TEDCO caught up with founders of Everywhere Garden, Emma Bromley and Jacob Wood, to find out more about how their business has found its feet and delivers on their mission to greenify the UK’s urban areas.
Having completed the Digital Track programme – funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority and delivered by TEDCO Business Support – we also asked Emma and Jacob what appealed to them about these sessions and how they think they will help their business thrive and grow – just like their plants.
At 25 years old, Emma and Jacob took the plunge into entrepreneurship last year, creating Everywhere Garden. The brand’s ethos is to make gardening available to everyone, regardless of location, with the help of portable, easily managed garden boxes. The business was born from the pair’s own frustrations about gardening restrictions for urban renters.
They explain,
“We’re gardeners, but we’re also renters within the city, and we don’t have a big garden. We’ve got a tiny concrete yard, which we’ve turned into a garden. We found that process really difficult. As renters, you do all this work, then you have to move. We wanted a product that was portable and easy to use.
“We’ve been trying to get an allotment in Newcastle and it’s a four-year waiting list. For renters like us — who could theoretically move to a completely different city — that’s too overwhelming. But having a little pot that sticks to your window offers freedom, because you can go anywhere and it can move with you.”
Everywhere Garden is small but mighty, and it tackles big issues. The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, ranked in the bottom 10% of the world for green spaces. A huge 92% of Brits are set to live in urban areas by 2030.
Plus, there are many mental health benefits to gardening that Emma and Jacob know first-hand.
Jacob says,
“I was diagnosed with a mental health condition about a year ago, and that happened at the same time I started gardening. It’s been a really important part of me getting better.”
Everywhere Garden wants to share these benefits with as many people as possible, regardless of location or living situation. Both Emma and Jacob work full time, having grown Everywhere Garden as a passion project in their spare time. While the aim is to make Everywhere Garden their sole focus in the coming years, they’re not willing to rush things.
“It’s a side hustle with the aim of one day becoming our jobs. We’d rather it took a few years for us to really learn and develop and do it properly, because we care so much about it.”
The founders laying down strong roots and growing sustainably with TEDCO
As new business owners, Emma and Jacob knew they needed help navigating the entrepreneurial landscape. Luckily, the TEDCO team were on hand. Having initially grown familiar with the organisation through TEDCO’s partnership with Newcastle University, they then joined the Digital Track programme.
Emma Bromley of Everywhere Garden
They say,
“The idea for the business came about in February 2023. We registered the business, got in touch with Newcastle University, and met TEDCO Business Advisors, Alan Dodsworth and Jeff Thompson.
“They gave us an idea of how businesses work, from finance to investment to planning and pitching. We’re business novices, and speaking to Jeff and Alan gave us that sense of security. They gave us big ideas, and let us ask the stupid questions. Growing up, nobody ever tells you how to get from point A to point B. Alan and Jeff gave us the reassurance we needed when we thought we were on the right track.”
Emma and Jacob each took on a Digital Track course: leadership and digital marketing. For them, the connections they made were just as valuable as the information they learned.
“The idea of self-reflection has really stuck with us. We incorporate it into our calendars every week, asking what’s gone well, what could be improved, and what we should be doing differently. Meeting other people at the courses who were in the same boat as us was invaluable. Starting your own business is a learning experience, so seeing you’re not alone is really encouraging.”
TEDCO Business Advisor, Jeff Thompson, adds,
“Digital Track is designed to help business owners like Emma and Jacob find their feet and gain the confidence to embrace the tools available to them. The added ability to network with other entrepreneurs has already proved itself to be productive for both of them.
“I’m delighted the courses have been of benefit to them and that they’ll be looking to utilise what they’ve learned as their business continues to grow.”
The Digital Track programme is offered exclusively to businesses based in North Tyneside, Newcastle and Northumberland and is funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority as part of their Digital Business Pipeline programme. Digital Track offers support in a number of different areas – including marketing, growth and leadership courses – delivered through a combination of in-person and online workshops.
To find out morehttps://tedco.org/digital-track/ about our courses, click here. To see more from Everywhere Garden, check out their website here.