Origins

After spending three years trying for a child, several rounds of IVF and miscarriages, the realisation that Vicki was not going to be able to have children hit hard. It seemed plans had to change and with that, a strong sense of needing to achieve something on her own. Work for causes has always been central to the way Vicki works and that’s why, when she set up Cowshed, she promised to be a creative agency with a difference. One who only works for organisations who want to make a big impact on society. Staffing has always been a challenge and that’s why Cowshed has set up its own internship programme, to bring people into the industry and teach them the cowshed way. The costs of running a business are also a challenge specifically business rates and rental costs. Access to support which is helpful was a challenge and that’s why Cowshed didn’t seek any. It has built the business all on its own with no support from business groups or funding and are really proud of this fact.

Success Factor

Cowshed’s purpose proposition helps us stand out from the crowd as organisations want to work with businesses with a strong moral compass and it has that at the core of its business. Gaining two places on the National Procurement Framework for Campaigns and PR also helped to gain work and it has recently gained a further place on the digital framework. Finally, strategic hires and a close knit team, working towards one goal and purpose, along with mentoring from key people in the industry, has helped the firm grow.

The Future

The next five years are crucial for Cowshed to gain further momentum and plans on gaining further places on frameworks in Wales which will help drive growth. Off the back of significant UK clients including Comic Relief and The United Nations, it plans to move further into the London market and has a potential expansion planned in Manchester. Cowshed is committed to delivering only for clients that it believes in and those with a strong purpose at their core. As part of this, it has signed up to the United Nations Global Impact which calls for companies to align their strategies and operations with the universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and take actions that advance societal goals.