As the world celebrates and empowers entrepreneurs in every country and community around the universe to mark the annual Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), FinIntell spotlights a model entrepreneur, Eric McBean, founder of the award-winning startup, Squosh Compacting Company –UK’s first mobile compacting service dedicated to communal bins.
Mr. McBean thought it wise to run a free business start-up workshop tagged, ‘Think Big, Start Small,’ for budding entrepreneurs around Manchester and its environs in order to add colour to the GEW celebration and empowerment week. At the Manchester Central Library, he shared his start-up journeys from a mini bus service in 1982 to 2024 with Squosh Compacting Company.
At the workshop, Mr. McBean, who has spent over a decade volunteering as a Business Mentor for The Prince’s Trust with one of his mentees winning the Pride of Britain award, showed entrepreneurs how to maximise their current resources, minimise the growing pains and give their business a better chance of survival.
The insights shared by the qualified Business Advisor, accomplished Business Mentor and accredited Business Coach were definitely not some get-rich-quick tips, but were practical advice based on decades of experience as an entrepreneur and advisor.
Think Big, Start Small
Mr. McBean said that ‘Think Big, Start Small’ is a principle that describes a way an entrepreneur can consider a full range of possible futures while breaking ideas down into smaller pieces for testing. This way, they can avoid making decisions based on intuition or wishful thinking.
He advised businesspeople to understand the emerging context in business space including considering how disruptive forces like technology, globalisation, and deregulation will change customer preferences and business dynamics.
In starting small, he encouraged entrepreneurs to always learn fast by using scientific approach to innovation and conduct inexpensive prototyping for information gathering while quickly analysing what’s working.
Eric McBean’s Profile
Mr. McBean started his first business at 17, a mini-bus service for teenagers providing day trips to the seaside that returned home after the clubs and bars had closed. He has started many more since; including the UK’s first mobile compacting service, Squosh Compacting Company.
He said that the idea behind Squosh Compacting Company “is a simple yet powerful idea: to revolutionise waste management by maximising bin capacity.”
Mr. McBean is a true social entrepreneur with nearly 20 years’ experience supporting others to develop their ideas and start-up in business. As the Lead for Enterprise and Innovation, he has helped to start and support over 300 businesses and social enterprises across the Northwest of England with one going on to be awarded the Kings Award for Voluntary Service ( Women With Wings). He ensured start-ups had access to funding, support and premises.
Man on Mission
Mr. McBean said that his ongoing mission is to provide professional entrepreneurial support and advice to individuals looking to start up in business.
“My personalised approach to support gives clients the confidence to implement ideas with the skills and resources to hand. My entrepreneurial mindset helps them identify a wider audience for their products or services. I am keen to point out that no one piece of advice is all they need to turn their ideas into a successful business. A lot of people start up with no experience, so getting it right first time is highly unlikely.
“But having access to support will reduce the risk of things going wrong and increase the odds of things going right. My support will also help identify ideal customers, speeding up the process from planning to profit,” he said.
Waste Management
On revolutionising waste management through Squosh Compacting Company, Mr. McBean said, “My journey into this industry began with a deep-seated passion for innovation and a drive to find practical solutions to everyday problems. With a keen interest in sustainability, I saw an opportunity to make a real difference in how waste is managed in communal and commercial spaces.”
“Our mission is to provide efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly waste management solutions that address some of the most pressing challenges faced by landlords, property managers, business owners, and local authorities,” he added.
The compacting technology increases bin capacity, and reduces the frequency of overflowing bins as well as helps maintain proper bin hygiene, thereby reducing the risk of infestations in bin stores.
Project to Service
In December 2019, Mr. McBean launched a mobile compacting service project within one of the largest housing associations in the Northwest. The mission was to tackle the escalating costs of dealing with excess waste around high and low-rise blocks. The service was aimed at 2,000 plus homes in Salford. Fast forward to now, the project has been implemented as a service. Its positive impact continues across the environment, tenants, and the business.
At each site visit, the compactor team rotates and compact the bins to ensure maximum capacity at all times. The team also ensures any excess waste on the floor is in put into the bins and ensures the bins are accessible for local authority collections. Nearly five years on, the company continues to boast a remarkable influence in household waste disposal management.
