What Comes After Start Up?
Lauren McWilliams- Brand Photographer and Strategist
I’m no longer sure what to call my business! I am a freelancer, sure. But I don’t think the business is a start up anymore… After four years, I am well-established and have been making a full-time income from brand photography and workshops for the majority of this time. So, what’s the next step for me? Chatting about that and more in this month’s blog post. Keep reading to dig deeper.
What is a start up?
According to startups.co.uk, there are two different ways to define a “start up.” Firstly, the obvious answer is a brand new business, usually small with just one or a few directors at the helm. The other definition is a little more nebulous, as it refers to the way in which a business is run, rather than the length of time it’s been around.
In this respect, a start up is fast-moving and going for growth. Any business could have a start up mentality, even a larger one with more employees. Although, the more your business has going on, the harder it is to remain agile.
Scaling up
If that’s a start up, then what’s a “scale up” ? A scale up is a relatively new addition to the business vocabulary and it typically refers to an organisation that has achieved growth of 20% or more in either employment or turnover year on year for at least two years. If this was the only defining factor, then I could see myself in this category. However, according to the OECD, the organisation has to have a minimum of 10 employees to be a scale up!
So, if a start up can be one woman with a camera… and a scale up needs ten or more employees, what comes in the middle? Because that’s where I am now.
I’ve been a freelance brand photographer for over four years now, and I have come to a crossroads.The phrase “start up” doesn’t reflect my business anymore, as I feel I am well-established and have a consistent client base. However, I do still relate to the excitement of a start up, and I am always working on myself and my business with passion, bringing new ideas to the table.
I feel like there is a distinct lack of support and recognition for businesses of my size and scale. We are making huge contributions to the economy, but many of us largely go unnoticed unless we hit the VAT threshold, employ staff or open an office.
This has led me to question… what is the next step for me? I want to grow my business, but I love my home office and have no intention of employing anyone else full-time. As I approach my fifth year in business, I am really excited about what the future holds for me.
What’s next?
So, just because there isn’t a clearly defined category for my business to fit in right now, that won’t hold me back from achieving my goals. I work closely with owner-managed businesses to define their brands and help them get seen by their target audience. So, I am going to give myself a little of that treatment too.
Expect some very exciting changes from me. I’m talking about a brand new look, new services, updated branding and even some cheeky shots of myself to bring it all together 📸
Do you run a business? Do you consider yourself a start up or something else? I’d love to know more, you can chat to me over on Instagram @lauren.mcwilliams or, if you want to find out more about what I do, you can book a consultation call with me here.
