“We’re excited about theTN card’s next chapter”

The TN card has new custodians – and with them comes a bold vision to help local businesses thrive, expand membership and put shopping and supporting local at the heart of our community. Eileen Leahy meets entrepreneurs Dan and Carly Werren…

The TN card – the loyalty scheme that gives members access to savings at hundreds of businesses across the TN postcodes – has new custodians. And, as I discover when I meet Dan and Carly Werren, they certainly have plenty of clever ideas about how they can make it even more successful under their stewardship.

I arrive for our cover interview at the Royal Wells Hotel and find the husband-and-wife team drinking coffee and swapping stories with our photographer, John Knight. I soon discover the reason they have a lot in common is that they all work in the same industry.

Dan is a professional videographer whilst Carly is an accomplished photographer, and together the pair run another business, DC Media, a boutique social media and content creation agency.

So naturally my first question to them is why they decided to buy the TN card.

We were looking to add another business to our portfolio and were initially considering a PR firm,” explains Dan, who grew up in Tonbridge.

He tells me that, for a number of reasons, that didn’t work out – but fate had other ideas.

“We started looking at other local businesses for sale and came across the TN card and my interest was immediately piqued. I’d always thought it was a great scheme, but it took a little while to convince Carly,” he smiles.

The reason for this, she reveals, is that originally the couple had wanted a business that would complement their content creation agency, which is celebrating its fourth anniversary on the day of our meeting.

“Initially I brushed it off,” admits Carly. “But then when I actually started to think about it seriously I could see Dan’s vision for it. It’s not only a great idea to help local independent businesses, but we could also see how it would benefit DC Media because we are experts in social media content creation. So we organised a meeting with the TN card’s founder, Jess Gibson.”

Jess launched the loyalty scheme in Tunbridge Wells in 2020. Since then it has expanded into Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and Tenterden, rewarding members for supporting local businesses and professional services with an array of discounts and exclusive offers.

“We instantly clicked with Jess,” continues Dan, who tells me that his family can trace their roots back to the local area for seven generations.

“Despite having offers from lots of big companies, Jess told us she really wanted us to buy the business because so many of our ideas about the future of the TN card aligned with hers.”

Carly agrees: “Over the course of our conversations she could see we were passionate about supporting local. We live in Colchester and are surrounded by lots of chains, but we will purposefully drive out of our way to find an independent coffee shop. Why pay your money to a conglomerate when you can support a local enterprise? By doing so you are helping sustain a business and investing in the community.”

“Seeing what Jess has built here is very inspiring,” adds Dan. “We feel like we’ve got a lot to live up to, but we can also see the huge potential in eventually rolling out this model to other towns with thriving independent business communities.”

Given it’s only been a couple of months since Dan and Carly took ownership of the TN card, they are certainly brimming with enthusiasm and ideas about how to expand membership, engage more businesses and improve the way the card – and, in particular, its app – works.

Before we delve into the detail, however, one message from the couple is crystal clear.

“Supporting local shops, restaurants and professional services really is a case of: if you don’t use these independent businesses, you’ll lose them. And the TN card offers some fantastic benefits for both residents and businesses.”

One of the first ways Dan and Carly hope to support the businesses already signed up to the scheme is by offering them access to DC Media’s professional expertise – free of charge.

“From start-ups to established businesses, our clients trust us to deliver measurable results, increase engagement and scale their brands locally and nationally,” explains Dan. “Since taking over the TN card, lots of people have asked if we can help them with their social media. Offering complimentary TN card partner spotlight sessions seemed like a great place to start. The only snag is that not everyone wants to talk on camera,” he laughs.

“We create social media content every day, so we have all the experience needed to help local businesses raise their profile. We just need to coax a few more people in front of the camera!”

With more than 1,000 local businesses already signed up to the TN card, Dan and Carly know they will eventually have to charge a modest fee for future social media masterclasses, but they believe the workshops will provide real value.

As well as high street shops, cafés and bars, the scheme includes dentists, personal trainers, wellbeing practitioners and counsellors. There are also hundreds of hair salons and beauty businesses, independent makers and producers, trades, garages, leisure partners and theatres.

“Most small businesses cannot afford the regular fees charged for this type of work, so our aim is to host affordable ticketed workshops where we can share our professional knowledge,” says Dan.

“With more than 25 years’ combined experience in the industry, we think strategically, create content with purpose and make social media work for businesses.

“We know the TN card is all about community, so this feels like another way to support those important relationships.

“Businesses can spend a few hours with our team learning what they should be posting, who they should be targeting, how to schedule content and how to come up with ideas. It’s about giving people the confidence and knowledge to do it themselves. The opportunity is there for everyone.”

The pair would also like to revive regular networking events for TN card businesses.

“Again, we want to add value, so the idea is to have a guest speaker at each event,” reveals Carly. “What makes our local towns so special is our independent businesses, and what makes those businesses special are the people and stories behind them.”

The charity the TN card has supported since its launch is West Kent Mind, and Dan and Carly say they remain committed to helping wherever they can.

“We definitely want to continue supporting West Kent Mind,” says Carly. “But our immediate priority is investing in the TN card app.”

“It’s built on quite an old system,” explains Dan. “At the moment it takes a very long process to make even small changes, so we’ll have to invest significantly to get it working the way we want it to.

“We also need better data so we can understand how, where and when people are using the app. That information will be invaluable both for us and for the businesses we support.”

Of course, making more people across Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and the surrounding TN postcode area aware of the TN card is another priority high on Dan and Carly’s to-do list.

“It’s funny,” smiles Dan. “We were out for a coffee the other day and asked a member of staff if they accepted the TN card. They told us they’d stopped since Jess sold it. We then had to explain that we were actually the new owners!”

Raising awareness and making the card more visible in shops, cafés, restaurants and other participating businesses is another key objective.

“Even something as simple as having a branded stand at the till would help remind customers to use their card,” says Carly. “Eventually we’d like people to be able to store the TN card in their phone’s wallet and use it just like a Tesco Clubcard. We want it to become second nature for both customers and businesses to ask for it every time.”

The physical card is certainly not disappearing any time soon, however.

“We’ve actually had lots of requests for physical cards since taking over,” Carly tells me. “My youngest son has a little side job printing them out, which is lovely because Jess told us that’s exactly what one of her sons used to do. It’s nice that tradition has continued.”

Currently, an individual membership costs £24.99 per year, or £2.99 a month if members prefer to spread the cost. Dan and Carly reveal there are around 2,500 active members on the database, alongside many inactive accounts, so naturally growing membership is another important goal.

Like Jess before them, they are also keen to encourage more corporate organisations to sign up.

“It’s such a great business model and a very small investment for employers,” says Carly. “Offering a TN card as an employee benefit makes complete sense. Staff can use it for a coffee, lunch, shopping, the gym or professional services. It’s a simple way of supporting staff while supporting the local economy.”

One story, in particular, has stayed with Carly since taking over.

“A lady emailed because she needed to change her bank details, so rather than replying by email I gave her a call. We ended up having the loveliest conversation. She’s 80 years old and told me she saves 10 per cent every time she visits her chiropractor thanks to the TN card. She said it was worth every penny. Hearing stories like that makes you realise just how much people value it.”

Another memorable conversation was with a business owner who specialises in supporting people with alopecia.

“She provides consultations and fits wigs for her clients. To think that TN card members can receive a discount for such an important service is amazing.”

Before buying the business, Dan and Carly carried out extensive market research and discovered that although many people had heard of the TN card, they were often unsure where they could use it or exactly what offers were available.

“That’s definitely something we need to improve,” says Carly. “There are so many brilliant offers, from complimentary cocktails and coffees to discounts on meals, shopping and professional services. We just need to keep reminding people how much value there is.”

Both admit they have been amazed by the scale of the operation.

“We honestly can’t believe Jess managed it all on her own,” says Dan. “Now we understand just how much work goes into running the TN card.”

Fortunately, they are supported by the wider DC Media team, allowing responsibilities such as social media, marketing and website management to be shared.

The website itself will also continue to evolve.

“We’d like to introduce premium advertising opportunities for businesses that want additional exposure,” explains Dan. “We’ve already had lots of enquiries about that. But one thing we want to reassure people about is that the free business directory isn’t going anywhere.”

That directory remains one of the TN card’s most valuable resources, bringing together everything from accountancy to insurance, photography and IT support. Better still, every listed business provides an exclusive offer for TN card members, helping them make genuine savings while supporting local independent businesses.

For now, however, Dan and Carly are focused on meeting as many member businesses as possible across Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and the wider TN postcode area.

“At first we didn’t really want to be front and centre of the business,” Carly admits. “But we’ve quickly realised people want to know who’s behind it, and that’s an important part of building relationships.”

I ask if there are any particular businesses they would love to attract.

“We’d love to get more hotels involved,” says Carly. “It would be fantastic for people enjoying a staycation because they could use their TN card throughout their visit.”

Dan adds that members have also suggested seeing businesses such as The Ivy House in Tonbridge, Basil café and Ian Chatfield Butchers join the scheme.

Another idea already being explored is approaching local housebuilders to include a TN card in the welcome packs given to purchasers of new homes.

“We simply want more businesses to come on board because it really is such a fantastic scheme with benefits for everyone involved.”

Looking further ahead, Dan believes the TN card model could eventually work in other carefully selected locations.

“I don’t think it would suit every town,” he says. “But places near us like Chelmsford, Brentwood and Shenfield, where there’s a really strong independent business community, would absolutely embrace something like this. It’s such a good concept and we’d love to see it helping more local economies in the future.”

As our conversation draws to a close, one thing becomes clear: Dan and Carly have inherited far more than a successful loyalty scheme. They have become custodians of a thriving community of independent businesses and loyal members who genuinely believe in shopping local.

“We’ve got so many ideas,” smiles Dan. “The potential is enormous. We know we’ve got big shoes to fill, but we’re excited about the future. It’s now time to build on everything Jess created and take the TN card into its next chapter.”

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