the creative incubator
The Creative Incubator is the planning service for small business owners by Sophie from Ink & Bear. Spend 1:1 time with an operations and planning expert to work through your business' opportunities, strategy and challenges. You'll walk away with a clearer direction and plan on your next steps.
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I am passionate about multiple income streams and using data to drive creative decisions to receive the best outcome for you - all whilst keeping creativity at the heart of your business!
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Are you a small business owner who has lots of creative ideas but no idea where to start?
Do you want to diversify your income streams to lower risk and increase income?
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Do you need time to refocus your strategy?
Do you wish you had colleagues to confidentially bounce ideas off?
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Do you have one issue (e.g. staffing, annual planning, etc.) that you'd like to have a clearer plan on?
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Are you just starting out and want a sounding board to help structure your thoughts?
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Head to www.thecreativeincubator.co.uk to find out more! To book an exploratory, free call please click here.
"The creative Incubator time spent with Sophie was some of the most insightful & valuable time spent on my business in the past year. Sophie really took the time to understand the business and its values, income streams and potential challenges. We brainstormed so many ideas and then put into place actionable and yet achievable plans for the next few years and beyond.
Sophie has a very knowledgeable approach to business and this strategy session would be great for anyone wanting more clarity in their business vision and guidance with how to progress forwards. Thank you Sophie - you are brilliant"
susan yeates,
owner of susan yeates Artist & The Fired Frog Pottery Cafe, Woking
Sophie's Background
Sophie has a strong background in operations and planning and can support your small business to put structure around your creative ideas. See more about Sophie's experience below:
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Small Business Experience
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Founder of a small creative business (Ink & Bear) selling products and organising events/workshops - started in 2017 and I have recently taken this business full time in 2022
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Currently operating as a consultant for various small companies - including developing Corporate Social Responsibility/ESG strategies for large corporates across the UK and social media lead for a childcare setting.
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Founder of Super Seconds Festival, a large bi-annual online event developed from scratch during the pandemic
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Led recruitment and planning around growth for an SME with a £1m turnover
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Operations and Planning
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6 years experience as Head of Operations in the senior management team at Ahead Partnership (an events and CSR specialist company with 28 staff)
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13 years experience working for SMES and social enterprises
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8 years experience as a Manager and coach of a team of 15 people
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2 years experience of supporting social enterprise and community organisations across the UK with business plans and financial projections under the Communitybuilders Fund.
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Strong experience of financial planning, diversifying income streams, annual operations planning, culture reviews and impact management
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Education & Training
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BA in Management (University of Leeds Business School)
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MA in Culture, Creativity & Entrepreneurship (University of Leeds)
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Trained in Human Centred Design and Building Innovative Ideas (by Overlap Associates)
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Trained in Creative Problem Solving (by Now Go Create)
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I had such a good Creative Incubator session with Sophie. I would highly recommend it to any business at any stage. Thanks to Sophie I now have a clear plan with all my ideas in a realistic timeline. Her knowledge and enthusiastic approach was top class and I'm looking forward to putting the plan into action!
Richard Heald,
Owner of RJHeald Photography
I found the session to be extremely helpful and productive. we came up with a blindingly good idea!
Thanks Sophie, we will certainly be working with you again
cAT hyde,
cO-OWNER OF sEAGULLS, Leeds
Thank you so much for the session! It was such a fab meeting and so inspiring for me. I'm absolutely buzzing now. It was so good to talk through everything with you. You are so ace at what you do. I love my plan and I can't wait to get going with it all. All those mashed up ideas from my busy mind feel really streamlined and organised now. I will definitely be booking in another session. Thanks so much, you have no idea how much you've helped me!
charlotte eldred, illustrator
This was a fabulous exercise for me and I would highly recommend working with Sophie. I felt a lot more focused and now have a plan of where my business is heading after our meeting
Carly Field,
Owner of Green & Field Florist, leeds
I had a Creative Incubator session with Sophie before the Summer and I cannot recommend it enough. It was so useful to get all of my thoughts out of my head and onto paper. Even though we did it virtually it really was like we were in the same room! Sophie really understands all the ins and outs of running a creative business and over the summer I've been reflecting on all that we discussed and I can't wait to put things into practise! Thanks Sophie for a brilliant session.