FINANCE
Helping hands – Creator director Ryan Carter ( centre ) and his growing tech firm has benefited from the expert guidance of Azets ’ Teesside managing partner Andrew Rowe ( left ) and funding and strategic partnership director Phil Empson .
SCALING UP
How Azets has created strong growth path for tech firm
An independent design studio has set sights on major growth after enlisting the help of accountants and business advisors Azets .
Creator is an independent design studio covering a broad range of full-service digital services .
They create bespoke , fast , scalable , user-friendly applications and headless websites using popular content management systems such as WordPress , Contentful and Shopify paired with frontend frameworks like NextJS and NuxtJS . Not solely experts in all things web , Creator also produces digital advertising campaigns to drive customer acquisition and growth for some of the world ’ s leading brands – from thumb-stopping social campaigns to engaging augmented reality experiences .
Creator was established in 2014 from humble , freelance beginnings and its roots in freelance life remain today . They empower businesses and give them the tools to succeed in the digital world .
Based at Castle Eden , in Durham , Creator works with global clients in a multitude of verticals from e-commerce , finance and gaming to real estate .
Azets was referred to Creator in 2020 by an existing technology client of the firm .
Led by partner Andrew Rowe , Azets advised founder Ryan Carter on future growth options .
As Creator director Ryan Carter explained : “ We ’ d outgrown our existing accountant and were looking for a firm who could support us on our growth journey .
“ Andrew and the team at Azets reviewed and overhauled our internal systems , revamped our cloud accounting and trained and supported our team .
“ They also supported us in obtaining significant research and development claims on projects which we weren ’ t aware we could previously claim for .”
His advice to fellow founders and entrepreneurs is to “ get the experts in as soon as you can .”
“ Scaling a business can be a lonely experience , and stressful at times ,” added Ryan .
“ It ’ s really helpful to have professionals you can trust and business friends to help and support throughout the process .”
When speaking of Andrew Rowe and his team of experts at Azets , he described him as “ a good sounding board who had a calming influence when things got stressful ”.
“ Azets became a natural extension to our team , I could phone them night and day ,” he added .
New premises to enable growth Creator rented offices within premises at Castle Eden Studios . When the firm found out the whole site was for sale , it had a big decision to make .
Andrew introduced Ryan to Phil Empson , funding and strategic partnership director at Azets , to look at funding options .
Working alongside the Azets ’ tax advisory team , Phil presented a funding proposal to the bank on behalf of Creator .
HSBC approved the commercial loan facility that enabled Creator to acquire the premises and move to a larger space within the unique building and then become a landlord to the rest of the site .
This will enable Creator to expand and grow its team further as the business moves forward with new hiring plans .
Azets support for the tech sector
“ The work we ’ ve done for Creator demonstrates Azets at its best ,” said Andrew Rowe .
“ By bringing in multi-disciplinary specialists with in-depth sector knowledge , we ’ ve been able to support Creator on their growth journey .
“ They ’ re a brilliant , dynamic business and I ’ m looking forward to seeing them go from strength to strength .
“ We work with a number of dynamic companies in the tech sector and Azets ’ sponsorship of the Digital Transformation category at this year ’ s Tees Tech Awards reflects our commitment to shine a light on the Tees region ’ s thriving digital and tech sector .
“ They are a perfect way to support the local digital community and they are a crucial platform to encourage the growth of the tech sector as a whole .
“ As advisors , digital is our sweet spot and we can see how crucial it is , not only to us as a company , but to our clients .”
For further information about how Azets can help your business , email andrew . rowe @ azets . co . uk | azets . co . uk
The voice of business in the Tees region | 131