Case Study - Splatter
Splatter Pty Limited is a Canberra based design studio producing original artwork for children as well as books and Australian Made artbased product.
The studio produces original art, wall art for nurseries and
children's rooms, designer clothing, art-based prints and paper
products, children's books, cartoons and illustrations,
commissioned pieces, commercial art and installations, home
wares and designs for licensing applications.
After fruitful careers in marketing, publicity, publishing, film making,
photography and music, amongst other things, Angela Maher
established Splatter in August of 1996, and after 11 years operating as a
sole trader, Splatter became a company in 2007. All Splatter original art
is hand painted by Angieʼs husband, and Creative Director, Christopher
Martin, and target clients include parents, children, families, art
collectors, retailers and the travel industry.
Over the course of the business operations, Angie reveals the best
lessons learnt are to listen to experts, rely on instinct, trust your product
and watch for sharks...and she admits that her main challenges have
been cash flow and the lack of personnel.
Following an explosive response in 2007 to its products in Singapore,
Splatter was invited onto Austradeʼs New Exporter Development
Program. As a result, the company is currently involved in an export
mentoring program with Canberra Business Point in Australia, whom
Angie credits with giving her confidence in business.
“Canberra Business Point gives us confidence and support, and listens to our ideas. They educate and act as mentors. They are the giants upon whose shoulders we stand,”
Angie sees her biggest business successes as export growth, becoming
overseas distributors and manufacturers, holding overseas exhibitions
and taking part in international book fairs. Through Canberra Business
Point, Splatter also won the 2008 Emerging Exporter Award.
Splatter received further acclaim as a finalist in the ACT Chief Ministerʼs
Export Awards in both 2008 and 2009 then also in 2007, 2008 and 2009
Angie was nominated for the Telstra Business Woman of the Year
Award.
2010 saw Splatter in a transitional period whilst moving to introduce
more manufactured product, rather than hand produced pieces; making
them more competitive, providing a passive income stream, and
enabling the company to grow much faster.
They launched their first store in the busy Orchard Road precinct of
Singapore in Dec 2010 are negotiating with a new distributor in Hong
Kong. Participation in many Austrade events in Singapore, Malaysia,
and China shows the future is bright for Angie and Christopher with a
growing collectorʼs base worldwide. They have generated more leads
than they can keep up with at the moment, which is a happy problem in
business.
If Canberra businesses out there havenʼt used Canberra Business Point before Iʼd recommend that they attach themselves to a mentor and attend relevant workshops. Canberra Business Point are really in touch with specific business needs.