Make Your Mark in the Markets

And the winner is…Matthew Crawford of Easy’Nuh!

Matthew Crawford brought a dash of sunshine, a dollop of bravery and pinch of spice to be crowned as winner of Make Your Mark in the Markets with his Caribbean food stall, Easy’Nuh!

Kent may be famous for the White Cliffs of Dover but with Matthew Crawford and his Easy’Nuh food stall, it will now have added Caribbean flavour!

Before becoming a market stall holder, Matthew worked as a high-flying Business Development Manager for a media firm in the City. In January the credit crunch came close to home and he was made sadly redundant. Using this uncertain time to take stock and reflect, Matthew decided to turn the recession into an opportunity and launch his long held business idea.

Using his last pay cheque to buy stock and equipment, Matthew went to his local market in where market manager, Lesley Jennings recommended he entered the Make Your Mark in the Markets competition. This was the kick-start Matthew needed, he adds “I’ve always wanted to set up my own business but have never had the opportunity, so when Lesley told me about the competition, I jumped at the chance!”

Matthew filled out the application form and was promptly selected to begin his free 10 day trial. It went really well and his tasty home-made Caribbean classics such as spicy Jerk chicken and warming rice and peas went down a treat with both market traders and visitors. After a fun-filled but busy trial period, he could barely catch his breath as was then invited to London to attend the awards ceremony – where he found out that he had won!

Matthew will receive 6 months free trading, £1500 and free membership and mentoring from the National Market Traders Federation (NMTF). He adds, “Being laid off was the best thing that ever happened to me! Taking part in Make Your Mark in the Markets has been an amazing experience and we have big plans for our business. I can’t wait to get back on the market and start trading for free. I spent my career generating income for my employers so it’s great that I can finally generate some money for myself!”

Check out what Matthew thought about his fantastic win and have a peek at some of the snaps from the day!

As winner of Make Your Mark in the Markets 2009 Matthew will receive six months free trading, £1,500, free NMTF Membership, and, of course, the glory of winning Make Your Mark in the Markets! Three cheers for him!

Want to make your mark in the markets?

Have you been inspired by Matthew and want to get involved in Make Your Mark in the Markets 2010? Email Denise Ramsey to find out more….and good luck!

The finalists!

Make Your Mark in the Markets challenged anybody with a great product or service to get out there and start selling their wares! Our enterprising finalists were given up to 10 days at the market of their choice to make as much profit and impact possible. We caught up with some of them to share their stories.

Charmaine Williams – Charmcards – Broadway market

An eight month round the world trip led Charmaine Williams to follow her passions and set up card company Charmcards Limited.

Charmaine had always loved art and design and decided to enter the competition to get her products out there. She says “I knew that by entering this competition I would be able to get feedback from my existing customers and meet new ones”. Based in East London, Charmaine created her popular products and found that by being a finalist she was able to gain experience and advice from other traders, she adds “Being a finalist means that I am allowed to pursue a more creative career and be free from the office bound 9-5 life I was so bored of!”

Dianne Elliot – Blue Moonstone – Altrincham market

After working in everything from catering to garment design Dianne Elliot decided to follow her love of aromatherapy and set up skin care company, Blue Moonstone.

After suffering from excessive eczema, Dianne Elliot, 52, went in search of an appropriate remedy. She decided to take a course in Aromatherapy and after countless experiments she created Blue Moonstone, a natural skin care range. Early samples of her luxurious products had been delivered to her local organic shop but it was her stint in her local market that saw Dianne gain a new audience. She said, “I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to make my mark in the markets. I believe that there are so many ways to help save the planet and natural products are definitely the way forward!”

Andrew Fahey – Suits 2 Your Door – St Helens market

Andrew Fahey worked closely with his family to provide a great service that built on both his business know-how and personal skills.

When Andrew Fahey’s mother was made redundant from Woolworths after 15 years of service, he decided to take control of his family fortunes and set up a business. He says, “Instead of settling for a life on benefits I got my family together and decided to try and launch a business. I knew that it was a risky decision in the current economic climate but we didn’t really have a choice and we definitely didn’t want to live of the state.” It took the weddings of both Andrew and his sister to show off his mothers the organising skills, and it was this that lead to the seed of an idea, “I got married four years ago and my sister is due to be married next month, so my mother had became known as the chief wedding organiser in our family. She thoroughly enjoyed it and was really good at it and I thought that it was an avenue we could explore as a family” Andrew explains. The family set up Suits 2 your Door a company in which customers can hire wedding outfits at a fair price. Andrew says, “Initially, we decided to keep the business online as this kept costs down, however it meant that we missed out on passing trade and this impacted on business. When we saw the Make Your Mark in the Markets competition, this trigged a thought in us. We really benefit from having a physical presence. People who are purchasing something as important as wedding outfits really want to touch and feel them prior to order so being on a market stall was perfect!

Valerie Dean – Evalier – Bolton market

Valerie Dean used her skill for jewellery design to create a stall that was not only popular but also inspiring

Valarie Dean, 48, always had a love of design but as a married mum of five she never really got the chance to explore it. After a brave two year battle with breast cancer, Valarie decided to take control of her life and her fortunes. With help for her local Job Centre Plus she decided to take a college course. Unfortunately she was unable to study Jewellery but decide to throw herself in to a new direction and take up Aromatherapy.

She relished this new opportunity however a chance encounter allowed Valarie to finally follow her path into Jewellery design. While supporting a friend at a bridal show, Valerie began speaking to one of the traders who happened to sell jewellery, this gave her the imputes she needed and she decided to not only set up her business but also enter Make Your Mark in the Markets. She says, “I can honestly say, hand on heart that looking back after all the treatment I’ve had done, that I am more content then ever. I’m not saying that it wasn’t tough but it is nice to show that there is life after breast cancer. What I got out of the Make Your Mark in the Market was an insight into trading and stepping stone to expand my business. It was a wonderful opportunity and I’m looking forward to embracing this new chapter in my life!”

About Make Your Mark in the Markets

The organisations above wanted to have innovative and creative new products in their local markets, engage the entrepreneurs of the future, inspire young people to be market traders and to make local markets the heart of the community.

 Make Your Mark in partnership with nmtf, RMA, ATCM and nabma launched the competition in January 2009 and gave young people who have an idea for a product or service the chance to trade for free, gain trader training, be mentored, but most of all the chance to introduce something new to your local market.