Ross Bailey

Blog . Click dates to view entire post. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-27990702-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[mrrossbailey]

The Sharing Economy and a trip to Number 10.

The Sharing Economy has been experiencing a surge of growth over the last couple of years. Currently there are around 7000 companies operating in the sharing economy space, with 1000 of these companies based in the UK. It’s expected that over $350 billion transactions will soon be taking place a year through the Sharing Economy as businesses in every sector are looking to collaborative consumption, changing the consumer landscape and disrupting the status quo.

Recognising its importance and wishing to show their support, alongside encouring others to show theirs too, The Government invited a selection of pioneers within this sector to join them at The Sharing Economy Event at Number 10. Amongst those in attendance were the CEOs of One Fine Stay, HouseTrip, Park at My House, Home Swap and Head of Policy for Air Bnb, all amazing businesses making waves in this area.

Working in groups we tried to highlight key issues for our businesses and how the Government could help. Popular topics looked at an increase in tax relief for those renting out anything as part of the sharing economy, relaxing of planning legislation (especially for secondary use of vacant space) and working with insurance providers to make the process of getting insurance simpler for consumers.

Collaborative consumption works by utilizing previously ignored or unnoticed value in our assets, by both eliminating waste and generating demand for goods and services that are otherwise idle. For instance, Appear Here takes an otherwise ignored asset, that empty shop, and connects it to creative and innovative brands and entrepreneurs - essentially anyone who want to make something happen in that space! We believe that access trumps ownership and thats why we are giving more and more people the opportunity to access prime retail locations.

A great example of this is a studio space we found in Chelsea. The landlord had left this space empty for a number of years, but it was becoming a burden. We asked if we could list it on Appear Here and within a couple of weeks the space has booked up by five different tenants. Flash forward a year, the space is still fully occupied and the landlord is achieving above market rent for the property overall, while a wide range of tenants have the opportunity to showcase their ideas in an otherwise unaffordable location.

Being invited along to Downing Street to take part in this event, marked a exciting step forward for Appear Here and our model of collaborative consumption. I left excited, not just because I'd had a snoop around the PM's house, but by the positive attitudes I'd encounterd during the day. With the right support for both businesses and their communities the Sharing Economy has potential to do great things. Businesses operating in this sector need to be empowering their users to grow, and make their visions happen. As Lord Green reminded us in his closing statement, “Enterprise is about an attitude to life.”

Ross Bailey, Appear Here, CEO & Founder.

[mrrossbailey]

Appear Here: The Story So Far.

A year ago, we set out to change the way people rented space. A year later, we’re getting closer to reaching that goal!

Appear Here was launched with a simple aim; to make renting a shop as easy as booking a hotel room.

Our online marketplace connects landlords vacant spaces to brands and retailers. It’s a place where anyone can discover space, rent it just for a moment and launch their idea.

Since launching in 2013, we’ve grown - space by space, street by street, city by city. Today we list over 250 spaces, in cities nationwide and are excited to see 1000’s of people signing up to use the service.

From London to Edinburgh, Liverpool to Bristol, Appear Here is constantly expanding its network, giving brands and retailers access to new audiences and areas across the country.

What’s the grand vision? We want to build a global network of spaces so people can make their ideas travel from city to city and around the world.

Today’s funding announcement is exciting news for all our community. It allows us to reach further, build on our software, and essentially make it even easier for our users to launch a shop.

We’d like to take this moment to say a big THANK YOU to our community and everyone who has supported us along the way.

The early adopters, our landlords, brands, and anyone who had an idea and used Appear Here to make it happen.

People like George Gigney from who used us to find a space in Camden Lock Market and launch his own streetwear brand, Wreck London, now worn by X Factor’s Rough Copy and England footballer - Wilfred Zaha.

Or Jack and the team from Give Truly who went online to offline with their experience-led shop in The Brunswick centre, who met over 1500 customers face-to-face and discovered what a truly unique experience meant to them.

And finally barking mad ideas like Mark and Piper who appeared in our Frith Street space, ending years of Frappuccino envy by giving the canine population a cafe to call their own…

We believe every shop tells a different story and we can’t wait to see more appearing on our streets.

So on that note… watch this space!

[mrrossbailey]

Suitcase Magazine - Column

I was asked to write a feature on Pop Up Shops for Serena Guen and her international fashion magazine Suitcase. Read the feature below. 

http://issuu.com/suitcasemag/docs/suitcase_issue_two_final_ipad_single_pages

[mrrossbailey]

Monocle - The Urbanist Show

I love Monocle, and it's always my go-to-guide for international business, culture and design. So it was great to be asked to speak on there radio show 'The Urbanist' and share Appear Here's thoughts on retail and tell them our ambitions to make it easy to rent space across the world. 

http://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-urbanist/83/

[mrrossbailey]

Appear Here creates marketplace for short-term retail space - Wired Article

I sat down the the lovely Olivia Solon again at Wired, this time to talk about appearhere.co.uk 

"Airbnb and 9Flats have made it simple for people to find short-term private lets on residential property, but the commercial property market has been more challenging to disrupt. Appear Here is trying to change that"

'Appear Here goes to great lengths to present properties as "more than just four walls"' 

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-07/09/appear-here

[mrrossbailey]

Guardian Tech Weekly Podcast with Jemima Kiss

  Had a great response to the podcast I did with Jemima Kiss from the Guardian the other week, if you didn't get chance to catch it click on the link below. 

"In this week's edition Jemima Kiss meets Ross Bailey, founder ofAppearhere.co.uk a new site that aims to connect pop-up-shop entrepreneurs with commercial landlords. Ross tells Jemima why his ambitions are both cultural and commercial, saying that as traditional retail models wane there is a need for a more innovative shopping culture to take hold on our high streets."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/audio/2013/mar/28/podcast-tech-weekly-cyber-addiction

[mrrossbailey]

Today our launch site went live. 

We have been busy working on Appear Here offline - Building a team and finding space for great new start ups, incredible retailers and some international brands. We have helped them share their ideas with new audiences, in destinations near and far. 

Today I'm sharing our idea.

Appear Here, a marketplace to list, discover and book short-term retail space.

We hope you will be part of our journey, we can’t wait to be part of yours. 

Watch this space.

Ross

Founder 

www.appear-here.com

[mrrossbailey]

Mr Ford is the man. This video gives you a look into his mind, how he creates and shows the level of detail, joy and frustration that goes into each product. I love when he talks about putting on a suit and how it makes him feel. 

[mrrossbailey]

The Advertising Industry and it’s self interest?

  Marc stands before us on the stage, every week, raises his hands and repeats

“We sell or we die, we sell or we die, we sell or we die”.

The phrase has become our motto, the school mantra.

I love that thought.  As one of three students on the ideapreneur pathway whose aim is to one day have a brand capable of affording a leading shinny Soho ad agency, it’s refreshing to see that the creative teams at SCA are acting with the clients aims at heart, with the goal to sell more product.

I often wonder if selling the product or the brand is always at the forefront of the ‘creatives’ mind.

Over the last few weeks at SCA many of my fellow students have been in pandemonium creating work for Cannes Lions and the D&AD awards. The buzz has been electrifying, contagious in fact.

When mentors come in, you can’t help but be in awe when they discuss their list of awards, the budget size of a recent campaign or how many views the latest ‘viral’ You Tube clip received.

What I don’t hear is how successful the campaign was in terms of sales. Great audience, brilliant idea – but who converted? The jury loved it – but what about the consumers? I can’t help feeling that sometimes advertising people are just talking to themselves.

Everyone talks about viral, mass market, wide audience – but is this the best strategy for every brand?

My worry is that when agencies produce a big idea with “mass market” appeal, they do it more to make the agency famous and make themselves more money than doing what is best (or most cost effective) for the client. They have an invested interest to create these global campaigns, but is there not an obligation to provide the best result for the client?

Ok, it makes sense for Coke but what about when an agency advises IBM to do a national TV campaign. I bet 2/3 of the British public have no clue what IBM offers., and furthermore, that they don’t need to know. All the effort is spent on reaching that mass when actually only a small percentage of that market would ever be interested. Wouldn’t it make sense to target them directly, ensuring that a higher percentage of the potential market converts, instead of making one large, far, sweep.

Isn’t the truly creative way, to find another way around mass audience?

But then again, “we sell or we die”. I just didn’t realise the motto was on behalf of the agency.

I am not saying this because I am against advertising – I love it. I am at an advertising school. It’s just that over the last few days on the ideaprenuer pathway, we have had several VC’s and successful entrepreneurs in who have raised this argument. They all feel this way and it got me thinking.

I agree that a campaign with a big audience for someone like IBM can significantly grow the brands equity, but I can’t help feeling that the VC’s and entrepreneurs have a point.

I’ve heard their side of the argument, what’s yours?

[mrrossbailey]

What the **** is an ideapreneur?

  Last week Olivia Solon (Associate Editor Wired.co.uk) tweeted :

@olivia_solon : “I’m a huge fan of the School of Communication Arts 2.0, but the term “Ideapreneur” is 100% unacceptable”

In many ways I agree with Olivia. Granted, calling “Ideapreneur” ‘Unacceptable’, is a strong statement, but if you take unacceptable to mean not conforming, nonstandard, offensive or undefined, then great – because these are all words that I would attribute to an ideapreneur.

Ideapreneurs push boundaries, go the edge, create change and challenge the traditional.

The Wired pages are full of words that are unacceptable to or unaccepting of, traditional language: Freemium, tweeted, Googled, the list goes on. All these words describe things created by people who changed the status quo, visionaries who created new ideas that did not conform to the standard of what had been done before. If the English language is alive – then new words have to be given birth somewhere. These newborn words describe a changing world, but can also proactively move the world around them.

So what is an ideapreneur?

Well as Marc (Dean of SCA2 and successful ideapreneur) says “What’s great about the word ideapreneur is that you already know what it means. It does not require any explanation.”

I really agree with him – I guess if I didn’t I wouldn’t be on the School’s Ideapreneur  pathway. Though I will explain what it means to me briefly…

To me an ideapreneur is a form of entrepreneur, (not separate, the word just defines a certain kind). An ‘entrepreneur’ can be defined as:

‘a person who organises and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.’

An ‘ideapreneur’; defines a single group within it, it defines the entrepreneurs that come up with original ideas that evoke change. They are the first to market, the ones that change the industry, disrupt the status quo and the way things have been done before.

An ideapreneur is inspired by the idea as much as the monetary gain, they want to see their vision come true. They want to take the coal and turn it into a diamond, not just take a diamond and flog it for more. A lot of entrepreneurs are parasites of Ideapreneurs, they invest in their ideas, take them over or re-educate them after they have trodden the initial path.

When Ideapreneurs succeed we see companies like Apple, Virgin and Twitter, founders like Steve Jobs, Richard Branson and Jack Dorsey. Would you call these guys the world’s greatest business men (I could think of better) or the world’s greatest ideas men (I’d say they are up there)? I think it would be the latter. Of course they understand their way around a spread sheet, of course they get a buzz from the deal – it drives them, but it isn’t their focus, the great idea is.

Is the word ideapreneur a bit lame? Probably.  Did it inspire me to join the course? Definitely. The word wasn’t used just to be able to say we created another word (we have enough words), it wasn’t created to cause a storm. It was created because…. Well, what else would we call it? The School of Communication Arts is an advertising school, students core objectives are to create original ideas that communicate with the target market and sell.

Many of the School’s past students went on to become top ideas people, who created game changing businesses. So Marc decided when he reformed the school to create this new pathway. The objective has remained the same, “original ideas that communicate with the target market and sell.”  Instead of doing this for a brand, we create the brand. Would the school attract the same students with the word entrepreneur? For my part, the simple answer is no.

So we like unacceptable. Ideapreneurs are.

  P.S. Olivia, on this year’s course there are three of us on the pathway that received funding.  We’d love to take you out for coffee to discuss the course, our ideas and why people like Saul Klein, Sir John Hegarty and Seb Bishop believe in the ‘unacceptable’ term.

notes:

Olivia responded to the above blog post with a follow up piece in Wired …  http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2011-07/29/ideapreneur