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How to...launch a successful business

Guest post by: Mandy Garner

Article Overview: Mark Smith and Nick Beeny think they have hit on a winning business formula - a website designed to tell people how to do just about anything. How did they set it up and where do they see it going?

How to...launch a successful business

Have you ever wanted to know how to use chopsticks, how to negotiate flexible working or how to drive in the snow and ice [particularly handy at the moment]? Then you might be interested in Howopia.co.uk. The site, launched earlier this year, aims to answer all the questions you might have and some you may never even have thought about, like how to roast monkey nuts.

It is the brainchild of two British men, Nick Beeny and father-of-four Mark Smith. Mark was working as chief executive of a large internet marketing company until May last year and decided to take a break from working in part to spend more time with his family and to get more balance to his life.

However, things didn't quite go to plan. The idea for Howopia popped into his head a week after he stopped work. He spoke to Nick about it and they launched in September. In the meantime, Mark found himself being asked for his advice and set himself up as a consultant. Howopia, though, is his main interest and passion. "It's my big idea," he says. It's certainly starting to take off. Soon after their launch, their PR company got them a spot on BBC radio, which drove up traffic considerably. There are already over 100 people writing for it, including celebrity experts.

The idea, like all good ideas, is simple. Writers can send in suggestions for how tos to the editors and they choose the best ones to be regular writers for the site. They are paid through a shared revenue scheme with the most popular articles garnering the highest advertising returns.

He says the site is based on the old weekly How to guides which his father used to collect in binders when he was young. "They were great to have, but we never used them because it was hard to find things," he says. "The idea for Howopia was that everyone knows how to do something. Therefore we can open up the how to guides so that anyone can write for anyone."

Some of the how tos are obvious ones, such as how to fix a leaky tap, but many are more creative and lifestyle-based.

Because the site has already far exceeded the original 90-day corporate plan that Nick and Mark wrote, their expectations are also rising and they are putting more emphasis on the quality of writing on the site. Mark says there is no fixed number of writers the site will accept, but articles will be "kicked back" if they are not right for the site or not up to standard.

Mark has worked in the media industry for 20 years, 10 of those in publishing and 10 in digital media. Nick has worked mostly online. They are well aware that, as Mark says, "90% of what is on the Internet is not very good" and are determined that that will not be true of their site. To that end, they cherry pick the best writers and pay them extra to edit other people's copy, although the vast majority of editing is done by Nick and Mark. Mark calls the business "very scaleable". "It doesn't need a lot of people," he says. It can also be done mainly from home.

Both Mark and Nick work from home, although Mark says he is constantly on the road. "Everyone on the site works remotely," he says, "but we plan to open a London base soon as we develop."

Mark is very keen to promote a lifestyle that is more relaxed than the typical working day.

Not only is he dad to four children, aged 17, 14, 13 and 8, but he is also a soccer coach.

The most popular articles on the site are not the practical things you would expect. In fact, Mark lists things like how to make scrunchies [hair ties] without a sewing machine and the how to roast monkey nuts as being among the most popular. Mark and Nick also write articles and Mark's how to clean soccer boots is high on the Google rankings. Many articles are topical too, such as how to make a vegan Christmas pudding and how to clear snow.

In addition to running Howopia, Mark runs his own media consultancy, adhocmedia.com. "I thought when I left people would stop talking to me, but the phone kept ringing and I am now giving advice to several organisations," he says. "I get to choose who I work with and do it on an ad hoc basis. It's Howopia, though, where I see my long-term success."

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Article Tags: internet business, media industry, start a business



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