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| Sep 2009: Bizzi Bags help retailers entertain children |
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This time last year, Suzanne Halpin hadn't even sent an email - let alone pitch an idea to a room full of executives. A year later and she's mastered both – single-handedly setting up craftis.co.uk and selling her unique range of recyclable children's creative activity bags into hotel chains, garden centres and pubs.
The timely concept is already on target to turn over more than £100,000 in its first year after capturing the imagination of outlets looking to add value while keeping costs at a minimum. Former nanny and mum-of-two Suzanne, 30, said, "I came up with the idea when we went on holiday with our own children and ended up running around after them trying to keep them out of other guests' hair while one of us unpacked. "When you check into a hotel, you just need to keep the children happy for five minutes while you sort things out and unwind after a journey. The hotels I supply tend to leave the bags in the room for families to find on arrival. It makes it exciting for the children to have something specially for them – and a it's a pleasant surprise for the parents as well. It just makes life easier and more relaxed."
After going through the numbers with husband Michael and putting together a business plan, Suzanne researched and designed the Bizzi bag – a range of colourful, educational bags and placemats made from paper with no plastic bags in sight. Inside there are good quality crayons, stickers, quizzes, colouring and a 3D model to construct.
Suzanne said, "It seemed like the obvious solution to me. But I'd never touched a computer, I didn't know what an email was – and I didn't know how to use the internet, I was that bad. After a bit of coaching and some scary moments, I managed to do some research. I discovered there that nothing out there like I was proposing."
With the first consignment on its way, Suzanne began to wonder if she'd done the right thing. "We literally committed our money and all of a sudden the news was full of 'credit crunch' and I thought 'what have I done?' But because the bags work out at around 49p each, hotels and hospitality providers can't get enough of them because they are such good value and they help to attract more families to stay and eat - and attract repeat trade. They are very effective."
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