Steve Pendrill Photography is a small business based in Lancaster focussing on commercial, wedding, portrait and event photography. The business was established as a full-time enterprise in 2009 following the redundancy of it’s owner Steve Pendrill after a twenty-five year career as a local press photographer.

‘As a sole trader, I quickly found that I didn’t have the time or financial resources to invest in effective market research. Whilst the domestic side of the business was growing well and was relatively easy to research, I was conscious that I lacked knowledge about my local commercial competitors’.

‘Coming from a media background, I particularly wanted to develop my presence as an experienced and reliable pr and commercial photographer. I couldn’t do this effectively without knowing a lot about other photographers in the area, what and how they were charging, as well as how potential customers found them and vice-versa’.

‘I was put in touch with Unite With Business through a Business Link contact. My initial fears about mountains of complicated paperwork were quickly allayed by Unite business and placement adviser Jackie Gregory. The whole process was simple and unexpectedly quick. Within a few short weeks a post was advertised and Jackie guided me through the interview process.’

‘My chosen placement student Elizabeth proved to be an instant asset. I found her enthusiastic, reliable and exceptionally personable, as well as very hard-working. We had a number of meetings to establish the business’ needs and to keep a check on progress. Apart from that I was able to leave the student to do the research on her own, using her own initiative.’

‘The project was completed within four months and the results presented in a clear and concise manner, which was easy to understand. The result is a valuable insight into my competitors. I quickly identified that some of the advice I had from within the industry itself was flawed and misleading, when compared to customers’ needs and expectations. I realised that my website needed improvements and my pricing was a little too ambitious!’

‘I would strongly recommend the Unite with Business programme to any business that needs help. It’s an unexpectedly straightforward process and is a priceless asset to any new or developing business’.

-Steve Pendrill October 2011