The final piece in the innovation puzzle

Jan Lever qualified as a Primary school teacher in 1981 and has worked in education for over 30 years. She has a B.Ed (Hons) with Religious Studies as her specialist subject. Jan’s interest in PSHE continued to grow throughout her career and since becoming an independent consultant in 2010, she has continued to work alongside those teaching RE & PSHE. She strived to make teachers lives easier by offering high quality learning experiences through training materials.

Jigsaw PSHE was created in 2013 as a comprehensive resource for teachers to deliver PSHE. Since its launch, the business has developed and implemented a number of added/related products for schools. The vision for the company is based on Jan’s positive impact ethos, and her passion for helping develop children with a mindful approach.

Jan and her team discovered the innovate2succeed programme through Business West’s Intellectual Property (IP) specialist Dave Morgan. He was conducting an IP Audit and recommended the programme to Jan to assist with the IP issues she had identified. The business had already registered four trademarks in the UK but had limited protection for the business globally. Jigsaw had no protection for its corporate identity and needed to develop an IP strategy to protect the business both in the UK and internationally, and to keep up with the continual business growth.

The innovate2succeed programme assessment resulted in the creation of an action plan to address modules ‘Preparing your Financial Projections’ and ‘Intellectual Property’. Identifying and prioritising the key components of growth to deliver Jigsaw’s strategic and financial objectives was the main area of focus for the business. Simon Thompson, our financial specialist, outlined a three year financial forecast which included cash flow, a balance sheet and profit and loss for the business. This will be followed up with support and training on the programme to allow ongoing alterations to take place. IP specialist, Dave Morgan, worked with Jigsaw again to provide them with a robust IP strategy to support them both in the UK and overseas. They have now acquired trademark registration to protect their brand and trading identity both in the UK and overseas, with policing of all materials and resources produced by Jigsaw to ensure their copyright is not being infringed upon.

Elaine Arnold Business Manager for Jigsaw said,

“The support provided by Business West and the innovate2succeed programme has been instrumental in supporting the development of Jigsaw. The tools suggested have played a pivotal role in helping us to improve the way we perceive and market our product. The variety of sectors covered has provided a depth of insight and support which is specific to our business and has helped us focus on the way forward.”

The vision for Jigsaw’s future is to continue to grow the business and reach into more schools across the UK and develop their already growing international business. This will mean that more children can benefit from Jigsaw’s positive impact.

Innovation should be considered a key component of any business growth strategy, which is why the innovate2succeed programme has been designed to help embrace innovative business practices and increase chances of success.