Creative industries: How to make sure you voice is heard - regardless of size

Oct 5 2009 by Anna Blackaby, Birmingham Post

The creative sector is home to a relatively large proportion of small firms, many of which have only come into being in the last few years.

As part of a series of articles leading up to The Big Debate in November, Anna Blackaby explores the ups-and-downs of being a newly-established small firm when it comes to pitching for work.

Everyone knows that small is beautiful.

Because much of the creative industries are based around emerging digital technologies, many firms within the sector have only been established for a few years, or even months.

Add to that the fact that barriers to entry are relatively low and many firms in the creative industries are made up of small players employing a handful of people.

Writing on The Big Debate blog on The Birmingham Post website, Ruth Ward, managing director of three-person firm Rewired PR, summed up what she believed were the major advantages of being a small company.

“Having worked for large public bodies and SMEs, I’d argue that being small means you stay agile and adapt quickly to meet market needs,” she said.

“The entrepreneurial spirit remains strong in small companies.

“You will take more risks, try new approaches and look out for wider opportunities - something which larger firms find harder to do, particularly in difficult economic times.

“Small companies provide fantastic training grounds for new talent.

“School-leavers and graduates looking to get their foot on the ladder will gain hands-on experience and a real insight into the workings of a business.

“It’s not often you’ll see a trainee chained to the photocopier in a small creative company.

“In turn, this helps to support a cycle of entrepreneurship and develops a workforce that thrives on innovation.”

Independent digital agency Fish In A Bottle, which employs 14 people, has carried out creative work for big organisations such as the BBC and NBC Universal.

Fish In A Bottle’s managing director, Justin Eames, believes one of the advantages smaller firms have over bigger rivals is the ability to build up a personal relationship with potential clients.

“I meet the majority of our clients, I get to know them personally and I’m directly involved in the work we do for them,” he said. “I believe that people buy services from people, not organisations, so it’s a great advantage to be able to introduce myself as a founder of the agency and assure our clients that I’ll be working directly with them, alongside the rest of my team. Larger agencies simply can’t offer that level of service and that offers us an advantage.”

He added that being a small, independent firm means clients can benefit from a more flexible approach. “That’s a huge advantage because it ultimately means that we can offer our clients flexibility,” he explained.

“We don’t have imposed financial targets or global strategies to fulfil.

“We can afford to put the work and our clients first and we don’t have to manipulate our portfolio to meet someone else’s needs.

“We do have the same processes and systems as larger agencies, but creativity isn’t about that.”

However, being small doesn’t always help when pitching for contracts.