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When it comes to finding independent city boutiques many of us might recall a few we’ve stumbled upon, but British Social Entrepreneur and UnchainedGuide.com co-Founder Lea Simpson is taking independent shopping to a whole new level. As we all embarked on festive shopping season this year, Behance caught up with Lea to find out about her motivations, and the future plans for the Unchained revolution.
Growing up in Johannesburg, South Africa, Lea Simpson describes her childhood as culturally very colorful. “Growing up in South Africa gave my generation an interesting sense of responsibility to the world around us. The policy of our childhood was a reminder of what could happen when people didn’t act or rebel. And a bright promise of a new future showed us what the human spirit could really accomplish. This was hugely empowering, it showed us that if we wanted to, we could all play our part in making small differences.”
Like most creative people I know, I'm a champion procrastinator.
The idea for Unchained happened in the summer of 2007, as Lea began settling into life in London. Lea explains; “One day me and Dave (a partner in Unchained and my fiancée) were out shopping when I had one of my regular moans about “Clone Town” - how everywhere looked exactly the same and how boring it all was. Both of us are geeky web junkies so we thought there had to be an online guide to London’s indie shops. So when we got home, we had a look and there was nothing. We immediately thought: hmm, we should start a guide of our own. By the end of 2007 we’d built it, UnchainedGuide.com.”
"I think that everyone is naturally inclined to be a thinker or a doer. I'm definitely more of the former and as such have to work really hard to be a doer. Like most creative people I know, I'm a champion procrastinator. I could merrily spend hours browsing the internet and reading my friend's blogs if left to my own devices. I manage myself by knowing my motivations and using this knowledge to get stuff done. Nothing gets me moving like a deadline. In fact, the more unreasonable the deadline the more motivated I become. If I know someone is expecting something from me I'll always get it done."
Unchained continues now as a collaborative partnership, where Lea works with co-partners Dave Birss and Pedro Garcia. "It's so important to go into business with the right people. The three partners in Unchained all bring something different to the table. We react differently to dilemmas, have different skill sets, and offer different angles on the same thing. The two of them are hugely inspiring to me. Also, and I know this sounds cheesy, our users are the greatest source of inspiration. Listening to them, what they want from us, what they misunderstand us to be and what they think of how we're doing has caused many great developments. If enough people want us to be in New York, for instance, perhaps we should listen to them."
I wish someone had told me ages ago is not to get too attached. Because creative people actually create their businesses, it's easy to love it to death.
As far as a simple tip or advice that can save countless hours, Lea shares insights from her experiences as an entrepreneur. “Apart from the things we hear a lot that are true, like it takes years and years to become an overnight success, the thing that I wish someone had told me ages ago is not to get too attached. Because creative people actually create their businesses, it's easy to love it to death. It's really important to remember that business is business and that once you create a brand, that brand belongs to your users and customers way more than it belongs to you. I also see a lot of people creating a product or service as if all consumers are just like them. It reminds me of those trashy property development shows where people try to fix houses up to sell them on for a profit and then go and decorate it according to their own specific tastes. Build your business in a way that makes it most valuable, profitable and commercially sustainable, and know your audience, because they're not all like you."
The UnchainedGuide is currently live in London and New York, but what are the big plans for 2009? “By the New Year, we’ll have added seven more UK cities to the list. 2009 will see us rolling out into even more cities across America and Europe, launching our e-shopping (we want to be a big, virtual department store with little shop concessions) and… we will be launching Unchained TV!”
--
Founded and run by Lea Simpson, Dave Birss and Pedro Garcia, UnchainedGuide.com is an online city guide to the best independent shops. All Unchained shops are unique, one-offs. None of them are multinational chains, but are owned and run by real people with a passion for what they sell.
Like most creative people I know, I'm a champion procrastinator.
The idea for Unchained happened in the summer of 2007, as Lea began settling into life in London. Lea explains; “One day me and Dave (a partner in Unchained and my fiancée) were out shopping when I had one of my regular moans about “Clone Town” - how everywhere looked exactly the same and how boring it all was. Both of us are geeky web junkies so we thought there had to be an online guide to London’s indie shops. So when we got home, we had a look and there was nothing. We immediately thought: hmm, we should start a guide of our own. By the end of 2007 we’d built it, UnchainedGuide.com.”
"I think that everyone is naturally inclined to be a thinker or a doer. I'm definitely more of the former and as such have to work really hard to be a doer. Like most creative people I know, I'm a champion procrastinator. I could merrily spend hours browsing the internet and reading my friend's blogs if left to my own devices. I manage myself by knowing my motivations and using this knowledge to get stuff done. Nothing gets me moving like a deadline. In fact, the more unreasonable the deadline the more motivated I become. If I know someone is expecting something from me I'll always get it done."
Unchained continues now as a collaborative partnership, where Lea works with co-partners Dave Birss and Pedro Garcia. "It's so important to go into business with the right people. The three partners in Unchained all bring something different to the table. We react differently to dilemmas, have different skill sets, and offer different angles on the same thing. The two of them are hugely inspiring to me. Also, and I know this sounds cheesy, our users are the greatest source of inspiration. Listening to them, what they want from us, what they misunderstand us to be and what they think of how we're doing has caused many great developments. If enough people want us to be in New York, for instance, perhaps we should listen to them."
I wish someone had told me ages ago is not to get too attached. Because creative people actually create their businesses, it's easy to love it to death.
As far as a simple tip or advice that can save countless hours, Lea shares insights from her experiences as an entrepreneur. “Apart from the things we hear a lot that are true, like it takes years and years to become an overnight success, the thing that I wish someone had told me ages ago is not to get too attached. Because creative people actually create their businesses, it's easy to love it to death. It's really important to remember that business is business and that once you create a brand, that brand belongs to your users and customers way more than it belongs to you. I also see a lot of people creating a product or service as if all consumers are just like them. It reminds me of those trashy property development shows where people try to fix houses up to sell them on for a profit and then go and decorate it according to their own specific tastes. Build your business in a way that makes it most valuable, profitable and commercially sustainable, and know your audience, because they're not all like you."
The UnchainedGuide is currently live in London and New York, but what are the big plans for 2009? “By the New Year, we’ll have added seven more UK cities to the list. 2009 will see us rolling out into even more cities across America and Europe, launching our e-shopping (we want to be a big, virtual department store with little shop concessions) and… we will be launching Unchained TV!”
--
Founded and run by Lea Simpson, Dave Birss and Pedro Garcia, UnchainedGuide.com is an online city guide to the best independent shops. All Unchained shops are unique, one-offs. None of them are multinational chains, but are owned and run by real people with a passion for what they sell.
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