Go Furness

Sole of the Party

Linzi Rowe is one of those characters who, once met is never forgotten. In posh circles she would be called eccentric, but I say she is mad as a hatter. From the moment I walked in to her office, a beautiful building in the centre of Barrow Park, until I left, her infectious laughter resounded throughout the building. ? ?Alongside this mischievous sense of humour sits an amazing artistic talent and even more amazing business savvy. Artistically, she has had her oil paintings in Debenhams, Boots, Harrods and Colony Candles. She assures me that her photography is even more stunning than her oil paintings. On the business front, she has been mentored by the late Alan Williams of Colony Candles. Her father has also run very successful businesses and now heads up the managerial side of Bluepole. She is no stranger to hard work, she has plenty of quirky ideas and is not afraid of taking risks.

At the moment she is supported by her father, Paul, 3 designers called Andy, Dave and Stu and Donna the office manager who are all worth their weight in Gold. She describes her staff as colourful (polite way of saying mad), confident and passionate characters who work well, using their own initiative. The company develops brands and logos and creates eye-catching and distinctive designs. They do printing, websites, exhibitions, animation, 3D visualistation, signage, promotional products, video production to name but a few. Linzi, as you can imagine does a lot of the idea work.

The company has survived some ups and downs over the past 6 years, and is now very firmly established in Furness. They are now at the stage where they need some very careful and measured work ‘on the business’ in terms of managing growth and direction. Her father will be taking on this role. Linzi herself does like directing, but her passions still lie firmly in the creative aspects of work, meeting her customers and working ‘in the business’. She believes in collaborative working with other firms and will always try to link with other local businesses where possible. Network is her middle name! In fact she is going to set up some alternative networking events in the area and I can imagine that they will be lots of fun and very popular. It’s hard to imagine that anything Linzi did would not work out. ??Her advice to others thinking of going into business?

• Collaborate where you can
• Network
• Live, Breathe and Cry your business
• Find a gru
• Take risks
• Never miss an opportunity
• Say yes, then think about it
• Get the right people working with you

It was a breath of fresh air to meet some of the team, and I would certainly have no hesitation in sending anyone to her to be branded. The work is top notch and the time with Linzi is a lift in itself. You are guaranteed to come away from Bluepole chuckling!

Posted by Kay Hebbourn on 9th July.