I am delighted to announce that I have joined forces and expanded design pitch, as a solo freelancer into qualifying as a workers co-op and full-service marketing agency.
This latest development has been a long time coming. In fact, I’ve been brewing up this idea for many years, and it’s great to have teamed up with local professionals with an aligned ambition.
Re-location
For those of you that don’t know me, it might be worth looping back a bit. So, why now and specifically, how did I end up combining forces and starting a marketing agency in and around Okehampton?
So, after relocating to Devon from Bristol in 2019, I realised I’d come full circle in my career and set to utilise my skills and experience from the direct to consumer, and business-to-business segments from working across creative and tech disciplines.
The birth of the co-operative
After answering the call of local developer Patrick Kimber in the summer of 2024, it was clear we had aligned values and aspirations to benefit service to customers. Patrick introduced me to the idea of a co-operative and how it worked so I did some research to validate how that would fit with an agency for the idea I was hatching. I didn’t just like the proposed business structure, I loved it!
So it was time to validate an offering to the community. Through the research phase I learnt that the traditional agency model was outdated and not equipped to offer affordable value for almost all businesses in the UK.
Most businesses are small. Correction, most businesses are micro size. I hadn’t actually heard of the micro segment in a decade of working in marketing, as my focus has always been on large businesses.
So, micro is where I pitched we should focus, and when I looked out the window, it was clear they were everywhere! We identified potential members and workers and found a keen extra founding member in IT Support proffessional, Matthew Barker.
As the agency idea was bigger than just Patrick and I, it was important to make sure the brand reflected my DNA and all members. Being associated with co-operatives UK we also aligned to the values of a co-op and our community focus aspirations. So we spent weeks rebranding into what we’re launching and are proud of what we’ve created.
Open for business
As founders, we are happy to open our doors. We hope that our new brand connects with the community and services we offer are of value to businesses, and especially those that are benefiting local communities.
Welcome to design pitch co-op.
We will surface the elephant in the room and create marketing solutions fit for local organisations, enabling transformational momentum.
It doesn’t stop there, we aim to attract new members into our co-op so we can mutually help each other through education and training and as a democracy, drive the business forward and let it go from strength to strength. Are you a creative, marketeer, programmer? If you like what you hear, get in touch.
