Growing and Scaling Your Design Business

You’ve finally launched your brilliant, sustainable business idea, your sales channels are performing well, and operations are running like clockwork - well, more or less! Now you have the foundations, how do you go about navigating those next tricky steps to growth? Scaling doesn’t just mean turning your small business into a big business; it’s a slow process to build up from your foundations. An important place to start is to ask whether your business is ready. This Masterclass empowers entrepreneurs with the tools to make the next step confidently.

In this Masterclass you will learn:

How to identify if and when you should grow your business
Different methods to grow you business, including partnering and producing for other businesses
How to measure your impact in order to secure grants and investment, including scaling through crowdfunding
Ways to expand your business without extensive investment, through social media and storytelling
How to explore markets, including the US, and the markets' potential for your specific business
How to avoid the common mistakes made when trying to scale
What Horizontal and Vertical Integration of Sustainability is
How to work with sales reps, big retailers and growth tactics for selling at retail and wholesale levels
What methods in goal-setting and planning could work for you [with downloadable guide]
Developing strategies to spot gaps in the market, and establishing consumer appetite
Pivoting your direction and experimenting as a fashion brand

Introduction to Growing and Scaling, NatWest
with Nick Howe

Summary

Nick Howe is a NatWest Enterprise Manager and works with agencies, charities, councils and universities across London to provide support and advice on getting started in business. He's also an expert in the ways of growing a business and adapting to the changing environments. In this video, he talks through the different methods for scaling a business, including hiring, acquisition, exports, and making the right funding decisions for your growth plan.
We invited Nick back for this Growing and Scaling masterclass after his brilliant segment all about Funding. Return to the Funding masterclass to watch Nick’s video, where he talked through the funding options available, things to consider before you look for funding and where to apply for it.

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Developing a Growth Plan Strategy, CPG Executive Consulting (Video)
with Helen Roberts

Summary

Ambition is always a key factor when growing and scaling, but keeping your feet on the ground and making a solid plan will yield firmer results than just being able to dream big. Scoping the market, doing your research, and understanding precisely what it is you want to achieve will lay the groundwork for your business to thrive.
Helen Roberts is the founder and Director of CPG Executive Consulting, Richmond Foodies, and StartUp Richmond. Helen is a Fast Growth Business Strategist for SMEs, using her incredible experience of growing a million-pound business within 12 months to help young companies build effective growth strategies. She is also an entrepreneur and investor herself, with first-hand knowledge of growing companies to yield six and seven-figure turnovers. In this video, she talks through how to plan your growth around your product and your market, the steps to growing a business, and common mistakes to watch out for.

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