The Business Idea
James Howsam approached NBV in May 2016 for support to help establish his upcoming graphic design and print business in Lincolnshire. As a recent graphic design graduate from The University of Derby, James had the skills to supply a high-quality graphic design service but lacked the business infrastructure, knowledge and finance to establish a successful business.
The challenges
Thanks to tailored support from his NBV adviser Mike Gibbs, James has been given the skills and funding to make his business plans a reality. Mike helped James to apply for a start-up loan to fund in-house printing machinery, enabling him to set up and provide a low-cost service with a fast turnaround to local customers. He has also benefited from business advice and start-up support that he believes has been of significant benefit to his company.
“The assistance from NBV has been fantastic – from text messages on a Friday night to picking up the phone to answer a quick question. They have gone above and beyond.”
Programme Impact
James has just moved into a new office and has attended many networking events and other support services throughout the East of England. Thanks to the financial and practical input he is continuing to receive, James has just applied for a European grant to invest in buying more in-house machinery. This means he can offer customers a broader range of printed products while maintaining his low-cost approach to selling his print products. He now plans to recruit a part-time sales person to help promote Click Ink to more local businesses and boost trade even further.
Visit James’s website here: www.click-ink.co.uk
If you would like to follow in Click Ink’s footsteps and benefit from the Start & Grow programme, contact NBV on: 0844 887 2568* or visit: https://nbv.co.uk/start-up/start-grow/