Case Studies

How nano-businesses compete with major players

Stuart Mealing is a freelance contractor with 25 years’ experience of design and substantiation of high integrity control and instrumentation systems in the nuclear power and rail industries. Stuart is also a member of PCG, the association that represents the interests of freelance contractors and consultants. In this interview with PCG he shares his experience of going it alone.

Starting up: A non-starter without freelancers

Starting a business not just about hard work and good ideas - both of these are abundant commodities. Patricia Schaefer, writing for BusinessKnowHow.com believes that learning from mistakes is not the best approach:

The talent tap: Turning it on, turning it off

Ten Alps Publishing produces the fortnightly publication Optometry Today. This requires input from qualified optometrists at regular intervals, but not on a full-time basis. Thanks to their ongoing relationships with freelance optometrists, the publisher is able to engage experts for a few days every month in order to deliver the magazine cost-effectively. If they had to employ a specialist full-time to deliver a relatively low output, the costs could become prohibitive.

Fresh input: Supporting internal management

Adrian Brooks is managing director of a UK based family business, Litestructures Ltd, one of the world’s largest designers and manufactures of staging solutions for global entertainment and sporting events. As the company entered a critical phase in its development, a fundamental restructuring of where and how products would be manufactured, Adrian engaged an experienced interim manager, Peter Alderslade, to help manage the complex transition.

Continuity: Longer term relationships

Julie Stewart has been an IT contractor for the last 27 years. She is currently working with Aviva, having started on a three month contract in May 2007, moving to the current programme in January 2008. The contract has been renewed every three months since then as Julie continues to deliver multiple phases of a programme scheduled for completion in September 2010.

Mission Critical: Where expertise is paramount

NHS Blood & Transplant (NHSBT), the authority responsible for tracking, testing and supplying blood to hospitals throughout England and North Wales, recently embarked on a major infrastructure upgrade to create a centralised national blood supply system.