TMCnet News
Focus on the big picture to get right image ; A good image is due to good design, not luck, Edward Ridding tells Neil Hodgson [Liverpool Echo (England)](Liverpool Echo (England) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) MOST entrepreneurs and business owners have a vision, but Edward Ridding makes it his business to see a much bigger picture. His design and branding agency works with a range of businesses on improving their marketing, perception and, ultimately, their sales. He explained: "Owners are so close to the business they don't see the bigger picture. "We do research and find out what people think about that business and that brand. "Sometimes, who a client wants and who they should go for are two different things. "Long story short, we help increase sales. That is what we are here for at the end of the day, to create a stronger brand to increase sales." Originally from Lichfield, Edward came to the city to study computer science at the University of Liverpool. During his course he worked in bars to boost his income and after graduating worked his way up to the role of bar manager. But he said the long hours and late finishes began to drag. "I got bored with 6am finishes. I just couldn't hack the hours with the bar work. "My wife was working nine to five and I was getting home from work as she was going to work." So, in 2007 he applied for a job at Newton-le-Willows-based soft drinks firm Nichols, the world-famous maker of the Vimto drink which is sold in almost 70 countries. He was employed to grow a team of digital designers at the company. "It was good fun working with Nichols - the only downside was everything was purple," he joked. While there he launched a new website for new products and packaging, although the history of the brand was not lost on him. Vimto is very popular in the Far East, especially during the month-long period of Ramadan when Muslims fast during daylight hours. Edward said: "In Saudi Arabia Vimto is almost three times thicker than here so it is like a meal in a glass. It was introduced by servicemen out there, and is about 100 years old, so to be involved in the rebranding was great. "It is seen there as a traditional product, whereas in the UK it is seen as vibrant and trendy." He added: "I helped launch the product in Japan and China, two huge markets for Nichols, and it was my last project before I left in 2011 to set up my business, and I believe it is going well. It can take three years to launch a new brand." He founded Edward Ridding Design at Liverpool Science Park in 2011 and said: "Two weeks later the recession was announced." But in the three years since he said business has been "phenomenal". From using freelancers the firm has just taken on its first graphic designer and Edward hopes to recruit more staff now he has relocated to new offices in the city's Cotton Exchange. Edward's first clients were local firms in the hospitality sector, which he said he felt he knew well from his days working in bars, but now the firm has about 50 clients and has worked for top brands like luxury champagne house Veuve Clicquot, confectionery group Swizzels Matlow, as well as the University of Liverpool. He said: "We have just taken on a new client with a chain of night clubs around the country, Chile Whites." The company has also just pitched to redesign the website of Garston Labour MP Maria Eagle, which Edward says would be a new director for the business. "We're a niche agency and specialise in the soft drinks and hospitality markets. But a design problem is still a design problem." He will work on a company's image, including web development and apps: "We look at logo designs and colours, right through to how the business talks about itself. "If a business was a personality, who is that personality? For example, Maria, how does she talk about herself and portray herself ? "It will be very different to how a restaurant would talk about themself." He cites the Caesar's Palace restaurant on Renshaw Street as a good example of improving a client's image. The eaterie had attracted bad publicity and Edward said: "It had a bad persona and we were brought on board to redesign that brand. They wanted to go more upmarket but still retain value. "We changed the persona with a new website, led their social media campaign and helped the fit-out of the venue so when people walked in they would say, 'ok, I like this'. "We see things from the client's point of view, but also how the customer perceives you." Edward says his agency has made a profit from day one and turnover is forecast to hit Pounds 100,000 this year, with profits in line, even after the change in overheads after the relocation and recruitment of staff. He said: "We're not just talking to small operations in Liverpool or Manchester, we're talking to national and international chains. At the moment we're talking to Lineker Group bars." But he acknowledges that to fulfil their full potential they may need to apply some of their own skills a bit closer to home to make more clients aware of their services. "We tell people what our clients are doing, so maybe we need to do the same for ourselves," he said. Advice For Small Businesses A NEW funding offer has been created to improve payments for small firms. URICA is an early payments platform without debt or factoring. Firms invite their suppliers onto it and suppliers choose when they get paid. The supplier can get paid immediately, while the customer gets up to 75 days (or 90 days for an international client) to settle with URICA. So the mid-size company still gets free credit, but the small firm gets paid early. The supplier agrees a small discount on the invoice for this service, typically Pounds 85 to Pounds 250 on a Pounds 10,000 invoice. Lindsay Whitelaw, co-founder of Artemis Investment Management which manages more than Pounds 18bn of funds, is behind URICA and Lord Digby Jones, former minister for trade and investment, is an ambassador. The Department for Business Innovation & Skills and Liverpool insurance group RSA are funding and supporting the platform. Lord Jones said: "Mid-size companies have a real part to play in helping fund Britain's growth and the way they can do that is by speeding up payments down the supply chain. "But the challenge is these are conservative companies and they don't need to release cash to their suppliers. "With URICA we've come up with a way for them to help smaller businesses without paying for it with their own cash flow." Mr Whitelaw added: "Small business finance hasn't changed in 50 years and given the innovation that's all around us, that just isn't acceptable." THE FACTS Age: 30 Best advice received: The people who made the money in the gold rush were the people who sold the shovels, not the people looking for the gold Ambition: To have a recognisable brand and turn it into a brand similar to the ones we work with Hobbies: I am an avid snowboarder and ice hockey player (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |