Bringing the great outdoors into homes and offices
New venture
The Kings Hill Art Company is a new business venture for one of CapitalSpace’s most established, successful entrepreneurs, Richard McMunn who first had the idea for Kings Hill Art Company a couple of years ago, after travelling around the UK with his Labrador dog, Ben. ‘We would visit many great places such as the Lake District, Cornwall, Devon and the Scottish Highlands. It occurred to me then that I was missing an opportunity to take some great landscape and seascape photographs whilst on my travels, so I decided to buy a second-hand Canon camera from a friend of mine and I started to take photographs whilst on my travels in the UK.’
He went on to join an online photography course to try and improve his technique. ‘I posted a few of the photographs I was taking on my Facebook page and people asked if they could buy them from me in print format. I then decided to go on another training course; this time to learn how to stretch canvas prints and frame my photographs. I really enjoyed the practical element of the course and so decided to set up my own website whereby I could sell the canvas prints and frames
The company aims to stand out from the competition by the quality of their materials. It’s an interesting diversification from Richard’s existing thriving business, RAMM Enterprises, which is now one of the UK’s leading independent publishers, producing career guides in the ‘How 2 Become’ range. It’s also a far cry from his original career: for 17 years he was a firefighter with Kent Fire and Rescue Service.
Benefits of flexible accommodation
Richard first moved into CapitalSpace’s Churchill Square in Kings Hill in 2007, when his part-time publishing business had outgrown his home, and has been with us ever since: ‘I chose CapitalSpace because of the flexibility, the option to hire meeting rooms at the weekends, the location of the business centre and also the very good customer service we receive from Sue Billings and her team. The centre staff make life easier for us, which means we get to concentrate on growing and developing the business.’
The Easy-in Easy-out plans that CapitalSpace offers also allows customers to adapt their offices to their business needs: ‘During my time at CapitalSpace, I have scaled both up and down. This is what I particularly like about being here. I have the flexibility to take on different sized offices, based on my business needs.’
Vision for the future
Richard has great goals for his new company: ‘My vision is to grow The Kings Hill Art Company into a leading online art business, providing high-quality stunning canvas prints and frames for the home, office and workplace. I want it to grow and expand, and hopefully I will be looking to take on staff and a larger office at CapitalSpace to meet the demands of my business.’
At the heart of his business model is customer satisfaction: ‘My business success will be measured on the satisfaction of my customers and the number of repeat customers I receive. If my customers are happy with the prints and frames we create and supply, my business will be successful.’
So, the next time you’re thinking about decorating your office or home, maybe The Kings Hill Art Company will cross your mind.