Member Article

Horticulture entrepreneur sows seeds for a bright future

If there was ever a doubt that gardening is the new rock’n’roll you only have to look at the huge coverage the RHS Chelsea Flower Show attracts from mainstream media to see that horticulture is, in every sense of the word, a growing sector.

Michael Boylan, short-listed for the 2015 Spark Business competition, run by Stockport Business and Innovation Centre (SBIC), is part of a new wave of horticultural entrepreneurs with big ideas and a drive to modernise the way we garden. Michael’s brilliantly simple horticultural idea is TwistPot, a height adjustable plant pot and tray system which allows water to drain and air to circulate promoting healthy, more productive plants.

TwistPot, which is priced similarly to standard plant pots with trays, is already attracting interest from horticulture wholesalers in the UK and abroad.

Currently only supply one size of plant pot and tray, Michael is keen to develop his product range to suit all situations. Michael says: “From day one I have been asked for different sizes of pot, so providing a range of pots of various sizes is a major part of my growth strategy.”

Michael adds: “With TwistPot’s advantages, and because it’s priced the same as a standard pot and tray, choosing TwistPot is a no-brainer, and it’s why I’m confident my idea is sound. I also have another idea with a patent pending and I hope to add this to my company’s offerings, which, I’m sure will be equally as successful as TwistPot.”

Michael is currently working on a marketing strategy for his invention, and believes winning the 2015 Spark Business competition and a package of support worth £15,000, including a year’s free office space at SBIC which is owned by Stockport Council and part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, will give his business the boost it needs to take off. He concludes: “I have garden centre distributors lined up to take TwistPot and the QVC channel has taken it on, so the future is looking positive. Winning the support package on offer would help me to set up an office and consolidate what I have already built up.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by James Welton .