Name of business: Orange Bus Ltd
Location: The Windmill, Claremont Road, Newcastle
Line of business: Web design and development
Director: Julian Leighton
How long have you been established? Nearly three years.
What have been the biggest achievements so far?
Attracting business in London. We won our first major account there based on our innovative ideas against a number of established advertising agencies, which made us feel our message was starting to be heard and allowed us to launch in the South.
What have been the biggest hurdles so far?
Being based in Newcastle is a hurdle as the North East is a relatively small area and there are many talented businesses competing for not enough work. We have always known we would have to win business outside the region to sustain our growth.
Where do you go for advice?
I have a number of sources of advice, from business advisers to our accountant and family and friends. I am a big believer in using other people’s knowledge wherever possible to enhance your own.
How is running the business different from the early days?
The challenge is the same but the numbers are bigger. These days I don’t have to worry so much about getting paid but the overheads are considerably larger. I spend a lot of my time making sure the business has a suitable pipeline and is sustainable at its current and forecasted levels.
Have you met your financial targets?
Some of the short-term targets but I still do not own an island in the sun where I can surf every day!
How do you attract sales?
In the early days most sales came through networking and making contacts. Our first London client came from a contact I made in Malaysia while on holiday with my wife. Prior to that, I won a significant account from going to an away football match and being introduced to someone in the pub beforehand!
We do have more structure in place now, such as a PR and marketing strategy and new business development plans.
How has your business plan changed?
The business has changed so much over the past two years that we have had to alter the plan accordingly.
The smaller priorities change all the time, as new opportunities and avenues open up.
What does the future hold?
We are getting to a size where our clients are allowing us to present genuine innovation to them and they are open to ideas. I hope that’s where the client-facing side of the business will make its name in the future.
Are you glad you did it?
It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and although it’s an incredibly tough, lonely and stressful place to be sometimes, running your own business is a calling that I was always going to answer. I love it.
The Next Step is run in conjunction with the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, which runs a series of events and a mentoring programme to help people running growth businesses benefit from the wisdom of more established entrepreneurs. For more details, go to www.entrepreneursforum.net