From MVP to growth boom for local shopping tech startup 3Miles

Do you remember supermarket shelves stripped bare when the UK went into its first national lockdown in 2020? And widespread reports of no home delivery slots?

There are many other places to buy groceries though – but lots of independent shops don't or didn't have their own online shops or delivery services. That's where this week's guest Mazen Musaeed, founder and CEO of 3Miles comes in.

His Sheffield startup helps people running locally-rooted independent grocery businesses bring their products online and offer delivery and collection services to their customers.

Mazen's last appearance on Business Live was in October 2019 as the business soft-launched as a Minimum Viable Product. In the 14 months since then it has rebranded, doubled the size of its team and enabled "hundreds of thousands of pounds" of business for its customers. Mazen describes how.

Also covered in this episode (number 324) of Business Live:

• The 7th Annual #MicroBizMatters Day is today, featuring recognition, action and learning for people running micro businesses. There are 10 hours of digitally streamed learning sessions from more than 100 business owners covering all the sectors of the economy hardest hit by the pandemic. The event is organised by Tina Boden and (recent guest on the show) Tony Robinson OBE. They say more than a million freelancers, self-employed people and micro business owners will kick start 2021 by helping each other. Get involved here.
• Grants/support through the Paul Hamlyn Foundation: Tech for Good programme and the Social Enterprise Exchange: Small Grants Scheme.
• Sheffield has been awarded up to £15.8 million through the Future High Streets Fund.
• How to get in touch to put yourself forward as a potential guest.