So you’re keen to go it alone, to launch your own company, and you believe you have the skills and drive to run a successful business.
The only ingredient lacking is … the big idea.
That’s exactly the position that former maths teacher and accountant Anne Morris found herself in.
Altrincham-based Anne had already co-founded a successful business before and now the youngest of her three children had started school, she knew she’d finally have the time and energy to commit to a new venture again. The key thing she didn’t have, unlike the first time, was the idea.
So when she got to know talented designer Sarah Thirlwell while doing voluntary work for a charity event and auction, Anne started to wonder if there wasn’t an alternative way forward.
Like many other wannabe start-ups out there Anne hasn’t got the millions of the Dragons, but what she does have in common with the BBC’s business millionaires is what she personally can bring to the business. Many an entrepreneur in the Den has cited the contacts, acumen, experience and skills a Dragon can bring to bear, rather than just their money.
Anne’s Big Idea, was Sarah. The young designer is something of a rare commodity in the design and craft world – she’s a female wood turner. But despite basing her pieces on the age-old craft of wood-turning by hand on a lathe, the work is far from traditional. She’s given wood-turning a modern twist by imaginatively combining wood with recycled and reclaimed materials such as yoghurt pots, vending cups and reclaimed acrylic and plywood.
The results of her labours are a stunning array of contemporary, stylish interior products including vases, bowls and lamp bases, as well as larger pieces such as tables and totems up to 1.7 m tall. Sarah’s work has won her pr, plaudits and prizes, as well as exhibitions in prestigious galleries and a host of top-notch clients.
‘I loved Sarah’s work, each piece is hand-crafted and I could see how other people reacted to them so I knew I was not alone. They are beautiful, incredibly tactile and have strong eco-credentials. It was a winning combination and all Sarah was lacking was support to develop the business further. Prices start from around £60 and I thought commercially there was so much potential that wasn’t being fulfilled. I just thought she should be able to sell far more of them, she must be able to increase volume.’
‘What I didn’t know is whether she would be open to that kind of growth and change, Or even to working with someone else. There was a high chance she just wanted to keep going in her studio by herself.’ says Anne.
‘I approached things very carefully, and eventually I asked whether she’d like to increase her sales volume and then whether she’d consider letting me help her. The answer was yes!’
Sarah says: ‘I’d known Anne for a few years and seen how successful she’d been
organising events like the Manchester Ball. But when she offered to come on board and fulfil the potential of the company, building a viable, strong business model, I felt very privileged and could hardly believe it.
‘One of the problems with being self-employed is that you have to be a master of many things- which of course you’re not. You have to be a sales person, accountant, administrator, pr, and fit in the time to develop and create new work (which is the whole reason creatives do what we do). It is like a vicious circle! You can make exciting new products but without the time, financial backing and help behind the scenes it is extremely difficult to get them into the market.’
As they began to discuss Sarah’s way of working, the talented designer revealed her income was irregular. She was selling through direct commissions, craft fairs and galleries, and with the latter often wholesale on a sale or return basis.
Anne explains: ‘Having lectured at Staffordshire University since graduating, Sarah had established herself as one of the most respected and influential people in her field and had years of experience and invaluable contacts in the Craft Design world.
‘She was in demand – so much so that it was very difficult for her to stand back and look at the projects that might really help her to build a profitable business. I wanted to help her fulfil her ambitions as a designer by together refining a range of interior products that would have commercial appeal and volume sales to underpin her business.’
‘She knows growth and expansion will allow her to develop creatively. She’s brimming with ideas and wants to see her work in more people’s homes, to increase the range and produce more and bigger pieces for commercial interiors, for example.’
So Sarah and Anne agreed to join forces.
Anne kicked off by treating it as a new venture and establishing a business strategy. The pair spent long hours working out what Sarah wanted to achieve creatively in the future. Then Anne researched potential markets for existing and future work, As part of that process, the pair met interior designers ’to get honest, commercial feed-back’ on what would and wouldn’t sell in their particular market.
‘It was very useful, they wanted bigger pieces from Sarah and nothing smaller than the current vases. So for the time being we’re not pushing too hard on other lines we considered, like handles for furniture.’
How the designer’s production process would cope if sales increased was also on her agenda, ‘It was clear there was a bottleneck on the production side. Sarah had outgrown her studio and I felt the time I was able to give in researching and short-listing possible workspaces was useful because Sarah didn’t have to take time out from work to do it. It also gave me an insight into the practicalities of her business.’
Then Anne tackled the press the artist uses to produce her work. ‘It’s an essential piece of equipment but Sarah was using a book press that limited production capacity. That in turn dictated how fast she could work and how fast we could fulfil orders.’
Sarah had found an ideal press for the next stage that would allow production capacity to increase six-fold but it’s a huge piece of equipment and there were various logistical issues surrounding actually getting it into place. ‘I was able to take on the job of researching the specialist haulage services and additional equipment to get the press we needed. We worried about it so much, it felt like a new baby when it finally arrived in the workshop!’
Their partnership is still just three months in and while it’s early days, both feel it’s going well. And when retailers, galleries and clients contact Sarah, it’s now Anne who responds.
The designer’s new business agent has taken over media relations, marketing, and negotiations with stockists. She’s already overseen agreements with retailers including new venture, Green and Present which specialises in environmentally friendly home-wares and gifts and she’s currently working with artwork and accessories specialists, Elegant Clutter Ltd, to develop new ranges for the hotel and restaurant industry.
As Sarah says: ‘Emails don’t wait for a response because I’m frantically trying to fulfil a commission. Emails and phone calls are responded to quickly and Anne is building good relationships with suppliers and prospective clients. She has given the business and myself the inspiration to get fired up about new ideas and make big plans for the future, which is looking really exciting!’
Sarah Thirlwell – http://www.sarahthirlwell.com/
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