Will Keeps Himself in the Picture

Source: Hexham Courant If we can, you can Challenge feature, April 10 2009

You are never too young to start your business. That was the opinion of fourteen year old Will Nicholls, of Haydon Bridge, who had created his own company – Will Nicholls Photography.

Specialising in wildlife photography, Will sold framed and unframed photographs online and in various shops across Tynedale.

Despite having to fit the business around his schooldays at Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, he said that anybody, no matter how young, can become an entrepreneur.

He said, “I think that at any age you can set up your own business and if you have got a good idea you can get on with it.

“If it is something that you can sell in a shop, there is no harm in asking if they will sell it. If not, it is too bad, but someone will sell it so you have to move. You need that ‘never give up attitude’ and to just stick at it.”

Will set up an online shop at http://www.wrnicholls.com/ and sold his photographs at H.Giftworks, in Kirkharle Courtyard, and Herding Hill Rare Breed Bistro and Farm Shop near Haltwhistle. He will also have a display of his work at next month’s Northumberland County Show.

He said that the experience he had already gained will hold him in good stead for a long career in business. “By the time I am older, if I have kept it going, I may hopefully get a reputation which is always good when you have been around for a while and you are trusted.”

Keen in photography, Will created his business to help fund the past- time, and the business has continued to go from strength to strength.

“Photography is quite an expensive hobby so I needed to make some money to support it. People started to like the pictures and the business just sort of expanded itself, and more people started to sell stuff for me.”

To see more of Will’s range, visit http://wrnicholls.com/, and read more about his entrepreneurial journey so far by viewing his profile.

Entrants for the If we can, you can Challenge have until the 3rd of May to log on and put themselves forward. View our dedicated Challenge page for more information.

Making Giant Strides

When Michael Thompson first registered with If we can, you can in August last year, his start up creative company, Urban Giants, was beginning to make waves. Now celebrating its first birthday, Michael looks back over the company’s evolution.

“When I was employed, I reached a stage where I felt I had a solid grounding in a vast array of creative disciplines, as well as absorbing the various managerial styles along the way, I felt it was time to combine my knowledge and passion to drive forward and create my own vision of what a design studio should be.

I wanted to change people’s opinions of the industry. Design should be seen as a vital commercial asset providing a solid platform with which to drive your business forward, and not an expenditure.

Design isn’t about making something look pretty, it’s a visual communications tool which provides the face of your business.

And how has the first year been for you?

“The first year has been incredibly hard getting our name out there and building up our reputation, but I have to say it’s all been well worth it.

I’ve recently secured contracts with Hartlepool Teenage Pregnancy Partnership, Story Homes and I’m also currently working with Philip Taylor from this year’s BBC’s The Apprentice.

The company’s success and client base is growing along with our reputation, and that has meant we have just moved into new premises on Scarborough Street in Hartlepool. Originally I launched the business working from home, but I’m keen to push the company forward and drive on to bigger and better things. My key aim is to help others grow their ideas and become giants within their discipline, whilst we in turn also become a giant in the creative sector.”

New premises – that’s a pretty big birthday present!

“It is, but it will provide Urban Giants with more confidence and flexibility, as well as preparing for future growth. I’m a firm believer in growing a company organically; you can’t live a champagne lifestyle on lemonade pockets. I think you should only grow when you realistically can, and not before.

Taking risks in business is commonplace, but (and especially in this current climate) they need to be calculated. The new Urban Giants HQ has just provided a catalyst for my determination to succeed and my passion for design. I’m excited about what I have achieved and what is yet to come, and I get a real kick out of providing others with the pride in their business and the vehicle to shout about it.

We’ve also recently re-launched our company website, www.urbangiants.co.uk for the sole reason that Urban Giants as a company has developed, and therefore our public face should reflect this. I always advocate that you can’t afford for your company image to remain static if you wish to inform and progress, so I’m taking myself at my own word and making it happen.

Through our development over the past year, the advice and assistance from other entrepreneurs has been invaluable. It’s provided me with the confidence to reach my first birthday and look beyond to the next.”

For more information about Urban Giants, visit http://www.urbangiants.co.uk/, and read more about Michael’s journey by viewing his profile on If we can, you can.

Sending a key message - Eddie Czestochowski from Cell Pack Solutions

"I set up in business around 10 years ago because I wanted to prove I could do it for myself, and create a business from scratch. I reached a point where frustration got the better of common sense and I needed to say that I had tried to control my own destiny and not be faced with regrets in later life.

At Cell Pack solutions we make custom battery packs, and essentially what we do is solve problems for other manufacturers; they may be making a piece of equipment that requires a battery to fit a certain space or size, and we help to solve that problem.

A significant factor in our company's success was the early adoption of IT systems and in particular E- Commerce websites to generate both direct sales and lead generation for the Pack Assemby Division.

Last year we had hit a major milestone - our first ever £1 M turnover. I decided to set up a new division for my company, but to some extent I took my eye off the ball of our core focus. I made a mistake by not thinking the whole thing through properly and I didn’t fully engage everyone in the initial decision process.

It was not totally unconnected to our main interest, in that it was a division specialising in remote control hobbies, and in the batteries and chargers that are used by the hobbyist in this market, but we also got into selling planes and helicopters and spares.

The recession in the latter part of the year did have some effect on sales, and I did not appreciate how tight the margins would be and also the extent to which this division would utilise the resources of the rest of the company.

Last October I went on a trade mission to China, where I spent almost two weeks in the company of a number of very experienced owner managers that were operating in many diverse business sectors. This was a long time to be out of my business and I had plenty of time to chat and discuss lots of issues.

When I came back I made the difficult decision to shelve the division and refocus on our core business.

I also realised that I should communicate my vision more clearly to the rest of my company. We have been a relatively successful company over the years but as I previously mentioned, I thrive on continual improvement.

I could see that with a bit of hard work and luck we would manage to maintain our turnover, although our margins would be down because of the diversion. But considering we have all been through a very tough 6 months I think we had done reasonably well.

I now want to take the company up a level and move initially to the £2m level and then beyond. In order to do this I feel that the company needs a big shake up, but the starting point of any major change was going to be a comprehensive review of our business from top to bottom.

I decided that in order to get some impartiality into the process we should utilise the services of an independent person. With the help of Business Link and a LEGI Grant, we were able to secure a suitably qualified person (Doug Clelland), and we are now in the middle of a ten day programme.

We initially designed a questionnaire to encourage individuals to discuss issues, but generally the interviews carried out independently by Doug were frank and open and some very interesting issues were raised.

Doug then carried out a review of our current management processes and put together a preliminary action plan. In conjunction with my management team we are currently refining the action plan to put dates and give responsibilities to the actions.

We are also giving some time to the principals of mission and vision statements, and we will be setting and agreeing Key Performance Indicators. The keyword in this whole process is STAFF involvement.

At the moment there is so much doom and gloom on the local news – businesses are going bust, big companies are reducing staff and making redundancies.

We believe it is really important to send a message to our staff that although we are bucking the trend, we do still need to make efficiencies and we do have to improve our processes to continue our growth.

It’s not enough to just get by. In my opinion, there is never a bad time to become leaner and meaner, but to do it when times are slow should hold you in good stead for when the times are better, making you more robust and sustainable for the future.

One of the issues raised by the programme was that internal communication could be improved. We tended to assume that all our staff realised that we were busy, but sometimes we get too busy to do the simple things like telling them about future plans.

Our Business Improvement programme is our mechanism to make some big changes, take in the opinions of our staff and take focus of everyone’s efforts. Part of my own vision is to understand the ambitions and aims of my own staff and help them bring the best out of themselves.

The big issue from my point of view is that in general most people do not like change, and would prefer to keep within their comfort zones. However, if change has been forced upon them, people are often surprised about how well they can cope.

The current market climate is forcing changes on many people and, often through necessity, it can reawaken a drive in them to succeed. It has to be a good time to go for your dream.

If you have an idea for a business, think about and talk to someone about it, and there is no time like the present as there has never been so much help available."

You can read more about Eddie's journey by viewing his profile

Brand Firm Set For Fast Growth

A failed management buy-out has led to the creation of a new digitally- focused brand agency in the region.

Mark Easby, Declan Metcalfe and Peter Jones established Better Brand Agency in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, after the trio’s bid to buy out their former employer, Middlesbrough agency Calm Asylum, foundered.

Now the new company, which specialises in brand, marketing and digital services, is looking to employ extra staff and achieve revenues of around £500,000 in two years.

Managing director Mark Easby said Tees Valley’s reputation as a creative and digital hub would provide the ideal basis for expansion.

He said: “We’re Tees Valley people through and through and we don’t want to move [from the area].

“The DigitalCity and Codeworks projects are changing perceptions in the area. People are realising the capabilities we have here.”

Better Brand Agency aims to offer clients a higher return on their marketing strategies by developing their brands across web and digital channels, including social networking sites.

“In difficult times the businesses that will survive keep their customers close and spend marketing budget wisely,” said Mr Easby.

“The three of us bring very different skill sets to the company – Declan brand and marketing, Peter design and myself web technology.”

Since its launch, the agency has delivered brand and marketing campaigns for Teesside and Northumbria Universities and is developing social media strategies for some of the region’s key visitor attractions.

The agency is one of the latest additions to a burgeoning digital sector in the North East.

Creative industries are already worth £1.1bn to the region’s economy and employ 35,000 people, while creative businesses in Tees Valley are expected to generate more than 9,000 jobs in the next five years.

The sector is being underpinned by DigitalCity’s 25-year game plan to position Tees Valley as a genuine rival to other creative and digital hubs across the globe.

Visit http://www.betterbrandagency.com/ for more details.