Finch Design Company, a creative agency founded in November 2019, has snapped up a new office and employee after a successful three years.
Mat Finch launched Finch Design Company following a period of freelancing alongside full-time graphic design roles.
“It got to the point where I was so busy that it was either give up the freelancing or continue with the day job – and freelancing was just so much more rewarding,” said Mat. “I really enjoyed working with clients on a more one-to-one basis and seeing the results of the work we did together.”
Despite launching just before the pandemic, Mat had about six months to get used to working from home.
“I'd also started working with a few amazing clients in Norfolk such as Liftshare and Little Green Button,” he added. “Because they were software companies, they were able to pivot quite easily to working from home, and they continued to need support with a lot of communications around everything that was going on at the time.”
Last year, Mat’s wife Holly joined the company as a director, to support with business development and day-to-day operations. “It was a big decision, and it has completely changed our lives, but it's been fantastic,” said Holly, who is also vice chair of the Norfolk Women's Marketing Network.
Finch Design Company also hired Harri Leith as a graphic designer last year – and has now appointed Chloe Mann as digital marketing executive.
“Up until now, we've really focused on graphic design services, but we knew our clients needed digital marketing as well, so we wanted to bridge that gap and build those skills within the team,” said Holly. “As soon as we met Chloe, we knew she was the best fit for the team. It’s not just the digital marketing – she's a fantastic copywriter as well.”
“We felt it was very important to bring Chloe on board, both for clients and also for our own marketing,” Mat added. “She has such a great personality, and is fitting in amazingly with the team, but also has great experience as a digital marketer.”
Chloe said: “I’m really thrilled to have joined Finch Design Company at an extremely exciting time for the agency. After freelancing in digital marketing during the pandemic, I’m relishing being part of the energetic and dynamic team.”
With year-on-year revenue up 128% from 2020/21 to 2021/22, Finch Design Company has invested in a new office, located on Willow Lane in Norwich city centre.
“We partly thought we were going to stay remote as a company,” said Holly. “Once we then started building our own team, there was that sense of wanting to be in the same room – to be able to literally swing the desk chair around and share your screen. Creatively, there's so much value in that.”
The company is retaining a hybrid work model, so employees still have the option to work from home. “I think that works for not only our employees, but also myself and Holly,” said Mat. “When we need to focus on the business, we can do that from home, and then we can do the creative side at the office.”
The new office also has space for additional hires. “We have future-proofed the office for the next couple of years,” said Holly. “We will soon need another graphic designer, and more business support on my side. We're certainly looking to grow to a team of six within the next 18 months.”
For more information, visit www.finchdesigncompany.co.uk
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