An introduction to the business and ip centre neil infield - consultants network forum - nov 2010
1. An introduction to The Business and IP Centre
Neil Infield – Manager Business & IP Centre
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The British Library vision
We exist for anyone
who wants to do
research – for
academic, personal or
commercial purposes
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A vital resource for entrepreneurs, innovators and business
researchers
Get inspiration Protect your ideas Develop your business
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What we don’t do
Incubation (office space, wet labs, etc)
Prototyping
Commercialisation of IP
Start-up funding
Legal advice
Company formation
Patent office applications
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What we have done
Welcomed over 200,000 people
through the doors…
…of whom over 25,000 have received
direct advice, guidance and training
Delivered over 3,000 workshops and
1:1 advice sessions and established high profile
‘Inspiring Entrepreneurs’ sell-out series of events
with role model entrepreneur speakers
Exceeded our LDA targets for delivering business
advice and employment support
Successfully reached out to diverse audiences
37% BAME
50% women
4% disabled
Increased our outreach programme to
encompass prisons, Jobcentre Plus offices,
outplacement agencies, etc
Developed a highly successful partner
programme, with complementary skills
and relevant networks
Attracted over £8.2 million of in-kind benefits,
including sponsorship, pro bono advice and
support and press coverage
Since opening in March 2006, we have…
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Survey said…
Base: All setting up/running business and
living/working/setting up business in London (155)
Q1. What was your
reason for using the
Business and IP
Centre Reading
Room today?
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Survey said…
Base: All setting up/running business and
living/working/setting up business in London (155)
Q2b Have you used,
or do you expect to
use any of the
following material
today?
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Hard copy Market Research
Key Note
Verdict
Mintel
MSI
Datamonitor
Pira International
Leatherhead Food Research
Frost & Sullivan
SportBusiness Group
Publishers Association
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Trade & Business Directories
3,500 Directories
Countries, Industries & Trade
Associations
Industry specific information
Suppliers of specific products &
services
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Trained Business Advisors
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Ask an Expert
Mark Sheahan
Rachel Elnaugh
David Warrilow
Uday Thakkar
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Social Media
Our group, the ‘British Library Entrepreneur and SME Network’,
has over 2,200 members, 70 discussion topics and 280 wall
posts. Facebook group
Our BIPCTV YouTube channel showcases films of our previous
Inspiring Entrepreneurs events and interviews with our success
stories. 150,00+ views. Watch videos on BIPCTV
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Social Media
We have nearly 3,000 followers, including a number of influential
business experts and successful entrepreneurs.
Follow us on Twitter
Our group has just under 3,000 members and is growing all
the time. Join us on LinkedIn
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Social Media
Steve Van Dulken and Neil Infield write two fantastic
blogs for the Business & IP Centre covering intellectual
property, patents and business-related issues.
The blogs have a great following; their articles are read
around 4,000 times every month by people from across
the globe.
Read Steve and Neil’s blogs
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I found the Centre quite unique I
could get some bits of information
by going to a library, other bits by
going online, and still more
from other sources. But nowhere
else but the Centre can you find
together in one place both the
patent side of things and the
marketing and business
information you need.
Jim Shaikh,
Founder, Yoomi
Award winning Yoomi bottle is now
stocked in John Lewis, Mothercare
and JoJo Maman Bebe and has
recently been launched in Norway,
Sweden and Denmark .
Our Success Stories
The Business & IP Centre provided me
with access to a treasure trove of a
research collection, which offers users
from the creative industries an
intoxicating mix of inspiration and
information under one roof.
Imtaz Khaliq
Bespoke Tailor
Imtaz Khaliq has been named by
Cosmopolitan as one of the four top
tailors in London. She was awarded an
MBE for her services to the fashion
industry in the 2010 New Years
Honours list. Imtaz clients include pop
star Dina Carroll, actress Michelle
Pfeiffer, and newsreader Kay Burley.
The Centre’s team of friendly staff
and experts are outstanding and
offer excellent professional advice
free of charge
Anthony Lau
Founder, Cyclehoop
Cyclehoop converts existing signposts
into bicycle stands and has now been
installed across London and most
recently in Cambridgeshire.
Here are couple of scenarios I want you to picture in your heads.
Me to client:
Why did you decide to start a business with your father?
Client:
Well you need to understand that when I was growing up my father was an alcoholic and I had to be the man of the family.
Now that I have my degree and accountancy qualification and my father has been made redundant, I want to get him back on his feet again.
Here is another.
Me to client:
So what brought you here from Ghana?
Client:
My father was a senior civil servant but got the wrong side of those in power and was killed. My 5 brothers and sisters all had to leave the country for our own safety.
These are both situations I encountered soon after offering one to one business advice clinics the Business & IP Centre.
-How many of you here are planning to start or run your own business one day
-How many know about the BIPC?
The BL is FREE for anyone to use.
We have 150 million items and access to electronic information covering the arts and science and most importantly business and intellectual property information.
Our world class information and expertise supports enterprise and innovation in London and beyond.
Since 2006 the Business & IP Centre has helped over 35,000 small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Collection is vast – around 150 million items – over 600 kilometres of shelving. It covers every written language.
3.5 million sound recordings – from the earliest wax cylinder to the latest chart topper4.5 million maps – from 15th century to latest Ordinance Survey digital sheets.7 million manuscripts – from the Magna Carta to Beatles lyrics on the back of an envelope8 million stamps – including a unique Gold Coast: 1883 (May) 1d on 4d magenta13 million books – including the earliest dated printed book, the Diamond Sutra56 million patents58 million newspapers and journals – dating from 1603 to the latest issue of your local paperThrough Legal Deposit we receive 600,000 new items a year – an entitlement that dates back to 1662. In addition we spend some £16 million a year on new acquisitions.
Some unexpected itemsRecent acquisitions include a box of gunpowder, allegedly left by one… Guy Fawkes
Evolving English: One language, many voices
Growing Knowledge
Inventing the 21st Century
We learnt from our customers that providing access to information was not enough.
So we had to develop a range of new services.
The more we added the more were wanted.
Currently moving from my team giving regular workshops to become accredited business advisors.
Information
The heart of our offering Free business and intellectual property information on UK & Overseas companies, products and markets
Thousands of printed reports, directories & journals and access to over 40 online databases worth £500,000
Impartial information experts guiding you to the information you need – in the Centre elsewhere in the British Library and beyond.
Business & IP Information Advice Clinics
You can book a 1 hour Information Advice Clinic with one of our experts, who can guide you to the relevant information and discuss your ideas in a confidential setting.
Example – You have invented a revolutionary new toothbrush
Talk about why M.R is important.
Eg knowing demand for a product/service
Test business idea. Check existing customer satisfaction.
Analyse competitors
Know your market sector, volume, demand.
Have information for all of the above.
Good business decisions based on good intelligence, you can minimise risk.
Perhaps the jewel in our crown within the Business & IP Centre is our collection of 7,000 market research reports which we calculate would cost in the region of £7m to purchase.
Here is a small selection of our publishers.
Each has its own specialised area of research.
Talk about different market sectors, eg retail, research & development etc
I consider our collection of 3,500 trade directories to be the Cinderella of our resources. Despite their unexciting name for many business areas they are a unique and unrivalled source of information on suppliers, competitors and potential partners.
We have a fully equipped room for interactive workshops
This is one of the 3 workshop areas within the Business & IP centre.
British Library staff – how to find and use information – Companies, Markets, Patents, Designs, etc which are FREE
Partners Subsidised workshops – some FREE
Writing Business Plans – Business Plan Services
Social Enterprise – Red Ochre
Access to Islamic Finance -
PR for small businesses
1-to-1 sessions – London Business Support Service
Our IT training room allows hands on training on our range of databases.
You can access our databases for free.
Hands on search
Ask An Expert 1-to-1 sessions with experienced entrepreneurs.
We now have a fantastic array of experts as you can see:
Mark Sheahan Are you an inventor with an idea in need of a patent, or in search of the right licensing agreement? Meet with our Inventor in Residence, Mark Sheahan. Mark specialises in easy-open, child-resistant dispensing closures for the packaging industry.
Rachel Elnaugh Looking to expand your business but concerned about achieving sustainable growth? Learn from the experiences of Rachel Elnaugh. At 24 Rachel developed the experiences brand Red Letter Days and went on to generate over £100million in turnover.
Working with 17 partners to add to our range of activities
Our partners are vital as they provide training and events which we could not do from our skills base.