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Starting a creative business can be a rewarding and exciting time for any business owner, but it’s not without its challenges.

Often, getting started may be the hardest part, but it’s important to push forward and find the right solutions to your challenges. That’s where BAND come in. We’ll help you through every aspect of your entrepreneurial journey, ensuring you achieve your goals.

So, what challenges might you be facing as a budding creative business owner?

Developing a business plan

 

 

A business plan can be the make or break of any new organisation. It should be solid, detailed, and used as a framework for the development of your business. We work closely with owners of creative businesses day-in, day-out to help them understand, shape and draft what’s needed within their own strategic business plan.

 

 


 

 

 

 

Ask yourself:

 

 

 

What are your services or product offerings? What will you provide?

What is the total addressable market or the size of the opportunity?

Who are you providing it to? Who is your target market?

What does the competitive landscape look like?

What marketing strategies will your audience respond to?

What are your financial projections?

What operational processes do you need to consider?

Do you fully understand your USP or Customer Value Proposition?

BAND Employees on sofa

Finding Funding

As an entrepreneur, you may find yourself needing to seek a significant amount of funding from banks, investors, or other sources to help you hit the ground running.

However, lenders and investors can be hesitant with new businesses, require extensive documentation, and just generally involve a lengthy process.

Needless to say, finding the finances you need to start a business can be quite a challenge, and that’s where the BAND team can help you to understand the steps you’ll need to take to access funding to support your new business.

Managing cash flow

Owning your own business means new responsibilities…

One of the most important things you need to do to ensure a successful business is manage your cash flow.

This involves finding a balance between the need to invest and the need to generate revenue – something that new entrepreneurs can find challenging. An experienced business advisor and accountant, with an understanding of the creative industries, will be able to assist you in how best to forecast and manage your cashflow.

Recruitment and managing employees

The more your business grows, the more employees you’ll need.

But not just any employees… you need the right ones – the people that are the best fit for your business.

Finding, managing, developing, and retaining talent can be challenging if you’re new to it, as it involves training, support, strong leadership skills, and the ability to motivate. At BAND, we provide support from experienced creative business owners and a specialised HR team who can advise on all areas associated with HR, culture and talent development.

Adapting to changing market conditions

In a constantly evolving professional world, you need to ensure your business is up-to-date and ready for the next change.

However, this can require a certain amount of risk-taking, and not all risks may pay off. This can make it difficult to stay on top and keep up with the competition. Our community of creative businesses, drawn from across the sector, enables us to engage, survey and understand the ever-changing landscape affecting businesses operating within the creative industries.

Being able to overcome these obstacles means being able to build a successful business and enjoying the satisfaction and rewards that brings.

 

 

 

 

 

So, how can BAND help you get your business up and running?

Let us find the right solutions to your challenges, we’ll help you through every aspect of your entrepreneurial journey, ensuring you achieve your goals.

 

Let’s Talk

 

Tel: 020 8138 5560

Email: hello@weareband.co.uk

111 Charterhouse Street,
London, EC1M 6AW

 

Julian Davies

Julian Davies

Managing Partner at Redfin


Managing partner and Chartered Accountant with 30+ years of experience in marketing, media, and creative industries. He leads the Redfin team, offering expert advice on growth and profitability. Former owner manager of an agency acquired by a listed group; his industry insights are second to none. Off duty, you might find him on the golf or tennis court, determined to master new tricks.
Shelley Watkin

Shelley Watkin

Client Finance Director at Redfin


A qualified Chartered Accountant with 20+ years of experience in the marketing services sector. During her 5+ years at Redfin, she served as Client Finance Director offering invaluable insights into strategic and commercial matters. Shelley has also assumed the role of Finance Director for various creative agencies, guiding them through successful sales processes. If she gets free time after managing her children’s busy schedules, she likes to chill out doing yoga and gardening.