Our one bedroom flat became the office

I run an award winning design, brand development and marketing agency. We help businesses understand, develop and optimise their brand potential to achieve strategic business growth.

The business began in 1986. I’d been studying a degree in graphic design and marketing at Trent University, Nottingham, and had been invited to interview for the UK’s first colour newspaper – The Today. I was told this was a great opportunity and the starting salary wasn’t bad either, so I jumped on a train to London.

However, after the interview, I wasn’t impressed. They’d left me waiting for over an hour and I remember thinking “I may be a student, but this is no way to treat people or run a business.” I was offered the position, but turned it down. After a short post-university holiday with my girlfriend, who was also a designer, we decided we should give business a go for ourselves.

Armed with £1,000 in the bank, we qualified for the Enterprise Allowance scheme, meaning we were offered support to start a business.

We had no clients, no contacts, no family or friends in the area and – some may say – no hope.

Our one bedroom flat became our makeshift design studio – compact, but it worked.

To win new clients, we offered a ‘try before you buy’ strategy, providing design solutions that clients only paid for if they decided to use them. A no-risk solution for the client, a huge risk for us, but the strategy worked and delivered our first clients. From there, we developed the business, built a creative team, work with national and international brands – the rest is history as they say.

I’ve never forgotten those first few weeks and months, working all week and weekends on free pitch work in order to win our first clients before the cash ran out. Along the way, we observed different businesses – why one was more successful than the other, the relationship between management and their teams, how they organised themselves and communicated with clients.

These learnings – and, I believe, our sincerity, eagerness willingness to work hard, coupled with our abilities – convinced businesses to work with us. Now, I’m the MD of the business.

35 years have passed since then, we’ve survived two recessions and a pandemic – and still enjoying the challenges.

So, what’s my best advice to anyone starting out? Ask yourself why you think it’s a good idea and write it down. If you read it back and believe it – do it. Set yourself achievable goals, write them down so you can refer back to them – and don’t be afraid to adjust these and set new goals if needed. Listen, observe and be willing to learn – We generally feel we are right most of the time, but sometimes others can also be right. Be authentic, be willing to compromise – but never let your beliefs be compromised. There’s a world of difference between the two.

Lastly, running a business isn’t for everybody. If you find you aren’t enjoying it, make changes or get out.

There’s no shame in trying and deciding it’s not for you. As they say – “better to try and fail than never to try at all.”