smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

After being made redundant, a chance encounter with an old friend led Matt Bingham to shift focus and set-up training company Red Cloud Photography Days – which has developed into a success.

How did you get the idea?

I’d done some photography courses and had thought they were really poor at the time and that I could do better. After being made redundant, I bumped into an old friend, Lee Bown, and decided to set the business up with him.

How did you get off the ground?

My partner has financed the business with his own savings which we’ve used to set-up the website. To promote ourselves we’ve also used a lot of PR to get into magazines like Marie Claire, The Metro and Take a Break, which has been useful.

What’s it like working with a friend?

It’s been really good because Lee’s got a lot of experience, has run his own business before and has a lot of good contacts. We both bring different things to the business. My strengths lie in the creative things like planning the courses.

What have you learnt?

Starting a business has given me a lot of confidence in my own ability. Last year I was on antidepressants and was wondering how I was going to pay my mortgage. If someone has the right idea, it’s definitely something they should think about doing.

Where next?

I’m hoping that after Christmas there will be a big market for us as so many people get cameras as gifts but a lot do not know how to use them. Ultimately, I want the business to go national and become the market leader in two-day photography courses.

There are currently no comments on this article