Networking leads to potential product innovation for new business

Launched towards the end of 2018, Bullet & Bone’s mission is to help people become more physically active and perform better in sport and physical activity, with all the associated physical and mental health benefits this brings for people of all levels of ability and age.

They do this with a range of Olympian and Sports Scientist endorsed functional creams, lotions and gels for the skin and muscles. The products have all the functional benefits of medicated products, smell great, use natural active ingredients and are kind to the skin.

As a new business looking to scale up and launch in new markets, Bullet & Bone was interested in finding out more about investment opportunities. In addition, the business was keen to understand if they needed to protect their formulas in the products they were selling and if they could secure help to innovate in future product development. As an experienced business professional, Ian was keen to get to know other start-ups and business founders in Buckinghamshire to share experiences and learnings as the business started to grow. Ian first came across Buckinghamshire Business First (BBF) when searching for funding and investment support online. Once he made contact with Jerome, a Buckinghamshire Business First Business Adviser they discussed the business and Bullet & Bone signed up to participate in the BBF Growth Programme.

Bullet & Bone are now in discussions with a UK university about future developments and potential innovations in new product design. This is an opportunity to develop their brand and increase future growth. These developments have the potential to be funded by Innovate UK and to be supported by the government-backed Knowledge Transfer Partnership, both relationships which were initiated following introductions from Buckinghamshire Business First.

The BBF Growth Programme was really valuable for networking with other entrepreneurs and founders and building lasting relationships. As with many businesses of this size, it can feel quite isolated being the business owner so it has been useful to be challenged on business strategy and decision making in a safe space.

"I only wish that I had found Buckinghamshire Business First earlier! As a start-up business, not only has the sign-posting to available funding been useful but the opportunity to build a local peer network through the Growth Programme is fantastic. I am certain that BBF will continue to be a key resource as our business scales."