FLASH shows the way on green marketing to building maintenance start-up
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4th September 2012
FLASH, a free sustainability programme aimed at London-based SMEs, has helped building maintenance and cleaning start-up, Maintain Eco, learn how to use social networking to build its customer base.
Eco innovation is the name of the game for Jose Vincente Ramirez Tarboda, the founder of Maintain Eco, a small family-run London-based building maintenance and cleaning contractor committed to minimising the ecological impact of its services. And Tarboda is a great believer that, done properly, ecological services needn’t be at additional cost to the consumer.
“Personally, I have a lot of passion for the environment and I believe in technology as well. It can save money in our pockets and also be good to the environment,” says Tarboda.
Established in April 2011, Maintain Eco is committed to using the most up-to-date equipment and green cleaning technologies and to limiting the use of chemical and toxic substances for a healthier environment. To date, its portfolio ranges from refurbishing an entire apartment in Knightsbridge to carrying out maintenance work for Reiss, the online womenswear and menswear shop.
“At Maintain Eco we offer a safer and cleaner and healthier service for homes and workspaces,” says Tarboda. And he insists the company is able to offer value to its customers by making savings through green practices such as using refillable cleaning bottles and high quality, environmentally friendly paints that don’t require as many coats to be applied.
Unique selling points will get you some of the way, but Tarboda knows that being a start-up makes it that much harder for his firm to grow and succeed. So last year, he joined FLASH, a free programme set up to support London SMEs looking to win business in the emerging green economy.
“The FLASH programme has been a great stepping stone for us. As a start-up we have been through ups and downs and even with support it’s been difficult, but FLASH has provided us with a helping hand,” says Tarboda.
Through a voucher system, Maintain Eco was able to apply for 24 hours of one-on-one support from an ex-company executive and business advisor called David Preston, who Tarboda describes as “a great help and support”.
The company also benefited from workshops that covered topics such as accountancy and marketing, run by the University of Greenwich.
“The one about marketing was all about promoting your company in a better way through websites and social media, including Twitter. As a result we’ve increased our number of followers on Twitter and most our work has come from this network,” says Tarboda.
FLASH also funded a week-long programme run by Parity Projects, a building retrofit training company.
“We worked with them for a week and we went through new technologies for retrofit, restoration, wall cavity, loft insulation and products out there in the market,” says Tarboda. “There were big companies like E.ON there and small companies like us and we talked about the Green Deal and how it was going to help small companies like mine.”
Tarboda describes the FLASH conferences and events as “excellent” and said speakers were motivational and offered good leads, while the events were valuable networking opportunities.
But perhaps the biggest personal benefit Tarboda will gain from the programme will be a degree in Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Through Jerry Allen, FLASH innovation project manager at the University of Greenwich, Tarboda has been encouraged to enroll to study in September.
“I believe going back to education will benefit my small company,” he says enthusiastically.
“Personally, I have a lot of passion for the environment and I believe in technology as well. It can save money in our pockets and also be good to the environment,” says Tarboda.
Established in April 2011, Maintain Eco is committed to using the most up-to-date equipment and green cleaning technologies and to limiting the use of chemical and toxic substances for a healthier environment. To date, its portfolio ranges from refurbishing an entire apartment in Knightsbridge to carrying out maintenance work for Reiss, the online womenswear and menswear shop.
“At Maintain Eco we offer a safer and cleaner and healthier service for homes and workspaces,” says Tarboda. And he insists the company is able to offer value to its customers by making savings through green practices such as using refillable cleaning bottles and high quality, environmentally friendly paints that don’t require as many coats to be applied.
Unique selling points will get you some of the way, but Tarboda knows that being a start-up makes it that much harder for his firm to grow and succeed. So last year, he joined FLASH, a free programme set up to support London SMEs looking to win business in the emerging green economy.
“The FLASH programme has been a great stepping stone for us. As a start-up we have been through ups and downs and even with support it’s been difficult, but FLASH has provided us with a helping hand,” says Tarboda.
Through a voucher system, Maintain Eco was able to apply for 24 hours of one-on-one support from an ex-company executive and business advisor called David Preston, who Tarboda describes as “a great help and support”.
The company also benefited from workshops that covered topics such as accountancy and marketing, run by the University of Greenwich.
“The one about marketing was all about promoting your company in a better way through websites and social media, including Twitter. As a result we’ve increased our number of followers on Twitter and most our work has come from this network,” says Tarboda.
FLASH also funded a week-long programme run by Parity Projects, a building retrofit training company.
“We worked with them for a week and we went through new technologies for retrofit, restoration, wall cavity, loft insulation and products out there in the market,” says Tarboda. “There were big companies like E.ON there and small companies like us and we talked about the Green Deal and how it was going to help small companies like mine.”
Tarboda describes the FLASH conferences and events as “excellent” and said speakers were motivational and offered good leads, while the events were valuable networking opportunities.
But perhaps the biggest personal benefit Tarboda will gain from the programme will be a degree in Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Through Jerry Allen, FLASH innovation project manager at the University of Greenwich, Tarboda has been encouraged to enroll to study in September.
“I believe going back to education will benefit my small company,” he says enthusiastically.
To find out more about the FLASH programme contact [email protected]. Further information can be found on UEL’s website: www.uel.ac.uk/sri/projects/flash.
