Brett White has just started up Marginex Design with the help of family and friends. He tells Startups.co.uk how he is getting on.

Startup profiles go straight to the hub of the action by speaking to entrepreneurs who have literally just started up. We find out what made them decide to start their own business, how they got it off the ground, the obstacles they’ve overcome and the barriers they still face. We’ll look at their hopes and aspirations for the future, and then, in six months time, we’ll go back and find out how they’re getting on.

Name: Brett White
Age: 20
Business: Marginex Design
Type of business: New Media Design and Marketing
Start date: September 2003

When did you first decide you wanting start your own business? Is it something you’ve always wanted to do, a natural development in your career or something else?
I have always hated someone telling me what to do, so when in June last year I was given a chance to start my own business I caught it with both hands.

Since the age of 14 when I started out in design I always new this is something I wanted to do for the rest of my life and being my own boss was a added bonus. It would never have been a development in my career as online marketing would not have lead to a design related career.

Tell us about your business
Well, Marginex Design provides a bespoke web, ecommerce and graphic design service for businesses or individuals. Using the latest web technologies we put together a concept, design and end product that makes your business stand out and be remembered, which is essential as your competitors are just a click away.

Was it your first business idea and where did it come from?
It has always been my only idea to be honest as I always wanted to have my own design agency and nothing else. It was lucky how I got into design, I had this free bit of design software and designed a logo for a friend got hooked on it, and haven’t stopped in 6 years.

Was your decision to start a business inspired by any other companies or individuals?
I wasn’t inspired by anyone as such but I have had a lot of inspiration for my business since I’ve launched, and made many good friends, Amanda from trulyace.com has been a massive help for me.

What makes you think there’s a market for your business?
I feel I differ from other design companies as I offer a much more personal service, clients deal with me and only me, also I’m always willing to go that extra mile, my clients happiness with the end product is the most important thing to me and I think with me really aiming at SME’s and individuals I can keep the cost a lot lower then other companies. Also I don’t stop at design, I also deal with the marketing side as well.

Once you’d decided to start a business, what did you do first?
I began work on my website, as I knew this would be the most time consuming thing and I wanted to get it out of the way before moving onto other things.

What research did you do?
I looked at my business idea in every possible angle and even emailed other design agencies acting as a client to work out pricing and procedures which worked out very well for me. I’ve made some very informative relationships with companies also which has and still is very beneficial to me.

What advice did you seek?
I got advice from my local business link/enterprise agency which was brilliant for me, they run courses completely for free, which answered 95% of any questions I had. I completely recommend them

What other help did you get?
I actually got a lot of help from my father who has helped me financially and supported me throughout which has been invaluable to me, as well as my fiancée.

Does the government need to provide more help to people trying to start a business?
I actually feel they provide good support for new businesses, but I guess on the financial side of things they are tough as this can be the stumbling block for most new start up businesses

Talk us through the process of writing your business plan.
I got a template of the internet and went through each section with my auntie as she is an accountant, pretty simple to be honest as it’s really just for my own personal use.

How useful has your business plan been and do you think you’ll stick to it as your business begins to grow?
I only wrote a business plan as a list of targets if you like, it gives me a guideline to work from and it’s great to see when you are beating your own projections. So yes it will be up on the wall looking back at me.

How much did it cost to start the business?
With me being a designer as a hobby I had bought a lot of the software over time and had all the IT equipment required as well, so all in all, only around £500

How did you fund this?
Just from my own personal savings as it was quite a small amount I haven’t needed any financial help as of yet.

Similarly, how are you funding your running costs until the business takes off?
I’m really relying on money being made from the actual business, and hopefully the more established I should be able to start drawing a proper wage. Also my fiancée works full time and she is helping a lot with the living costs.

Have you made any provisions for business not being as prosperous as expected? Not as much as I should have, luckily I haven’t committed myself to any financial backing, so if all fails I will have no companies knocking on my door asking for money. Also again my fiancée is working full time so all should be fine.

When did you stop working?
Its funny that I didn’t actually choose to leave I was made redundant as the company had a change of direction, it’s the best thing that could of happened though. I left in June 2003 and started on my idea a week later and launched it September 2003.

Are you working from home or from premises?
I’m working from home at the moment as there really is no need for me to get premises, but admittedly I would like to get an external office as I do want to retain the feeling of actually leaving my household in the morning and then coming home to relax after a days work. Luckily in my field a lot of my clients are based all over the UK so we communicate via phone and email, and if I do happen a cross a local client I either go to there home or meet in a café with my laptop, so again the need for premises is not vital.

How many hours are you working at the moment?
I would say roughly 55 hours a week, but I’m constantly checking for emails 24/7, I try not to work weekends but I end up doing so, because the temptation is to great.