Seeking New Horizons

CROSSING BORDERS: MAKING SOCIAL MEDIA WORK FOR YOU

Using social media means you can reach people (virtually) anywhere in the world with outlay that is generally minimal. But be prepared to make a significant investment with your other key resource – time. Julie Deane, the phenomenally successful Cambridgeshire businesswoman behind the Cambridge Satchel Company, very quickly realised that across social media her products were being talked about by influential fashion bloggers, so she took full advantage of this fast-growing, self- promotional tool.

Julie joined in conversations online, introducing herself and telling the bloggers she was pleased they liked her products. She utilised the interest the bloggers showed and turned them into, essentially, a highly experienced and influential focus group, asking for suggestions on what they’d like to see incorporated into her designs. Engaging so strongly in this way online – and responding closely to their ideas – she drew the attention of other bloggers, then of buyers, and eventually caught the interest of huge companies and department stores such as Bloomingdales in the USA.
You can now by Julie’s merchandise all across the world, from Italy to Singapore, Dubai to Switzerland – a successful business largely built through the interactivity of the web.

For more information, please visit: https://www.cambridgesatchel.co.uk

EXPORTING LANGUAGE, EXPORTING YOURSELF: THE CHINESE MARKET.

If you’ve few ties at home and fancy some adventure, and are perhaps beginning to decide that economic conditions mean working for someone else isn’t the best option right now, you could be in the perfect position to go into business and start exporting a fantastic product – yourself!
China is a hugely dynamic and growing market, a country bursting with people eager to do business and aware they need fluency in the global language of business – English. Many schemes exist that enable fluent English speakers to visit for China for six months to
a year, earn some money, experience another culture, put valuable experience on their CVs and maybe pick up some Mandarin, too.

More and more courses abroad, especially China, expect a TEFL qualification (visit tefl.com), which takes four weeks to achieve. Once you’ve got that under your belt, the world really is your oyster.
For jobs abroad, start with…

https://www.eslbase.com
https://www.tefl.com
https://www.jobs.guardian.co.uk

THE FIRST RULE OF EXPORT CLUB…..

is to talk about Export Club! It’s a new venture organised by the Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce (CCC), and provides a place for people interested in exporting, and who are already exporting, to get together with each other and representatives of CCC and swap tips, strategies and ideas.
Taking place on the last Monday each month and at the same time (5-7pm). The only difference will be the venue alternating between Cambridge (Moller Centre) and Peterborough (Park Inn).
For more information, contact Helen Bosett, Sector Co-ordinator, on or 01733 370809.