Work of Art

Entrepreneurs dream of business walking through their door, of not having to chase it.  And of course, even if demand for a product or service is high, the phone will stop ringing soon enough if customers aren’t getting what they want.

Artzone gives its customers exactly what they want, and a whole lot more too.  The phone never stops ringing.

Artzone is a rapidly expanding business founded by Gillian Blaney-Shorte.  From starting out running children’s art classes at the weekend, Artzone has grown to include children’s parties, art training for primary school teachers, and classes at libraries and primary schools. “I had been running art classes for about 15 years before my husband Paul and I started Artzone.  I was a qualified art teacher working in secondary schools, but on Saturday mornings I had set up art classes for primary school children.

“When I had my second child I decided to go part time with work.  My hours were scattered over the working week, which wasn’t ideal.  And in the meantime parents from my own classes were ringing me saying ‘my child can’t do it on a Saturday’ or ‘can you do it on a Wednesday’. There was obviously demand there, so my husband Paul and I decided to set up Artzone and see how it would go.

Paul had gained many years experience working in international business development and project management.  It was a big step for the Dublin couple.  Paul would continue his work and provide a vital stream of income, while putting as much energy and time as he could find to helping Gillian steer Artzone to commercial viability. “The business grew very quickly we soon realised we needed more staff, so we approached Dublin City Enterprise Board (DCEB) who were great.  They gave us two employment grants.”

What makes Artzone different to most other art classes is the attention to preparation of the portfolios and themes for each class. Gillian’s standards were much higher than merely providing an extra curricular activity that keeps a child occupied for a couple of hours after school or a week or two during the holidays. A teacher to her fingertips, she knew that her pupils and teachers would tire quickly if they were not inspired and having fun.

With an increasing number of classes, there was a need to constantly re-invent the curriculum, and Gillian’s enthusiasm and energy proved infectious among Artzone’s growing number of teachers, who regularly brainstorm to produce tried and tested methods to teach inspirational and challenging concepts in art.  Their specialities included areas such as fine art, design, textiles, ceramics and glass. These portfolios guide staff and students alike to produce a high-quality body of work. Five years into her business and Artzone’s focus on combining skills tuition, personal development and fun in their classes has proved a great success.  In the coming year full-time staff will increase from eight to 12, with part-timers rising from 43 to 50. 

Artzone developed good working relations with schools as well as church and community halls, where they can avail of suitable spaces in a number of locations to run their classes. The company will also bring the number of venues they operate in from 14 to 21. The business is making healthy profits. Artzone has been rewarded with huge repeat business – over 60% of their bookings are students coming back for more, with another 20% coming through referrals.  It’s a market they cultivate with respect, using clever promotion of their future camps and activities among their existing customers using newsletters, e-zines and mailshots.

When approached to run a birthday party in 2006 they initially were a little hesitant due to the demands of their existing business.  Again they gave it a shot and it has proved a massive success.  Artzone now runs about ten parties each weekend, sending a teacher and perhaps an assistant to a home with party packs containing everything needed to entertain groups large and small. They have also branched out to provide activities for corporate family days, all the while polishing their brand and expanding a premium market. Paul cut back his work and was doing three days a week with Artzone, eventually coming on board full-time from April this year to give their ambitions an added push.

Artzone is still growing, with great potential for future revenues.  “We’re now big enough to approach Enterprise Ireland about where we’ll go next,” says Paul. “We wanted to dominate the Dublin market first, and then move nationwide.  The international market is something we’re looking at.  But we’ve been approached by a number of people about possibly franchising Artzone to other areas of the country, so we’re hoping to get a feasibility grant to look at that. “DCEB also helped us redevelop our website (www.artzone.ie) to cope with the expanded business, and it works very well.  We’re constantly looking at adding value products, such as possibly selling workbooks and DVDs online."

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