Task 5 - Proposed position statement - Further research

I will be honest I did not do this at christmas , as recommended however I am quite glad now.  The reason being developing the Business and also specifically writing the detailed Business Plan has actually made me realise I not only could set up a business but that I may be foolish not to try.  The reason being as a qualified Accountant I have a whole skill set that has been developed over the last twenty years.  It seems wasteful not to capitalise on these as well as the four years I have spend developing my creative and design skills.


The SWOT and PEST analysis are essential in 

• identifying current opportunities in this competitive industry.  
• gaining a clear understanding on what is happening on both a local, national and Global Scale.
• Not being blind to the competition in your area
• Creating a unique selling point for your business

I can see there are many networking opportunities in the North for me to engage with both as a means of promotion but also as a means of collaboration.

I have identified a potential area to target which is School branding and identity including prospectus design and printing.  My sister is a Primary School Deputy head and she said schools are managing themselves like businesses and there are opportunities for Design in this area.  I know that Education, particularly aged 5-16 is one area which has not been targeted for cuts as much as the rest of the public sector.

Also schools are being encouraged by the Government to run as Academies which gives them freedom from Local authority control.

education.gov.uk

I found a Company in the North that is specifically branded towards and specialises in Education Graphic Design:

Design for schools

They are based in Rochdale and have clients seem to be based on the Oldham/Lancashire area although some schools are based as far away as Surrey.

They offer not only branding and print based outcomes but also web design.

Another studio based in London and Durham

cleverbox.co.uk

They have an extremely polished website and also huge portfolio of work.

http://www.schoolwebsite.co.uk

Another nugget of information I have found out though someone who works at Leeds Council is how they source their suppliers (over £10,000).  This is for most of the councils in the North, West and South Yorkshire area. They invite suppliers to register their details on athe following website:

https://scms.alito.co.uk/

They invite applications for tenders for the work on this website.

She said even if your pitch is not successful it can often lead to lower value orders if they are impressed with your work....it literally can be a foot though the door.