THE CHALLENGE

We were given two weeks to create 15 case studies for the launch of Rebuild, which would provide support to business owners during the early stages of the pandemic.

We worked with Be the Business to produce 45 pieces of video, audio and written content based on interviews with business owners.

“We needed to launch the offering quickly and with the confidence that the MVP was detailed and original and thought-provoking.

“In this space, it’s easy to pretend to be original and pretend to be of the people, but making it happen relies on having those relationships and being able to ask the right questions to get the insights out of people.”

— Hunter Ruthven, Senior Content Manager at Be the Business

THE PROCESS

We worked with our network to identify case studies that met Be the Business’s specific criteria and find people who were willing to share an honest and detailed account of their experiences.

The businesses needed to represent a range of sectors, locations and sizes, and be balanced across the segments identified in Be the Business’s research.

Segments

• Hibernators have closed their business and furloughed most of their staff

• Survivors have seen dramatic falls in turnover or had to suspend products or services

• Pivoters were able to rapidly shift staff or services to meet new customer needs

• Thrivers have been able to ramp up production of products or services

Key themes in each segment:

• Supply chains and new partnerships

• Finance and forecasting

• Technology and automation

• Business models and revenue

• Employee wellbeing and engagement

Creating written, video and audio outputs

Business owners are time poor and consume content in different ways. We wanted to give them the best possible opportunity to access the advice and worked with Be the Business to develop engaging content outputs.

1. Written content tackled a narrow challenge, identifying changes businesses had made that other leaders could learn from:

   • Article: Uncertainty pushed Notepad to seek out predictable revenue

   • Article: The WOW Company embraced short-term thinking to bring value to clients

   • Article: Manchester gin makers claw back lost revenue with a pivot and a good deed

2. The lockdown meant we were unable to film on site. Instead, we used Zoom interview recordings, product images and website demos to add context.

   • Video: Panic buying left Scrubbingtons having to decide where to send stock

3. A short audio clip of each interview let readers consume content in a quick, accessible way.

   • Audio: Formula Botanica used its “war chest” to support staff 

   • Audio: Sift built a feedback mechanism to understand clients

   • Audio: Ecommerce data helps improve Papersmiths’ marketing strategy

The results

The Rebuild hub “aims to bring  you free expert advice on recovery tactics, stories from your peers and access to like-minded people to bounce your ideas off”.

Inkwell’s content provided a base of advice that could be leveraged immediately and has since been featured in Harvard Business Review.

We continue to work with the team to add to the resources.

“It was about creating something which allowed SMEs around the country to see the challenges they were facing in others and see some real live responses.

“We wanted to be a resource that was entirely built on their voice and felt genuine, so they would engage and keep coming back.”

— Hunter Ruthven, Senior Content Manager at Be the Business