Some founders know when they’re ready to level up but for others, the moment takes them by surprise. Liminal Stage Productions is a prime example of this type of unexpected growth journey. As a company that worked primarily in multimedia theatre, their transition into delivering a more sustainable screen and immersive offering led them to our Creative Enterprise scheme.
This growth catalyst helped them by clarifying their vision and ironing out a business plan that would lead to a future that was more resilient against whatever was thrown at them. New work soon followed although it wasn’t until Creative UK’s West Midlands Create Growth Programme was brought to their attention that they realised their growth journey wasn’t over just yet.
“We’d already begun moving into screen and immersive and had started thinking about how we could leverage our interest and expertise in immersive technologies to reach the Gen Alpha and Gen Z audiences of the future,” says Robyn Linfield-Smith, Artistic Director at the Leamington Spa-based Liminal. “Creative UK helped us to think about how our business plan and financial model could become more dynamic, rather than just our artistic output. That was when they reached out and asked if we were interested in the West Midlands Create Growth Programme.”
According to Winfield-Smith, the offer felt like a logical next step that could help pave the way towards investment. “We were ready to do something but didn’t know anything about getting investment ready,” she reveals. “We had a business strategy but didn’t really know any of the terminology, timescales or considerations when it comes to pitching for investment. It helped us realise that there’s a whole other ecosystem that we weren’t part of before and it taught us how to interact with the folks inside it.”
During the scheme’s various sessions, Liminal were brought alongside other founders on similar journeys. In addition to making new contacts, access to this cohort provided a useful opportunity to see how other teams work and for Winfield-Smith to learn new founder skills. “Interacting with other businesses is super valuable,” she tells us. “It was helpful seeing people who had more of a clear product and pipeline for sales and how they’d put their business model together. That was helpful for us. It gave us access to informal peer mentoring.”
Speaking of mentorship, their scheme-assigned industry expert helped Winfield-Smith to peek behind the curtain of the investment world. Like their business strategy, it’s a relationship that has developed a built-in longevity. “Our mentor is a bit of a visionary in ethical and socially impactful investment, and is connected to the kinds of investors who might be interested in what Liminal is doing. It’s exciting for us that he now wants to be our CTO,” she smiles. “It’s really useful to have a guide who knows this world better than we do.”
With her time on the programme now at an end, Winfield-Smith feels more confident in both her company’s future and her own abilities as a founder. “I definitely feel better equipped. We’re coming out of this scheme feeling ready to begin connecting meaningfully with investors and are actively looking for the opportunity to build on the relationships we’ve made through the programme – and of course to enter into some new ones”
As for any other creatives looking to follow in Liminal’s footsteps, Winfield-Smith says it’s a worthwhile endeavour that’s a return on investment in itself. “I’d 100% say take up the opportunity, especially if you’re in the Midlands – even if it puts other elements of your business under pressure,” she reasons. “The programme will equip you with the skills to turn whatever pinch-points you have into opportunities and to learn strategically what’s best for your business. It’s worth putting in as much time as you can – you’ll get much more out of it.”
