Introduction
The founders of the company can affirm that it was never easy at the beginning of the venture and they still recall the hard times they went through trying to strategize and deny themselves to get enough funding for the company (Howies, 2007). What is grown in to accompany at the moment started in June 1995 as a t-shirt designer right in the living room with the help of a mad designer daisy Creswell that saw it trade in a mountain biking magazine realizing a sale of the first four made t-shirt (Alternative Press Centre, Radical Research Center 1997).
The theory of entrepreneurship at Howies
The start of howies as a company originated from the sole representation of a business venture owned and run by family members that included a husband and his wife. The extend of the available market at the onset of the business was not easy to ascertain until the first attempt that saw the successful sale of the first t-shirts. Their assets were limited to their main source of capital being individual savings from their jobs and their own house as their business premises. Their enthusiastic vision transformed the business into a big company that became, at some point partnering with co-workers and investors who in turn widened the scope of capital. Studying howies reveals a steady transformation of a sole proprietorship into a company.
The transformation ensured increased popularity and widened the scope of the market other than increasing the scope of capital and other assets of the business. Some of the individuals who got involved with the growth and transformation of howies were based in different states and that meant that the sale of its products was widely spread. Decision-making was a shared if not a corporate responsibility on transformation unlike what was at the start. ownership changed from the founders to all the shareholders involved.
Creativity at Howies
In 1996 there came Simon whose advice saw the make of a few t-shirts for the BMXER, lack of funds still held the business back and an attempt to attend the year’s bike event was not successful. An attempt to spread from England to France was made in 1997 and it increased the popularity of the business thanks to Jeff whose efforts saw the sale of the t-shirts increase from 10 shops to about 30.at around 1998 the financial crisis had not been met and the founders at the time took Howies as a part-time job since they still held full-time job responsibilities (single track, 2006).
The company’s distribution spread in Britain with the help of a team of distributors under Jeff’s supervision, the growth of the business was evident as more people purchased the t-shits and the founders managed to employ a managerial team to oversee the progress of the business, this saw the business relocate from the house to a few offices along the road. a major setback at the moment was the departure of Jeff whom the founders seem to have achieved so much together (Jerrold R. Brandell, Shoshanna r, 2007) The founders had to relocate and this meant finding a new place for the business as well. Part of the proceeds from the sale of the previous home was channeled into the business.
The start of 2002 saw the need for a proper business plan and strategy to generate more funding into the business, more personnel was needed with the distribution of the t-shirts and the search for purchase orders all this yielded increased growth that later saw the business partner with carter Wong Tomlin a London based company that designed packaging bags in which the t-shirts were now packed (Howies, 2001).
The start of the year 2002 saw the release of a prospectus in search of more funding that was indeed positive. The eminent growth at this time was boosted by an exhibition planned by the cater Wong company in London; it did not only increase sales but the increased popularity of the products. There was a need for more staffing and the workload at the time was enormous. There was a need to get more funding from a bank through the application was not met with the urgency it required, the WELSH development agency was at one time sought for a grant.
Benefits of the Creativity at Howies
The increased funding enabled the business to acquire a better warehouse in cardigan and plan for an exhibition in London. Progress saw the creation of the first catalog that was indeed a success. With the creation of a website in 2000, sales increased tremendously and so was the need for more funding though banks and the WELSH development agency had offered help (Welsh assembly government).
Conclusion
The growth of the business into what it is was aided by the partnership with other companies including timberland (timberland, 2009). With this increased sales and broadened popularity, Howies is now gone International (bike rider, 2006). The company currently covers a broad market extending to china where it’s expected to start up a branch of the production facility.
Bibliography
Jerrold, RB and Shoshanna, R 2007, Attachment and Dynamic Practice: An Integrative Guide for Social Workers, Columbia University Press.
Alternative Press Centre, 1997, Radical Research Center: Alternative press index, Alternative Press Centre.
Welsh assembly government, Howies acquisition secures successful exit for Finance Wales Investment). Web.
Howies (2006), Web.
Howies (2009) Business profile. Web.
Bike, R (2006) Who’s the real howies. Web.
Single track Howies: who in their right mind pays. Web.
The timberland company (2007) Howies partnership profile. Web.