Upton (a)way media development

Chris Rivett was working as a web manager in the media department of a football club when he hit upon his business idea. Although his main responsibilty was the website, his work comprised many other roles as the club couldn't afford to employ a large staff. Chris realised that many other businesses must also be in the same position and he sensed a business opportunity....

Name: Chris Rivett
Age: 26
Business: Upton(a)way Media Development
Type of business: Web & Print design
Start date: February 2005

When did you first decide you wanted to start your own business?
It was something I always had in the back of my mind for a couple of years and sitting in one too many traffic jams on the M1 at the end of last year convinced me the time was right.

Tell us about your business
Basically, the aim is to be more than just a web design company. By offering a variety of supplementary services I aim to utilise the skills I picked up working in football and apply them to a business model, ensuring that SME’s get the best value for promoting and developing their site, without having to source additional services from a variety of companies.

Was it your first business idea and where did it come from?
Working for a football club’s media department, you really need to be a jack-of-all-trades because more often than not you are responsible for everything; in the lower divisions, very few people were lucky enough to have an assistant. Although essentially employed as the website manager, you have to be competent in design, editing, developing, journalism, PR, marketing and other things, to ensure the maximum exposure for the club. In time I began to think more and more about how the concept could work for businesses, managing similar projects for companies who couldn’t justify the full time role but needed that level of support if they are to be successful and the idea just grew from there.

Once you’d decided to start a business how did you go about setting it up?
I spent a lot of time on the internet researching a number of things before I arranged any meetings with organisations like Business Link, Inland Revenue etc. I wanted to make sure I had a good understanding of everything so I could get more out of the meetings and, in the end, they just served to re-assure me I was going to be doing things the right way.

What other help did you get?
I spent a lot of time discussing the idea with family and friends, sounding them out about my plans, speaking particularly to friends who worked for themselves and of course, researching the local market to see what competition was waiting for me on my doorstep. All of this research also proved inspirational as a brainstorm for the business ideas.

Talk us through the process of writing your business plan.
Because of the market I was entering and the relatively low set-up costs that came with it, I didn’t really need to produce too detailed a business plan because I wasn’t looking to borrow money. Instead it was more of a case of putting into writing my plans and where I wanted to be at certain points of time.

How much did it cost to start the business?
My only real upfront expenditure was on equipment because I wanted to give myself the best possible chance so I bought the most powerful machine as I could afford, other than that most costs where incurred as and when I needed them. At the moment, I am keeping my costs to a minimum and make sure that I get a deposit upfront from my clients to cover any down payments I make on their behalf, that way when the account is settled, I know I am looking at funds I could re-invest or more ideally, at some wages.

Have you made any provisions for business not being as prosperous as expected?
It is not something I have considered, I am confident that I have the ability to be successful.