Alongside a busy schedule fulfilling clients’ orders, it’s hard for business owners to find the time to take stock and spend some time planning the future growth of their businesses. Gill and her colleagues have been working like Trojans behind the scenes planning the company’s future, facilitated by Ellis Pitt from the Design Council’s ‘Designing Demand’ programme of specialist design support for businesses.
The result: a clear vision and ambition for the business that, in some ways, reconnects with Gill’s original raison d’etre for starting the company, that is “to reach the parts that other sourcing agencies couldn’t”, to find the things that nobody else could, and to create a brand story that makes the company’s credentials and capabilities clear to the outside world.
Design and creativity will be at the heart of a new service offering for clients, identified by the name: ‘The Product Team’. The Product Team will design innovative merchandising solutions, for brand owners who want their brands to stand out from the crowd and to be recognised for being progressive and unique in their approach, in addition to carrying the relevant campaign messaging. Then, just as you’ve come to expect, The Sourcing Team will make it happen.
All this is reflected in new branding for the company, which clearly shows how these two parts work side by side. In short, specifying is now joined by creation. Brand owners now have a unique agency who can design truly original promotional merchandise and source it for you, ethically, on time and on budget. That’s what can happen when you stop and think about the future of your business…
A comment from Gill ….
I attended a Designing Demand Workshop which sparked a “I wonder what they could do for our business?” moment! Now in our 15th year we have changed dramatically since the start – but somehow the brand hadn’t grown with us. Ellis came in to meet the team and just from the first session, it was incredible how differently we all started to think. It has been a really exciting 12 months and whilst it has brought a lot of extra work internally, it has taken us to a totally different level of business and fantastic growth.