Kivo-ebiz
was a bit of a "light bulb" moment when one of the
Trustees, Steph Hryschko, decided to
clear out her garage and sell the contents on e-bay. A little daunted
by all she didn't know, Steph thought there would be hundreds of
others in the community that felt the same - they would like to sell
things on e-bay but didn't have the confidence or skills. So Kivo-ebiz was launched as a service selling goods for the local community but also providing training classes on buying and selling on e-bay. Until very recently it was completely managed by volunteers who go out to peoples' homes, photograph their items, list them on e-bay and package & post them once sold. The enterprise won £15,000 in a "dragon's den" event shortly after its launch and in 2008 went on to win a number of other awards. From the publicity of this, community groups from all over the country ask us to help them set up similar business models, train their volunteers or share top tips. Much of this consultancy work is facilitated by the DTA (Development Trust Association). The Community Organisers are organising a visit to Kiverton to hear first – hand how Kivo Ebiz set up and to get some guidance on setting up a similar project or projects in Sneinton. If you are interested in visiting Kivo EBIZ please send an email to steve.smith@sneinton-alchemy.com. If you want to find out more about Kivo EBIZ please visit www.kivo-ebiz.co.uk
|