Skyping ‘Not Tom’ was a really positive experience. I was a little apprehensive as I thought it might have been awkward doing an interview via skype however they made us feel very comfortable and were open to answering all our questions. What they say on their website is true they really are “nice guys”. I don’t want to give too much information away before our presentation in case I bore anyone watching who has read this but I will write a brief summary.
The business started off with Richard and Harry with a shared passion to work on projects the love and can be proud of. Since 2009 the business has grown. They get busier everyday and so have had to hire some part time staff to help with the work load. Money is not the main motivation for this business instead it’s having the power to do what they want, the main reason for their set up was so they didn’t have to work for other people giving them a greater chance of designing things they love.
Their knowledge of setting up a business was limited. They had taken some business based modules at uni but Harry took some extra classes after to learn more. They both feel that learning how to run a business is mainly common sense so they just go along with it getting advice from others where necessary. Their business plan doesn’t seem to be overly detailed they take work as it comes if it is suitable for their company, they won’t do something that goes against what they have set out to do. More international projects are something they are planning to do in the near future.
Branding is something I’m always interested in so I was keen to find out whether or not it was important to them. They said it was important to them although they didn’t spend a lot of time on it. The ‘Not Tom’ brand was intended to be noticeable but not overpowering they want their work to speak for its self which it seems to be doing. In my design and the market module we have been told that our personal brands should sum our personality up. I think the ‘Not Tom’ brand sums Harry and Richard’s personalities and work up exactly; laid back, fun and serious when needed. Obviously I don’t know them personally but that is the impression I got of their personalities after the interview.
Hopefully the rest of my ‘Design and the Market’ class will find our presentation interesting. I definitely enjoyed learning more about ‘Not Tom’. They are a company to watch I’m sure I will read a lot more about them in the future.
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