DESIGN agency WonderStuffStudio is celebrating a string of exciting contract wins and the Newcastle-based company is building up to winning more work overseas.
Founder Paul Alderson, 37, is growing his firm with business in the UK and beyond and is now offering a work placement scheme to graduates as Alderson looks to pass on his design skills and considers further recruitment.
He says he was helped to embark on the expansion by learning about financing growth at a series of workshops organised by Business Link.
Covering everything from basic finance through to more in-depth modules equipping delegates with the knowledge they need to grow their business and raise the funding they require, the series of five workshops and e-learning culminates in a professional accreditation – the equivalent of an NVQ level three in business finance.
He said: “Through the course, I came into contact with a number of like-minded people and we have since kept in touch and worked together on some key projects. I’ve also just launched a work placement scheme and I’m about to see my first graduate join me in the business.
“My background is in design and I didn’t understand any of the key financial terms I needed in order to move my company on. Price discounts, cash flow, business plans – they were all alien to me and so before attending the workshops, I’d hit a stumbling point in terms of growing the business.
“I feel like now that I have attended all five workshops and gained my accreditation, I can judge what will be profitable and when I need to outsource work. This has changed my outlook on dealing with clients and since I started up on my own in 2009, I have noticed significantly more work coming in after making some simple changes.
“I now have clients across the country and as far afield as China and I’m thinking on a much bigger level, keeping future plans for expansion at the forefront of my mind.”
Jane Hand, events co-ordinator for Business Link, said: “It’s crucial that anyone looking to take part in the workshops signs up now as in November they will be over.
“It’s not only workshops that are on offer – the website also provides a series of key download documents, which are free for all users and essential business tools.”
