An ambitious family run landscaping company based in Bethesda, Studio Bristow, has demonstrated that small businesses can thrive in the toughest environments when the right support is available.
Owned and operated by husband and wife team, Daniel and Sarah Bristow, Studio Bristow specialises in merging the principals of graphic design with traditional landscaping.
Originally founding the business in London, the couple decided to move to Wales in 2015. Despite having an increase in inquiries during the covid period, when many customers desired to revamp their outdoor spaces, the Bristow’s struggled to find challenging projects of the caliber they’d enjoyed in London.
One of the company’s most notable projects is Bold Tendencies, a non-profit arts organisation based in the rooftop spaces at Peckham multi-storey car park in South London.
Feeling that the Studio’s progress was plateauing, Daniel contacted Business Wales for guidance on expanding the borders of the business to attract new clients, by exploring new marketing avenues and recruiting new talent into the team to pursue more prestigious jobs.
Business Wales HR Adviser, Lowri Dundee, supported the couple with the recruitment process by helping them construct a job description and suggested the best methods of advertising the vacancy. Lowri also ensured that the couple had a transparent GDPR policy and considered equality, diversity, and inclusion standards to keep the vacancy open to a wide range of applicants.
Daniel said: “After the influx of inquiries we received during the pandemic, it felt like we had gotten too comfortable and weren’t pushing ourselves to explore new opportunities or expand our capacity for work and development. We would just rely on word of mouth to find clients and secure jobs, but we wanted to progress to the next stage.
“We wanted to expand the Studio Bristow team so that Sarah and I would be able to undertake more prestigious jobs. However, as we still wanted to keep the team small it was important that only the best applicants were considered for the role.”
Daniel and his partner Sarah designed gardens and landscapes for private clients and public commissions in the London area – assessing the space and designing the layout of the area, then working with a team of planters, architects, and contractors to create engaging spaces suited to the client’s needs.
Thanks to Business Wales, Studio Bristow’s recruitment process became more streamlined – ensuring the best candidates were considered by comparing applicants’ credentials. They have since hired Claire Palmer as a studio manager, which has allowed the two directors to focus on other areas of the business.
Lowri says, “Studio Bristow was ready to grow by recruiting their first employee, so I was glad to advise them on how to make the recruitment process more structured so that they were able to reach the most suitable candidates that could advance within the role and support them on new projects.”
Lowri also thought that the Studio Bristow directors would benefit from Business Wales’ mentoring and referred them to the service. They were paired with mentor, Tim Ellis, who was happy to impart his knowledge and share his experiences with consulting and managing.
Speaking about the mentoring process, Daniel said: “I don’t have any professional business training so I knew that there were things that we could do to improve some of our systems. I used to call upon my dad for business advice but since he’s passed, Tim’s perspective was really valuable and allowed us to reflect on our actions.”
Studio Bristow are seeking ongoing advice from Business Wales to help them continue to improve and construct plans for the future. Sarah and Dan hope that Business Wales support will allow them to grow the team further so that they can stand out against competitors and be considered for more influential jobs.
For more information and support to help your business discover new supply chain opportunities, and to speak to a specialist advisor, contact Business Wales. Call 03000 6 03000, rydym yn croesawu galwadau’n Gymraeg / we welcome calls in Welsh or visit www.businesswales.gov.wales/