And lest we forget email. Our weekly and monthly e-newsletters are proving a hit – with nearly 6,000 subscribers to date. Taking a thoughtful and sometimes controversial look at the world of business, we’ve covered everything from what not to spend your money on to dealing with failure. A special shout out to Jen Smith, our resident email blogger for her amazing work.  

Sites like Informi are helping to fill that skills and knowledge gap. Today, small business owners have access to a world of free information, available online. This empowers them to make better decisions and, importantly, feel more confident about being their own boss.

Darren Nicholls Informi Product Manager

Read all about it

Since our launch, we’ve provided media commentary on around 130 occasions, promoting small business to national, regional and trade media (broadcasters, give us a shout!).

Our best places to start a small business story in the back end of 2016 proved so popular we repeated the research in September 2017, finding that Ipswich had replaced previous winners Brighton at the top of the pile. This led to a front page story in the Ipswich Star.

 

In September, our best cities research made the front page of the Ipswich Star.

 

(Who said dreams can’t come true?)

We’ve also informed the press about billionaire entrepreneurs without a degree, who SMEs view as their favourite Prime Minister of the last 20 years, and what MPs think about SMEs and imports. To date, we’ve been seen in the Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Yahoo! and The Scotsman.

 

Partnering with the best

We like to think we know it all but sometimes it’s better to defer to an expert in the field. That’s why we are always looking to work with partners who can add their knowledge and expertise across the many areas that affect small businesses.

We launched a partnership with Arval, a leading supplier of business vehicles and fleet management solutions. You can find out more about Arval by reading their tips on leasing and the alternatives to diesel and petrol powered cars.

 

Informi-Arval logo

 

Away from big business, we’ve also teamed up with real-life small businesses around the country. These guest blogs, showcasing inspiring stories and startup insights, have covered businesses involved in everything from gooey grilled cheese goodness to aerial drone photography and filming.

 

Predicting the future

After an exciting first year, we’re toying with two ways to go: keep on turning out first-class guidance and support to small businesses, or take over the world à la Apple. Let’s keep expectations modest and go with the former… In the coming months, you can continue to expect regular blogs and newsletters on all the issues that matter to SMEs plus commentary on the upcoming events such as the Budget and Brexit. We’ll, of course, do our very best to stay abreast of all the latest industry trends and developments, so you can stay one step ahead. Just don’t expect us to predict the future.

 

 

As our newsletter from November last year proves, we could do with working on our powers of prediction…

 

 

Thanks for reading. We’re always looking for ways to improve. Are there any areas or topics you’d like more support with? Have there been any particular blogs you’ve enjoyed and would like to see more of? If you have any feedback for us – we’d love to hear it

Share this content

Leave a Reply

Register with Informi today:

  • Join over 30,000 like-minded business professionals.
  • Create your own personalised account with curated reading lists and checklists.
  • Access exclusive resources including business plans, templates, and tax calculators.
  • Receive the latest business advice and insights from Informi.
  • Join in the discussion through the comments section.

or