Small / Medium / Large 2006 (SML) is the second year of a UK wide initiative specifically designed to grow micro and small design businesses by offering consultancy advice and training on developing their strategy and management capabilities.
The initiative is a collaboration between the Design Business Association, Pembridge and NESTA, the fusion of which offers a unique combination of strategic consultancy and managerial training and development. The aim of this programme is to give companies the strategic skills to put them on the right track for accelerated and sustainable growth.
Hugh Mason, Partner at Pembridge Partners LLP comments: "Design is fundamental to the modern economy. We see strong commercial potential for those design companies that can offer genuinely distinctive propositions to the market as well as being creative on the level of individual projects. SML will give management teams the confidence to think outside the box, to get paid on a scale that reflects the value they add to their clients' businesses, and to build real equity value that will make them both scaleable and saleable".
Mark Fenwick, at NESTA, said: “UK design companies contribute a phenomenal amount of wealth to the UK economy however many small sized companies find it difficult to achieve growth as they cannot afford to invest in a business development plan and many lack an awareness of innovation and networks to exploit new business models. NESTA is looking to help bring about a transformation in the way creative businesses operate in the UK as a whole and Small / Medium / Large will help a vitally important part of the sector compete with emerging global markets”.
Deborah Dawton, Chief Executive, DBA comments: "SML will this year provide 8 design consultancies with a much sought after programme of business accelerator advice free of charge. The process will be a challenging one that should reap rewards for the businesses involved. SML is just one way in which our agenda to drive business acumen into design consultancies is being fulfilled.
Enter Small/ Medium/ Large by 6 March 2006 and your business could be 1 of 8 UK design companies to benefit this year from a subsidised programme of business strategy and mentoring worth £50,000.
If your studio has 20 people or less, with at least 2 years of full accounts and wanting to grow in size and performance, then Small / Medium / Large will help you. It will focus and develop your company’s goals, identify what’s holding you back and enable you to plan for the future – all without compromising on your creative standards, client service or profitability. No one loses out – every company that decides to enter gets a comprehensive report objectively benchmarking you against your peers and offering solutions to the issues that may be holding your business back.
The programme is open to both DBA members and non-members. If you are not yet a member, join the DBA and gain additional support by getting fast-tracked to relevant advice on how to manage and grow your design business.
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