On the up…Now Wash Your Hands
Article Date: Sep 01 2004
Design agency Now Wash Your Hands launched in 2001 in a depressed market, but has experienced strong growth and is looking this year to double its current turnover of £1 million.
The three founders, Tim Spear, Neil Jeffries and Angus Mackinnon previously worked for a large web agency that went bankrupt.
‘Industry overheads were quite minimal – we set up in Neil’s kitchen with our redundancy pay and a small overdraft,’ recalls Spears.
These days, they can afford to be a little less cautious with their cash. A client list boasting the likes of Fox Kids (one of their first clients who is still with them today), MTV and Ladbrokes has enabled them to expand to an office in London’s Soho with 15 members of staff.
Key to their success, believes Spears, is having three directors who can bring different qualities to the business.
‘We all have separate skills but what we have in common is a love of design. The work ethic is also an attractive feature – we don’t have a weekend work culture, and the last Friday of every month we shut down at lunchtime so everyone has a half-day out of the office.’
