Andrea Galley and Dan Atkins – ​Crayon Architecture & Design

Sometimes, just having professional knowledge is not enough to make it in the competitive world of business start-ups. If you are thinking of going in to business for yourself, you need to compliment your core expertise with other business-orientated skills that will help you grow in a sustainable and intelligent way. Outset can help!

For Andrea Galley and Dan Atkins, their new business, Crayon Architecture & Design, had started two months prior to engaging with Outset: “We were a young practice and wanted to use the latest software to produce 3D digital computer models of our designs – a friendly, approachable firm with exciting new ideas.” Andrea said.

The pair heard about Outset through a local accountancy firm and quickly worked their way through Outset’s I2E and networking events, gaining a broad range of skills along the way such as marketing and research. Andrea and Dan’s found their confidence improved rapidly: “The workshops that Outset provided helped a great deal with fee forecasting and future planning. They offered advice about expanding our opportunities for work and helped us to focus on sectors we had not yet explored.” Andrea explained.

Speaking about her experiences on the Outset programme, Andrea said:

“The Outset staff were hugely helpful and approachable – they were encouraging and went above and beyond the call of duty for us. In particular, they provided a great deal of fee forecasting and future planning advice on expanding our opportunities for work. This helped us to focus on sectors we had not yet explored.”

The business is now looking to build on its residential projects throughout the south west and get more involved with local community-led schemes.

Crayon’s work has already had a positive impact on their local community though, using local contractors and suppliers such as local engineering firms, ecological consultants and mechanical and electrical consultants. They have also employed a secondary school student from Exeter to take part in work experience at the firm.

Andrea concluded: “We needed support to give us confidence and let us know that we weren’t alone facing this big change in our lives. Outset was a great opportunity to set us on the right track.”

To find out more about how Outset could help your business, call freephone 0800 028 5699 or email us.