Five years on, Andrew Dobbie, Founding Director of MadeBrave reveals how the firm’s partnership with Scottish Enterprise has helped it enjoy rapid growth.
Back in 2012, I left my job as a Creative Director at another agency to start MadeBrave, smack bang in the middle of the recession with £1000 of personal cash in the bank and a newborn baby at home – while this may not be considered the best time to launch a business, I felt that the timing was right to go for it.
Since then, we’ve grown considerably and the MadeBrave team is now 30 strong and counting. With every hire we made, we added skills and that’s been instrumental in ultimately helping us to win business from major clients, including Springbank Whisky, Beam Suntory, Vango and IBM, to name a few.
As a start up, we needed support through the growth we were experiencing and we were fortunate enough to get it. Firstly, from Wasps Artist Studios, who looked after us as we grew in our first home in Glasgow’s Merchant City. The creative space there enabled us to partner with other specialist agencies on projects and share expertise – helping the business to learn, work and grow.
Then in 2014, Scottish Enterprise recommended that we apply for an RSA grant. The timing was ideal as we were looking to move to a bigger studio which would allow us to continue to grow. Having a dedicated account manager at Scottish Enterprise gave us a point of contact for advice, providing financial support in the form of a grant but also peace of mind that we were doing the right thing.
Our search for new space took us to The Albus building in Bridgeton in the city’s east end. After a period of planning, building work and some interior design, we had a new place to call home in May 2015.
In choosing the new studio, we knew we were going to create something that was more than an office: we wanted to build a brand home, a space that showcased our creativity, reflected our culture and of course, made room for new MadeBravers.
Our growth has also welcomed collaborative partnerships with Scottish EDGE, TEDxGlasgow, TRC Media and most recently, Google for their Digital Garage here in Glasgow. We have an amazing culture for innovation here in Scotland, and by the looks of things, we’re all just getting started.
To keep up-to-date with the agency, follow the blog on their website, follow them on Twitter @MadeBrave or like them on Facebook
The above blog post has been made possible through the generous support of Creative Clyde and the named contributors.