Case Study

Sometimes a business does exactly as it says on the tin
Sportsframe, Wellingborough

Operating from smart, refurbished Victorian railway holding units in Wellingborough, Adam Gascoigne oversees a business which is now regarded as one of the country’s leading bespoke framers of sports memorabilia. Pele’s boots, Cantona’s shirt, Ali’s gloves and even a rear wing from a Red Bull Formula One car signed by Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel have all been given the Sportsframe treatment. That ‘treatment’ is high quality, bespoke framing and diligent protection for the product, something very high on Adam’s agenda when it comes to delivering a high quality product.

“The business took shape in the first place, because I was a collector myself. It’s not just a question of aesthetic appeal, it’s the quality of the cut, obviously its longevity but it’s also about looking after the product, after all, that’s the star of the show!”

Adam’s desire to run his own business was fashioned by being part of a family grocery business back in his hometown of Walsall. Days spent as a child during school holidays getting up at the crack of dawn and helping out fostered a strong desire to be independent and ultimately led to the setting up of Sportsframe. “It’s literally a hobby which has grown into a business. I graduated in graphic design at University and enjoyed general crafts at school, particularly woodwork, so combined with a passion for sport, it was a business waiting to happen”.

So how does a business like Sportsframe grow and develop in the way that it has? “Setting up our website early was a good move and we soon began to pick up trade” explained Adam “…but our key focus was ensuring our service was as personal and efficient as possible and fortunately we’ve retained more business as a result.”

The growth of trade and the demands on running a business soon made it apparent that greater efficiencies and advice were required on the financial side and a chance meeting with David Foster and 10 Chartered Accountants in 2007 opened Adam’s eyes to a genuinely proactive service.

“We met up with Ben Cohen, former England Rugby World Cup winner who was about to start his Testimonial season. David was Chairman of the organising committee and through conversations I began to chat with David about Sportframe’s business. Like almost every other business we were victims of a bad debt and David, although not employed by us at the time offered some priceless advice on how we could manage our tax obligations. It was typical of the man that he simply wanted to help out.” The business retained 10 Chartered Accountants as accountants in 2008 and in Adam’s eyes it was one of his best business decisions.

Adam also uses 10 Chartered Accountants’s online accounting system Netnumbers which, via the web, gives instant access to the businesses position on any given day. It offers a priceless insight into profitability, cash flow and solvency measures, detailing progress made against loan repayments and potential times where cash needs managing more carefully than others.

At Sportsframe, business is up on last year with more staff on board. The last word from Adam: “We’re aware that everybody is feeling the pinch, but I have to say that we’ve managed to deliver a quality product at competitive margins and it’s nice to know that for us, the core essentials of product, delivery and service are still in demand!”

“10 Chartered Accountants are integral to our business with their business management work and taking a keen interest in our key performance indicators, especially in terms of how we manage our margins on work. We have a joint approach with bookkeeping, and in my eyes, they have acquired the knowledge of the business to be able to give relevant, incisive advice and not simply ‘run their eyes over the books’ ”

10 Chartered Accountants are integral to our business with their business management work and taking a keen interest in our key performance indicators, especially in terms of how we manage our margins on work. They give relevant, incisive advice and do not simply 'run their eyes over the books'. Adam, Sportsframe, Wellingborough