Starting a creative business in a pandemic
Like origin stories, founder stories tend to come with a dash of determination, inspiration, and motivation. While this one is similar, it has less spider bites and more redundancy packages.
The Dream
The idea for Cova came in 2018 when I was working in-house as a presentation designer at a management consultancy in London, and for a long time that’s how it stayed; an idea in my head, a vision for the future that one day I would create something new and run my own business.
At the beginning of my career, I worked happily for other companies, acquiring as much knowledge and experience as possible. And all the while, the ‘start-your-own business’ voice was there in the background.
I spent years working in different environments, from small design studios to large digital marketing agencies, and like most designers and creatives, I worked on freelance projects alongside my day jobs. One day I came across the Irish word comhbhá [pronounced Koh-vaw] which translates as empathy or compassion. I decided to put my own work under a new brand, and Cova began.
Leap of faith
2020 was a year of challenges and examining priorities for everyone.
I spent time during that year outlining a 5-year plan, thinking about how I could make Cova happen “in the future”. Like all good plans, it got thrown out when I was made redundant in a large sweeping cut to the global design team in November 2020.
Suddenly I had to make a choice. Update my CV or do the scary thing… and make a 5-year plan happen right now.
Challenges
Setting up a creative business in normal circumstances is tricky, and even more so in a global pandemic. For the first year, I didn’t meet a single client in person. My amazing team of freelance creatives could never be in the same room, and all collaboration was remote. I couldn’t rely on my usual networking skills and we couldn’t brainstorm or co-work in the way we used to.
It may not come as a surprise that it wasn’t all smooth sailing. I think any entrepreneur or business owner making it look easy isn’t sharing the sleepless nights and the frantic duck paddle under the surface. It’s stressful and things go wrong that are out of your control. Some days I wondered if I’d made the right choice.
Making it work
Cova’s first large website project with five virtual team members was planned using a whiteboard on my living room wall. I was organising my Trello board, proofing legal contracts and shopping for business insurance from my couch.
When I had imagined what my business would look like, I can’t say any version looked like this.
However being remote wasn’t all negative.
Part of the early success of Cova was down to everyone being at home on Zoom; clients didn’t wonder why I was calling from my kitchen because everyone was calling from their kitchen. We adapted and found new ways of working together and as soon as it was possible, I found a great co-working space within walking distance of my house.
I made time to talk with friends who had ended up in the same position; new small business owners in a pandemic. We shared the challenges that faced us, and what solutions were possible. Their support, advice and encouragement was invaluable.
What’s next?
This year I’ve returned to Ireland to start a new chapter for Cova and for myself. November 2023 marks three years of working full-time in my business.
I’m looking forward to finding community here and getting to know the creatives, business owners, and organisations shaping the landscape of design in Ireland and abroad. We’re pretty good at that.
So, as three years have passed, let me leave you with my wish-list for the next three…
I want Cova to support brands to tell their stories, that connect not just to their customers but also to their employees, their communities, and their industry.
I want to continue to collaborate with my favourite talented people, scattered across the world and find even more of them.
I want to keep solving problems for clients; finding the centre of a problem, and fixing it, is why I love design.
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