Enterprise Nation

Lyndsey Young is an inventor with a varied career. The invention she's brought to market is the Count On It food freshness label. They are selling like hot cakes, helped by Lyndsey's husband who is Company Secretary and her eldest son who is the product's front-facing model.

What were you doing before starting Count On It? Did you have any background in new inventions/innovation?

Since leaving my job of 10 years in 1992 to travel to Zimbabwe with Operation Raleigh, I have had a varied career.  I taught art to children in the US, which inspired me to return to the UK to study a design degree.  After achieving a First Class Honours degree and a short spell working for a TV production company, I set up my own healthy catering business to cater for the growing ‘healthy/diet’ sandwich market.  Unfortunately I had to give up this business due to a spinal injury, which took me out of action for six months. I then returned to work for Nottingham City Council where I worked until I had my second son.

On winning £15,500 on ‘Deal or No Deal’ towards the end of my maternity leave, I decided to set up my own Design Agency, Open Design and Communication Ltd, which I still run. As I specialized in marketing literature for the housing sector, within one year of establishing my business all of my contracts had dried up, it was then that I came up with the concept of Count On It® food freshness labels.  Since being a child I have always ‘invented’ products and continue to do so, however Count On It® is the first invention I have brought to market.  I intend to bring other ideas to market and am currently working on a couple of new ideas.

How long did it take from coming up with the idea to selling the finished product?

I began working on the idea of the product in January 2008 and had my first batch produced, ready for trading on my website www.count-on-it.co.uk in April 2008.

Did you have to register trademarks etc? If so, how did you find the process?

I have registered the trademark of Count On It®, the design of the label is registered design and the product has a patent pending.  The process was initially very daunting, but with the guidance of Business Link and the advisors at the Intellectual Property Office, I was able to navigate through the process independently and successfully.

Are any of your family members involved in the business?

My husband, Jason, is the secretary of Open Design & Communication Ltd, the business behind Count On It® and he primarily assists with the accountancy aspect of the business.  My eldest son, who is 6, also wanted to be involved and volunteered himself to appear on Count On It®’s first advert, this is featured on our website.

Do you make the products or is that outsourced?

All aspects of our product and their point of sale packaging are outsourced to experts in these fields.  I am responsible for the design and branding of the product.

What has been your most successful marketing activity to date?

The most successful marketing activities achieved to date include getting a glowing endorsement from celebrity mum, Actress and Judge from Britain’s Got Talent, Amanda Holden, who has used them when preparing meals for her daughter.

Another achievement has been being featured in BBC Easy Cook, Your Homes, That’s Life, Cook Vegetarian and Healthy magazine.  Especially when the image BBC Easy Cook used of Count On It® was larger than the image of Jamie Oliver’s Red Nose Day cook book!

And finally, another successful marketing activity has been attracting customers and distributors around the world via Twitter.  Since joining Twitter in June 2008, Count On It® has featured on several parenting/product websites around the globe and has also secured deals with Baby and Eco-retailers in the UK and a distributor in the USA.

What are your plans for 2009?

To secure a deal with a major supermarket chain, market the product internationally and to expand the Count On It® brand to develop more products that appeal to families, helping them save time, money and reduce waste in both food and non-food items. 

• Lyndsey Young – Count On It®