Why Set up a Creative Business in London

London has centuries of rich and vibrant history with impressive, iconic and often imposing buildings appearing around every corner. 

You’ll find something to ignite your passion and creativity inside these buildings or along the bustling streets and byways. Whether you’re interested in experimental art, writing, animation, design, cutting-edge cuisine or the latest tech, London has it all. It is the perfect city to establish your creative business. 

The London Creative Scene

London’s advertising industry is one of the oldest and most established in the world. You will find most of the big names in advertising, including the likes of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, Crawford's Advertising Agency, DDB Worldwide, FCB, J. Walter Thompson, Mullen Lowe Group, Ogilvy & Mather and WPP. They’re complemented by some the world’s most influential branding and design studios, such as Interbrand, Fitch, GBH, Johnson Banks, Lambie-Nairn, Landor, Leo Burnett, Pentagram, Wolff Olins and thousands more.

Since the early 2000s, London has become an important worldwide hub for VFX and animation. This process began with the Harry Potter films and is still on-going most of the biggest CGI companies, including ILM, Double Negative, MPC and The Mill setting up in the capital. London’s start-up scene is also growing in size and importance daily. You can find out more in this report: Startup News And Job Opportunities. 

The creative scene is spreading out across the capital to areas like King’s Cross, Euston, Camden, Kentish Town, Olympic Village and Canary Wharf. London-bred startups with billion dollar valuations include ASOS, Just Eat, Zoopla, Shazam and TransferWise. Whatever area of creativity you want to work in, you’ll find a multitude of potential clients and partners in London. If you are talented, committed, and above all, hard-working, you will have every opportunity for succeeding in London.

Workspaces 

Are you looking for somewhere to work in London without the expense of renting an office? You’re not alone. Join the thousands of London-based freelancers, along with those just passing through, in one of the hundreds of cool co-working spaces dotted around the city. WesWork is a US company with 17 offices spread across the major tech hubs of London.

Serving everyone from hungry startups to business veterans, it offers fresh coffee, a dedicated front desk service, stylish meeting rooms, and perks like month-to-month flexibility, personalised help and support. Costs for renting a desk in a London WeWork location start from £270 per month. You also have the slightly cheaper option of using a Regus office which starts from £245 per month.

There is also Another Place a cosy, collaborative, coworking space in nearby Stoke Newington. The space is a beautifully refurbished Victorian warehouse with high ceilings, lots of natural light and a spacious open plan work area. With free tea and coffee, super-fast internet, printing facilities and 24-hour access, desks here start at just £20 per day, or £175 per month for a fixed small desk. 

We are the Accountants for Creatives One of the things you will need whether you are self-employed or set up your own business is an accountant. Naylor Accountancy Services know that creatives thrive on freedom and flexibility which is why we become your partner in finance. We take care of the boring, run-of-the-mill stuff so you can get on with creating. 

We will help you to answer common questions such as:

How do I get my pricing right so we are not doing extra unpaid work?
How do I stop the client’s brief being unexpectedly expanded?
What is the best business model for me- billing by the hour or fixed price?
How do I let software like Xero or Quickbooks take the strain?