Case Study: Katie Harwood, Bloom & Bust Studio

Katie Harwood is the founder of Bloom & Bust Studio, creating 3D pregnancy, mother and baby, and body sculptures from her studio in Yorkshire.

When she decided to launch the business, Katie wanted to make sure she had the right foundations in place from the start.

As a new business owner, she needed support setting up her limited company, understanding how the business should be structured and making sure her personal and business finances worked alongside each other in the right way.

Katie wanted an accountant who was local, highly recommended and easy to talk to. After asking ChatGPT to help her find female-led accountants in Yorkshire, she came across AFor Accounting.

She spoke to several accountants before choosing Allison, but it was Allison’s personable approach, quick understanding of the business and ability to explain things in human language that made her feel she’d found the right fit.

For Katie, getting the financial setup sorted correctly and quickly meant one less thing competing for her attention while she launched the business, prepared for her first exhibition and found her feet as a new business owner.

Tell us a little about you and your business

I’m Katie and I’ve just launched Bloom & Bust Studio, a business creating pregnancy, mother and baby, and body sculptures. It’s quite a niche or novel concept, certainly up north.

In essence, I 3D scan somebody’s body, mostly pregnant women, but we also do mother and baby and body sculptures for anybody. I use a handheld 3D scanner with infrared technology, so it’s completely baby and bump safe.

Once we’re happy with the scan, I digitally refine it, work with the mum-to-be until she’s happy with the sculpture pose, then I 3D print and hand-finish it with sanding, weighting, priming and painting.

The reason I love it is because it’s a perfect mix of technology and creativity around a topic I’m really just recently out of myself. I have a seven-month-old and a two-year-old.

The idea came from my second pregnancy. I was targeted absolutely bang on by a sponsored ad for one of these sculptures. I’d never seen them before, did some research into getting one myself, and realised there was no way of doing them in Yorkshire or generally up north.

I’m Yorkshire through and through and I just thought, why should the women and mothers of Yorkshire not have access to these opportunities? I travelled and got one done, absolutely loved it and thought, I could do that.

When you were looking for an accountant, what were you looking for?

For me, I guess it was different because I was a startup. I didn’t even have my company registered yet, so it was very much about getting the right foundations in place from the beginning.

First and foremost, I needed help registering the company with Companies House and getting everything set up properly from a directorship perspective. This is very much a passion project that I’m running alongside my job, so I wanted to make sure the structure was right from the outset.

I’m Yorkshire through and through, and I’m really passionate about women and women in Yorkshire, so finding somebody local who understood that was important to me too.

Why did you choose Allison and AFor Accounting?

I came across Allison through ChatGPT. I asked it to find good accountants in my area that came with highly rated Google and/or Trustpilot reviews, but that were ideally women-operated and based in Yorkshire.

I rang around three or four different recommendations, then it was very much a subjective decision based on her vibe generally. She was really personable, understood my business straight from the bat and had a really positive, curious reaction to what is quite a novel business, which was nice. You need the positivity when you’re starting out.

You need the human language to simplify things, but in a way that makes you feel reassured. It was a mixture of circumstantial reasons, but also she was lovely on the phone.

What is it like working with Allison?

I spoke with Allison initially about getting the company set up, and since then I’ve dealt with both Allison and Ameenah for ongoing support.

The turnaround was incredibly quick. I started working with Allison in July and launched the business publicly at the beginning of August, so I was working to a really tight deadline ahead of my first big milestone, exhibiting at the Yorkshire Baby & Toddler Show on 3 October.

I needed everything sorted quickly so I could get established and focus on the show, and Allison completely understood that. She understood the urgency and, within about two weeks, everything was handled. That was exactly what I needed because it meant I could compartmentalise that side of things and get it off my mind.

Can you share an example of something Allison has helped you understand, improve or resolve?

When I had my original discussion with Allison, I needed help around my personal circumstances as well as business. I knew I wanted to set up as a limited company to have that separation between mine and the company’s finances, and she articulated back to me why that was particularly beneficial.

She also helped me work through having my husband as part of the directorship and how we would structure things from a shareholder perspective.

So although registering the company with Companies House was part of it, there was much more to think about. Allison helped me understand how the business should be structured from the start and how that would sit alongside our personal finances.

As a startup, having those foundations in place was really important. It gave me confidence that we were setting things up in the right way, both for the business now and for us as a household over the longer term.

What difference has working with AFor Accounting made to you and your business?

It’s definitely been the ability to compartmentalise and trust and know that my business and my accounts are set up correctly.

It’s taken such a weight off my shoulders from being a new person starting out with very limited knowledge of setting up a business and tax.

What would you say to someone who feels nervous, embarrassed or overwhelmed about speaking to an accountant?

I would definitely say, if you have the means and you really want to establish yourself, don’t muddle through and suffer alone. Outsourcing where you can to somebody that knows more or has more experience than you is so important. There’s so, so, so much to contend with as a new business.

You might have an idea, for instance for me to make these sculptures, but you’re not just making sculptures.

You’re managing your own supply chain, marketing, all of the creative output, ordering cardboard boxes, printer filament, leaflets, looking at exhibits. There are a million and one things to contend with.

Tax and finance can be a rabbit hole and a minefield all of its own. I would absolutely recommend outsourcing it to somebody like Allison, who clearly has a track record and comes very highly recommended, because it alleviates so much from your brain and from the weight that’s already on your shoulders.

If I was starting out again, I’d do the exact same again.

Find out more about Katie Harwood, founder of Bloom & Bust Studio

Want to find out more about Katie and what she’s creating at Bloom & Bust Studio

Visit the website: https://www.bloomandbuststudio.co.uk
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloomandbuststudio/
Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61592748234005