Jumpstart your Business
by The Hand
Our MD, Natasha Ellard-Shoefield, was delighted to be asked by Creative England to run a Business Development webinar for Creative England as part of their Jumpstart your Business series.
WEBINAR: Business development from strategy to execution, Thursday 20 May 2021, 13:00 – 15:00 BST
by The Hand
The Hand are delighted to be leading this webinar hosted by Creative England aimed at any individual who is thinking about starting up a business or venturing into the freelance world.
Time Well Spent
by The Hand
Relationships are important in our family and social lives; they are also just as key in agency new business. But what are the essential ingredients to creating long and sustained relationships with new clients?
Questions can be the answer
by The Hand
Questions are key to any successful social interaction. They open up conversations and help to develop rapport. By asking more questions, you show interest and find out new things. Take dating, for example. No one wants to sit opposite their date and be talked at all night. You want your date to ask about you and the things you care about, as much as you want to hear about them. New business is really no different.
Is ‘selling’ too sordid for creative agencies?
by The Hand
Many of us struggle with the notion of ‘selling’. We don’t want to be seen as salespeople because it feels a bit grubby, for some reason. Yet, each of us do sell every single day. When we want to get a new idea across in a creative brainstorm, that’s selling. When we want to persuade our partner to go on that camping trip to the Lakes, we’re selling. When we try to convince our little ones to eat their broccoli, that’s selling. So, why do we get a bit uncomfortable about it when it comes to ‘selling’ in a new business context?
Closing the gap on gender
by The Hand
I was recently chatting to a few colleagues at the Design Business Association (DBA) and the conversation turned to gender equality. As the owner and founder of an all-female business, they asked me to share my thoughts in an article they published yesterday.
COVID-19 has turned everything upside down. It’s revolutionised the way in which we work; possibly forever. And it’s presenting some really exciting ways in which the design sector can address ingrained and outdated practices. In a week where we have both International Women’s Day and a return to school for pupils, what a timely moment to look at ways in which changes to our workplace practices could benefit working parents, and in fact, us all.