Business Advice

Business Advice and Management Consultancy for Creative, Cultural and Digital Businesses

David specialises in providing business advice to enterprise and organisations in the creative industries in the UK and internationally. His online business support includes online business advice and coaching sessions for individuals and groups.

“I refer to David Parrish as Dr David. I wouldn’t necessarily rush to call him if I had chest pains or a strange rash. But when my business needs a little plaster or even some minor surgery, Dr David is someone I would trust to find a way of making it healthy again. As well as offering practical and common sense advice, he opens the door just enough for me to push it through to solve problems and to sometimes self medicate. I can thoroughly recommend a consultation with him.”
– Stephen Maguire. Donegal Daily. Ireland. www.donegaldaily.com

Creative industries business advice from David Parrish

As an experienced and qualified business adviser, David is able to help creative enterprises to achieve their goals by using smart business thinking and the most appropriate techniques and management methods. His creative industries consulting and business advice is based on his own direct experience of management, his academic studies and from working with hundreds of creative businesses around the world.

“David helped us to grow our digital business by working with us to clarify our vision and devise a feasible plan of action. He helped us orientate our business towards the best market segments, refine our marketing messages and improve our internal systems. Working with David was both enlightening and profitable.”
– Chris Abram. Managing Director. Brighter Design Ltd. UK
www.brighterdesign.co.uk

“Inspiration for change! David Parrish helped us to completely reinvent our company’s business model. Deep insight into the company’s needs, strategic thinking, dedication, positivity and laughter. This made every second of our working sessions with David precious. As our mentor and business coach, he helped us change the way we think, become more confident and improve our work with our clients and partners. Thank you David!”
Emil Yordanov, Managing director, Small Theatre Company, Bulgaria
www.smalltheatrecompany.com

“David was excellent and very engaging. His advice about business development made what seems like a daunting task actually very simple by making you think differently.”
– Karen Maxwell. Design Director. Four-by-Two. Edinburgh, Scotland
www.four-by-two.com

“As an organisation, we had the opportunity to unpack and reflect on our business model as a Creative Hub, and with David’s insights and incisive advice, we are poised to take our services and our impact to the next level.”
– Catherine Churchill. E3 Youth Development Hub, South Africa.
www.ethree.co.za

David gives business advice through business growth projects including Growth Accelerator and Growth Vouchers to provide strategic marketing advice, as well as directly contracting with clients in the creative industries to provide strategic marketing consultancy. He is Registered Expert with the Business Growth Service in the UK. He is also registered with Advice Finder and provides business advice through the Merseyside Business Support Programme (MBSP).

“David is a great mentor and business coach. He is very responsive to our needs and understands the complicated business models of the Creative Industries”
– Jon Wetherall. Managing Director. Cool Game Arcade Ltd

“I asked David to help me with developing a business plan.  His approach was innovative, moving easily between personal coaching and business analysis. Over the course of two years, meeting perhaps four or five times a year, he succeeded in gently but firmly prising me away from only thinking day to day, making it possible to have a view of the business such as our customers might have.  This was so helpful in understanding what we offer and how to develop better services for our customers.  David’s experience, insight and honesty were invaluable throughout.”
Iain Stewart. Owner. Modalit Ltd

“I was extremely unhappy with my business for years but couldn’t explain why. David gave me a totally new perspective after just one mentoring session. By helping me face those difficult questions, he has given me back my passion and drive that had totally disappeared. I am recommending him to everyone!”
– Michelle Mc Carroll, Knitwear Designer, Michi, Ireland. www.michi.ie

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His marketing advice is backed up by his status as a ‘Chartered Marketer’ and Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM). He is also a member of several other professional associations.

David is the author of two books written for creative enterprises and also wrote the ‘Creative, Cultural and Digital Industries Guide‘.

Through his creative industries consulting business, he also gives business advice on strategy, business growth, change management, leadership, raising finance, intellectual property, organisational structures, financial management, strategic marketing, competitor analysis, market research and other business issues facing entrepreneurs in the creative and digital industries.

“David has been instrumental in developing our business strategy, and creating a new brand. I have worked with other consultants who facilitate rather than pitch in. David, with his wealth of experience within the creative industry, offered his own ideas and solutions, which was refreshing and hugely beneficial.”
Neil Adams. Managing Director. Powerhouse Digital Photography Ltd/Phood Studios
www.powerhousephoto.co.uk

“David is such an inspiration! Just when I ask countless questions like: What exactly have I begun? Does it make sense? Am I crazy? Will the forces reach me?… David appears with the right words and gives me enough strength and confidence to continue boldly. I’m happy to have met David and I’m lucky that he’s my mentor. Thank you!”
Sonya Pepelyashkova. The Motley Crow. Donegal, Ireland.
www.motleycrow.ie

David often gives business advice to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), helping them to grow and become more profitable. In his creative industries consulting work, he is often also commissioned to give business advice to larger businesses and organisations. He has experience of working as a business adviser, consultant, trainer and speaker in over 60 countries world-wide.

A range of creative industry businesses have benefited from David’s business advice and creative industries consulting work, including product designers, musicians, film-makers, graphic designers, architects, video professionals, fashion designers, sculptors, web designers, crafts professionals, recording studios, advertising agencies, public relations companies, record labels, magazine and book publishers, TV and broadcasting, visual artists, theatre and performing arts practitioners, computer games professionals and others. His creative industries business advice is highly-acclaimed. Some comments and testimonials from clients about his creative industries consulting are in this video on YouTube and others are listed below.

“David’s visit to the Impact Hub Pilot Almaty was timely and very important to us, because he knows the ecosystem of creative industries and has enormous practical experience in working with creative businesses. David is a high level professional who speaks the genuine language of creative entrepreneurs. We feel very grateful that David spent one day providing individual consultations to creative entrepreneurs following his training workshop. They got valuable insights and now feel more inspired to continue their journey!”
Gaukhar Kozhasheva. Art2B Lab. Almaty, Kazakhstan
www.art2b.space

“If you want honest advice and guidance, then Dave is definitely a good port of call, whatever stage your business is at. Dave can relay his experience of having a creative business; that’s absolutely crucial … he’s lived it too.”
Anna Heyes. Managing Director. Active Profile Ltd.
www.activeprofile.co.uk

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“I have had the pleasure working with David on the Generate Programme and have found his support and insights invaluable. David has worked with me on everything from strategic direction to more minute problem solving. It is great to have a back-line support I know I can call on for an honest, informed, and supportive point of view. And sometimes I find just vocalising my thoughts with David can, in itself, be the key to moving forward- almost like therapy for business owners! I would definitely recommend working with David to help your business grow and succeed.”
Karina Kelly
360 Crew. Ireland

“As an economic development agency, we help creative and digital businesses to grow and create jobs. We are judged on results, so we use Dave as a business adviser because he delivers results.”
Kevin McManus. Head of Creative and Digital.
Merseyside ACME / Liverpool Vision.

“Firstly, David is a great listener. This is a skill which is sometimes overlooked and it provides a great platform, along with his wealth of experience and strategic thinking, to offer great advice. He’s added clarity to the challenges facing our company and given us a clear perspective going forwards.”
Christopher McInerney.
CM2 Creative Ltd

“Working with Dave’s been really great, he sees business as an opportunity to be grasped by creatives and not to be feared.”
Ilsa Parry.
3D Designer

“What we like about David Parrish is his clarity and solution orientated thinking. He is second to none when it comes to leadership, business and marketing. His knowledge and experience within the global business market clearly overflow in his mentorship. Within a matter of weeks joining Generate program led by David Parrish, we were able to see a tremendous positive change within the company and growth in sales. We’re excited about the future mentorship and partnership with David Parrish and his team to expand our base both locally and internationally.”
Roxy George
Roxy Digital. Ireland

“David helped PRANA to consolidate its position as the premier creative industries incubator in Colombia and advised us on our strategy to become even more successful in the future. This was at a very important and critical time for PRANA. There was a risk we might have made the wrong strategic decisions. But with David’s support, PRANA renewed itself within a few months, becoming stronger and very much more useful for our clients.”
Juan Carlos Gaitán. Director.
PRANA Creative Industries Incubator. Bogotá. Colombia.

“We have been working with Dave for over six months, and find his objective view on our company invaluable. He has made us think about things we otherwise may not have considered. Our business has continued to grow since Dave began his support, and in this time we have employed 3 new full time staff members and developed a number of new initiatives. I would recommend the support offered by Dave to any new or existing businesses.“
Richard Pontefract. Director.
Another Media Ltd.

“The time spent with David was really useful in identifying what we were good at and where we needed to improve in order to develop and succeed. In our second year in business we quadrupled our turnover, this is largely due to the support, advice and guidance of David Parrish.”
Brian Dawe. Director.
Safe Productions Ltd.

“My meeting with David was like a breath of fresh air.  He allows you to take a step back from the business to see it from a new point of view and appreciate the bigger picture.  He has given me a new sense of confidence to move forward with the business.  Highly Recommended.”
Christian Hughes. Director.
Curly Productions Ltd.

“The advice from Dave Parrish has already been brilliant. Dave helped us to see things differently and identify new opportunities in a fast-changing and challenging world. He also helped us to develop and implement a new business model for the organisation which will ensure that we go from strength to strength.”
Paul Ainsworth. Director.
The Ariel Trust.

“I met with David whilst in the process of beginning design24seven and his advice was absolutely brilliant, his knowledge and understanding of the field was mind blowing and he is a genuine nice guy.”
Jon Dunnington. Managing Director.
Design24Seven Ltd.

“Dave draws out the best in us with simplicity and sensitivity.”
Judy Mazonowicz. The Windows Project.

“Working with David seems to me quite different experience than I would have expected. You imagine working with a business consultant to be an arduous affair. In actual fact it has been quite refreshing. David tends to work with us in a very organic and informal way. You get the feeling he’s working for you and not the other way around. The results though that are being teased out are looking very informative and pertinent to us as an organisation.”
Lee Taylor. Editor. Flux Magazine.

“Dave allows SMEs to realise where they are and where they want to go – and more importantly, how to get there!”
Anton Hanley. Managing Director. Askaprice.com

“David was extremely helpful and gave me some really good advice. I found him approachable, easy to talk to and a good motivator.”
Emma Spike. Cybase Ltd.

“David helps you to take a step back and look at your business with tools that enable you to see past the ‘fog’ of everyday running to get a clear view of your vision and what you need to do to make it happen. David’s ability to listen, understand, and reflect back with meaningful perspectives on approaches to my problems or concerns is invaluable.”
Paul Musgrave. Graphic Designer

“David helped us take stock of our situation and re-apply our core principles to changing circumstances. This led to Prescap reorganising for the future and clarifying its strategy. David worked in a skilful and sensitive way making possible the bold changes Prescap needed.”
Di Cuming. Chief Executive. Prescap.

“Helpful no-nonsense, clear advice and discussion from a lateral thinking personable individual.”
Laura Naylor. Designer.

More client recommendations about David’s business advice and creative industries consulting are available on request.

Management Consultancy for Creative Businesses and Organisations

Clients ask David to help them develop their creative businesses by working closely with them to devise winning strategies which are appropriate to the client’s circumstances, goals and values.

Creative industries consulting projects are tailored to the needs of the client business or organisation. In this way, his expertise and experience is focused on clients’ needs, rather than ‘imposed’ on them by an external consultant.

“David has been instrumental in developing our business strategy, and creating a new brand. I have worked with other consultants who facilitate rather than pitch in. David, with his wealth of experience within the creative industries, offered his own ideas and solutions, which was refreshing and hugely beneficial.”
Neil Adams. Powerhouse Digital Photography Ltd

read more testimonials

“David is a marketing expert who understands and emphasises the importance of strategic marketing when growing a business. It’s really helpful to be able to talk things through with him as we grow.”
Rhiannon Eames-Jones. Milky Tea Ltd

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“As a startup everything we do matters, every choice to do something is a choice not to do another and our survival as a company depends on us making the right choices. The choice to work with David was definitely the right one. We had a limited amount of time working together on our first project for the company and in less than two days time we had crafted a cohesive short term and long term strategy that provides for desired growth, protects our IP, enables investment, and allows us to retain creative control of our technology. David’s ability to listen to your situation, to understand it, and then determine a course of action based on your specific needs and goals is rare and a makes David a joy to work with.”
Aric Wanveer. Zero Gravity Creations LLC, Baltimore, USA

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“David helped PRANA to consolidate its position as the premier creative industries incubator in Colombia and advised us on our strategy to become even more successful in the future. This was at a very important and critical time for PRANA. There was a risk we might have made the wrong strategic decisions. But with David’s support, PRANA renewed itself within a few months, becoming stronger and very much more useful for our clients.”
Juan Carlos Gaitán. PRANA Creative Industries Incubator. Bogotá, Colombia

read more testimonials

“Working with Dave’s been really great, he sees business as an opportunity to be grasped by creatives and not to be feared.”
Ilsa Parry. 3D Designer

read more testimonials

“Dave draws out the best in us with simplicity and sensitivity.”
Judy Mazonowicz. The Windows Project.

“Working with David seems to me quite different experience than I would have expected. You imagine working with a business consultant to be an arduous affair. In actual fact it has been quite refreshing. David tends to work with us in a very organic and informal way. You get the feeling he’s working for you and not the other way around. The results though that are being teased out are looking very informative and pertinent to us as an organisation.”
Lee Taylor. Editor. Flux Magazine.

“The time spent with David was really useful in identifying what we were good at and where we needed to improve in order to develop and succeed. In our second year in business we quadrupled our turnover, this is largely due to the support, advice and guidance of David Parrish.”
Brian Dawe. Director. Safe Productions Ltd

“Dave allows SMEs to realise where they are and where they want to go – and more importantly, how to get there!”
Anton Hanley. Managing Director. Askaprice.com

“David was extremely helpful and gave me some really good advice. I found him approachable, easy to talk to and a good motivator.”
Emma Spike. Cybase Ltd.

“David helps you to take a step back and look at your business with tools that enable you to see past the ‘fog’ of everyday running to get a clear view of your vision and what you need to do to make it happen. David’s ability to listen, understand, and reflect back with meaningful perspectives on approaches to my problems or concerns is invaluable.”
Paul Musgrave. Graphic Designer

“David helped us take stock of our situation and re-apply our core principles to changing circumstances. This led to Prescap reorganising for the future and clarifying its strategy. David worked in a skilful and sensitive way making possible the bold changes Prescap needed.”
Di Cuming. Chief Executive. Prescap.

“Helpful no-nonsense, clear advice and discussion from a lateral thinking personable individual.”
Laura Naylor. Designer.

“We have been working with Dave for over six months, and find his objective view on our company invaluable. He has made us think about things we otherwise may not have considered. Our business has continued to grow since Dave began his support, and in this time we have employed 3 new full time staff members and developed a number of new initiatives. I would recommend the support offered by Dave to any new or existing businesses.“
Richard Pontefract. Director. Another Media Ltd.

“As an economic development agency, we help creative and digital businesses to grow and create jobs. We are judged on results, so we use Dave as a business adviser because he delivers results.”
Kevin McManus. Head of Creative and Digital. Merseyside ACME / Liverpool Vision.

“My meeting with David was like a breath of fresh air.  He allows you to take a step back from the business to see it from a new point of view and appreciate the bigger picture.  He has given me a new sense of confidence to move forward with the business.  Highly Recommended.”
Christian Hughes. Director. Curly Productions Ltd.

“The advice from Dave Parrish has already been brilliant. Dave helped us to see things differently and identify new opportunities in a fast-changing and challenging world. He also helped us to develop and implement a new business model for the organisation which will ensure that we go from strength to strength.”
Paul Ainsworth. Director. The Ariel Trust.

“I met with David whilst in the process of beginning design24seven and his advice was absolutely brilliant, his knowledge and understanding of the field was mind blowing and he is a genuine nice guy. “
Jon Dunnington. Managing Director. Design24Seven Ltd.

More client recommendations about David’s business advice and creative industries consulting are available on request.

Business advice from David Parrish