When Christele Ance started up her new business, Creacom Design, her first step was to move country. It was a bold move to make but she is convinced that her company will provide her with an ideal design for life.
Name: Christele Ance
Age: 33
Business: CreaCom Design
Type of business: Graphic and Web Design Agency
Start date: 29/06/05
When did you first decide you wanted to start your own business?
During the 11 years that I spent working for companies of all sizes I have always felt that setting up my own company would one day be the natural step to take. Then my friend and now business partner approached me with the idea of setting up our own agency and it didn’t take long for me to agree. Much like her parents, my father has his own business and I grew up around it.
Tell us about your business
I am one of two partners in CreaCom Design which is a graphic and web design agency that is based in the North of Scotland and has clients across the UK. Everything we do is tailor made to suit each client’s needs, services, markets and, of course, budget. If our clients are not 110% satisfied then the job is not finished. That’s what makes us different from a lot of our competitors. It’s not just about good design, it’s about design that works and gets the correct message across to the right people.
Was it your first business idea and where did it come from?
Over the years I always found myself thinking up different business ideas and schemes. This was the first one that both my head and heart agreed on so from there on I knew it was the one. Like a lot of people I once had this great business idea that involved cinema. I wrote it down, spent weeks thinking about how to get started and then little my little forgot about it. Within one year, someone else had started the exact business that I had been contemplating. CreaCom Design came about after some very long discussions with a friend who also worked in design. It was something that we both wanted to do and decided that two minds are better than one.
Was your decision to start a business inspired by any other companies or individuals?
I am inspired by my father who ran his own architect studio for many years. When I was young I thought he was crazy to put in the long hours and carry all that responsibility. Then over the years my views changed and I realised that some people are just born to do it. I am also inspired by people like the Lonely Planet series creators Tony and Maureen Wheeler.
What makes you think there’s a market for your business?
There are a million and one design agencies out there. What makes us different is that we don’t base a great creation on just our talent. Every designer should be able to create something wonderful. The next level up is to make sure that it’s wonderful but also an accurate graphic representation of the company you are doing it for. We also make all of our services accessible to businesses of all sizes as their image and web presence is essential. So no matter what size, shape or industry your business is in, we will put everything we have into helping you.
Once you’d decided to start a business, what did you do first?
My situation was a little bit more complicated than most. I was working as director of corporate communications and design for a company in Paris. I knew that it was time to move on and that it would be to the UK to settle. My business partner made me an offer and from there on everything seemed to slide into place. So for me, after deciding to set up CreaCom the first thing I had to do was move country. Then I started to work on the business plan and finding out about how to go about setting up a business in the UK.
What research did you do?
Our research involved analysing our competitors not just in the UK but across Europe. We then looked into pricing and costs so that we could offer a service that is not only available to large corporations but also small to medium enterprises too.
What advice did you seek?
We spent days if not weeks going through all of the websites and forums we could find. From Business Link to Shell to the Inland Revenue. You name it, we went there. A lot of the information was invaluable and very easy to access. We also took an appointment with our local enterprise company RACE( Ross And Cromarty Enterprise ) They talked us through the steps we needed to take. Later on they also helped us with our business plan. We also sought advice from everyone we knew in business already. We asked them all the same questions and compared the answers. They were all very encouraging and supportive. It gave us a real insight into business and the reality of it.
Does the government need to provide more help to people trying to start a business?
In the Highlands all of the support and advice was excellent. From what I hear it’s not always like that in other regions. Our local enterprise company RACE couldn’t have been more helpful. I feel that there are gaps in the support that some age groups get. For example if you are under 30 a lot of agencies help you but what about if you are in your 30s or 40s or 50s? A lot of people in their 50s would like to start up their own business because it’s so hard for them to find jobs. There should be the equivalent of the Princes Trust for every age group in my opinion.
Talk us through the process of writing your business plan.
Writing the business plan went smoothly until we hit the financial section. This is where we really had to seek advice. We contacted our local enterprise company and through them we spent a few hours with a business advisor. He talked us through it and really explained in detail what everything meant. This in my opinion was a lot better than just copying someone elses. We went away and calculated it all and then if and when we had problems, which we did, he went over it again. Careful not to put words into our mouths or just write it for us. So instead of being told what to put and where we learnt how to do it for ourselves.
