An animation business in Anglesey expands rapidly with guidance from the Business Wales Mentoring service.
Introduction to business
Based in Anglesey and founded by Anna and Tom Burke, Animated Technologies is an animation company, specialising in explainer videos, animated marketing videos, product launch videos, technical animations and animated corporate videos.
The business also offers strategy development, printed materials and website development to compliment the video production.
Business Wales support
Having decided to become self-employed, Anna and Tom engaged with Business Wales for help getting the business off the ground.
They benefitted from the guidance of a volunteer business mentor, Peter Denton, who is helping them with business development, allowing the duo to grow and expand the business.
We caught up with Anna to find out more about her start-up journey and her experience with the Business Wales Mentoring service.
Why did you decide to set up your own business?
My business partner and I weren’t happy in the jobs we were in and we felt like the next step up in our careers would be using the experience we had to become our own bosses.
What challenges did you face?
The biggest challenges we have faced have been reduced work and difficulty reaching our target market.
Where did you hear about Business Wales and our Mentoring service?
We’ve worked with a number of advisers in Business Wales and were actively looking for a mentor to help develop ourselves and therefore, the business. After speaking with colleagues, I looked into the mentoring that Business Wales offers.
How has your Mentor helped you?
I would and I do recommend the Business Wales mentoring service. We learn something new, which helps us develop, every time we meet with Peter.
Peter has helped our understanding of what a business needs to focus on and how to work on the foundational areas of running your own business.
Future plans and ambitions
We’ll be growing the business and building it into a better company. We really want to make Animated Technologies a great place to work.
Business Wales Mentoring
After training with Price Waterhouse in Leicester in 1974 to 1978, Peter Denton held a number of roles in Exeter and Exmouth in Devon before moving to North Wales in 1982 to work at Caer Rhun Hall, Conwy, and lecture in Accounts and Taxation.
Having retired in 2017, after running a number of organisations and working in senior positions in Tax and Accountancy, Peter became a volunteer Business Mentor, sharing his vast experience of running a business, accountancy and business development.
Peter said: “It's been really good to be able to mentor under the Business Wales umbrella. It gives me a structure to follow when working with my mentees. I have been lucky to be allocated some great mentees. It is great to be in touch with people who are enthusiastic about what they do and watch them develop their ideas.”
When asked about the mentoring relationship with Anna and Tom, Peter said: “It has been a pleasure to meet up with Anna and Tom regularly. They are a great team and their business has developed so much over the last year. Anna, Tom and Animated Technologies are growing as they meet each challenge their business development throws at them.”
If you want to read more success stories of how Business Wales has helped other people like you to start or grow their businesses, visit https://businesswales.gov.wales/case-studies or follow @_businesswales / @_busnescymru on Twitter.