From biros to Bollinger: Entrepreneur hits big time with perfect pitch
Nicki Stewart, a business owner who has breathed new life into the luxury hamper industry, looks set for the big time after winning The Pitch, a new entrepreneurial competition run by BusinessZone.co.uk.
The entrepreneur, who claimed top spot in the business challenge presented in associated with the Bristol Design Festival, ditched an 18 year career selling stationery to take on the big boys of the hamper industry with an innovative, new approach.
Stewart’s Diverse Hampers has provided a breath of fresh air in a sector traditionally associated with wicker baskets and tinned ham. Offering a bright, new and innovative alternative to the norm, the company provides a collection of striking gifts in towers of boxes containing products from small, artisan producers from around the UK.
The serial entrepreneur was one of seven shortlisted individuals who presented a four minute pitch to a panel of experts before answering a range of questions on their design, invention or business idea.
The panellists were Jonny Allatt, investment director at Zeus Private Equity; Modwenna Rees-Mogg, editor of www.angelnews.co.uk; Samantha Fountain, founder of Shewee and Ben Heald, chief executive of Sift.
After a compelling pitch, Nicki Stewart was announced as the winner. She said: “I am absolutely delighted to have won win The Pitch. It is an excellent platform on which to increase the profile of my company.
“Far from being accomplished in the art of presenting, I entered the competition with apprehension! However, I found the process of presenting to such an important audience an invaluable experience.
“Pitching my company to four extremely successful business people was a formidable task but very rewarding.”
Jonny Allatt, investment director at Zeus Private Equity was impressed by the entry. “It was refreshing to see such a diverse group of entrepreneurs and designers who had worked hard to impress the judges with their ideas,” he said. “All of them performed well but Nicki impressed in particular with her creative approach to a traditional product and drive to succeed. I hope the prizes she has won will inspire her further to make Diverse Hampers a success.”
Dan Martin, editor of BusinessZone.co.uk, added: “Everyone involved in The Pitch was very impressed by all the contestants’ presentations, particularly as some were pitching for the first time. The high standard exhibited by the seven finalists bodes well for the future of UK entrepreneurship and we are sure that they all left with many positive pointers on how they can develop a successful business.
“Nicki Stewart is a very worthy winner. She has set herself some challenging targets but she exhibits the sort of passion and determination required to meet such aims. The package of prizes, worth £1,200, which she now receives will go a long way to growing Diverse Hampers into a even more successful business. Everyone at BusinessZone.co.uk would like congratulate Nicki on her win and we look forward to following her on her entrepreneurial journey.”
Included in the prize package, is full membership of UK Business Forums, the UK’s most active online forums for entrepreneurs; eight business coaching sessions worth £480 donated by EM3; a year’s membership of consultation connection website Skillfair worth £120, e-commerce software from Actinic which normally retails at £399 and a signed copy of the best-selling book The Entrepreneur’s Book of Checklists by Robert Ashton.
Nicki Stewart concluded: “I think The Pitch is a fantastic idea for SMEs; not only to increase awareness for their venture but also to gain personal experience and learn from successful individuals.”
Unlike other business contests, the aim of The Pitch is to give all participants the chance to receive advice on achieving success from some of the UK’s leading SME specialists and every entrant in the inaugural challenge did just that.