From finger-in-the-air targets to confident, strategic growth planning
When Joss Spinks first started freelancing nearly a decade ago, a full-service marketing agency wasn’t on the cards. But fast forward to today, Spinks Creative is now a thriving boutique agency offering full-service PR, design, and marketing support with a growing team of six.
Everything shifted when Gemma Spinks took voluntary redundancy from her PR role at the start of the pandemic. With her background in PR communications and Joss’ creative expertise, the husband and wife duo spotted an opportunity to build something bigger, combining their skills to create Spinks Creative. Things scaled rapidly, and they quickly realised the need for more strategic, personalised support with their business’s finance.
“We’d been working with an accountant – he was a friend of a friend and hugely helpful and knowledgeable, but we quickly reached a point where we needed a bit more hands-on, local support as the business grew.” says Gemma
That desire for closer support is what led Spinks to Beansprout.
From coffee chats to clarity
After meeting Kevin through the NatWest Accelerator programme, something clicked with Gemma. “His values aligned with ours. He mentioned he has dyslexia, and I’d recently found out I have ADHD. I felt like I wouldn’t be judged. It felt like the right fit.”
After working together on a marketing strategy session, the team realised they needed the same level of clarity and focus with their finances. So they booked a Financial Strategy Day.
“We turned up at the Beansprout office and sat in a room for two or three hours with Kevin and Helen. Until then, we’d been setting goals based on guesswork. The session helped us create solid, strategic financial goals that made sense.”
Gemma describes the big breakthrough as understanding what it would take to hit their income goals, grow the team, and build a sustainable business.
“I’m not a numbers person – I write content. I used to feel blind to the financials. But they broke everything down without ever making me feel stupid. It was empowering.”
Making confident, strategic decisions
One of the biggest lightbulb moments came when Gemma mentioned a dream office space at the end of their road. “We always thought it was a bit of a pipe dream,” she explains. “But when we brought it up during the session, Helen looked at our numbers and said, ‘You could absolutely do this.’”
From tax efficiency to affordability, Beansprout helped them work through the next steps, knowing it’s a feasible goal. What once felt like a fantasy could potentially become a reality.
More than anything, the Strategy Day gave Spinks Creative a framework for growth. “We’ve always grown organically, but now we’re thinking more strategically.
We’re having quarterly calls to check in on our targets, and we’re working with Beansprout to figure out what sustainable growth really looks like.”
A finance partner you can lean on
“I sent Kevin a question yesterday – and instead of an email, he just picked up the phone and called me,” Gemma says. “That kind of relationship makes a huge difference. I feel more confident and in control now. We finally have the kind of support we always needed.”
Thinking about a Financial Strategy Day for your business?
Let’s help you make better decisions, get clear on your numbers, and turn your growth plans into reality.
Book a discovery call to see if it’s right for you.
If you’re looking for marketing or creative support, check out Spinks Creative for yourself, or drop them an email at info@spinkscreative.co.uk
