‘I LOVE TO SHOP, SO I MADE IT MY JOB!’

Jackie Mulligan’s passion for shopping locally inspired her to quit her teaching job and create an app, ShopAppy, to help other people do the same, and support their local high street

Jackie Mulligan, 48, from Shipley, was a university lecturer. Travelling around the UK for her job, she was struck by how many local businesses were struggling, so she decided to quit her job to start ShopAppy (ShopAppy. com), a website and app that enables people to browse local businesses, book local services and buy local products online.

The digital platform allows local retailers to showcase their goods online and customers to easily click and collect. Shops pay £5 a week to feature on the service. Orders are picked up from either the shop itself or from a collection point, such as a local pub or convenience store, which allows customers to get their items outside of normal business hours.

After coming up with her idea, Jackie made sure to get as many insights from both retailers and customers as she could, to make sure she was building a platform that would work for both sides.

“I had never been in tech or retail,” she says. “I was just good at shopping! It was a real leap of faith.”

Jackie used her savings to kick-start the project, then

set about finding people who would want to invest to help her get it off the ground. She says, “At a networking event, a retailer knew an investor whomightbe interested. I’d never pitched anything in my life, but I thought of all the questions

I’d ask myself. The investor, he agreed to put in £80k, for ten per cent of the company.”

The investment helped Jackie roll out the service to numerous locations across the UK – it now has over 500 retailers on board in 25 towns, over 55,000 users and had a turnover of over £120k in the last year, which has all been reinvested into the business. “This is a long game,” Jackie says. “People are changing behaviours as a result of ShopAppy; we are part of the evolution of the high street.”

JACKIE’S TIPS FOR STARTING A BUSINESS

TALK TO PEOPLE

“People are generous with their time. Get out of your comfort zone, talk to people, listen to what they have to say, and don’t be scared to ask for help.”

START SIMPLE

“Modern technology means you can get started with very little: use free tools like Wordpress, LinkedIn and Facebook to spread the word. You can test out lots of ideas without taking a massive leap.”

SEEK OUT INSPIRATION

“Watch YouTube videos about startups, read books like

The Lean Startup, find local mentoring programmes and use government resources. You can also visit your bank for advice, enter pitching competitions, Google free business events, and contact organisations like BNI or FSB, who can help.”

EXPECT CHALLENGES

“You need relentless optimism going into it, but accept there will be bumps along the road and you’ll be fine as long as you keep learning.”