Dublin City Enterprise News Talks To...Alec Drew

In this issue, we talk to Alec Drew from Baseline about their bank support and bid support services.

Alec, how did you get started in business and what do you do?

After spending a number of years in banking, I was looking for a new challenge preferably in an exciting area of business. Purely by chance I met a graphic designer who was looking to set up a design studio focussed on delivering a professional service to the business community. The combination of his design skills and my management and financial background proved successful and many in the industry have copied this model.

Our initial offering was a branding and graphic design service which continues to this day, however over the years we introduced innovative services like Bid Support which helps companies win tenders (approximately €2b to date) and more recently Bank Support which assists companies in their application for bank finance.

We have worked with companies and organisations in all sectors from SMEs to large multinationals and would be known more for our work than our name. Key brands created include Greenstar, the NDP, buy4now, the EPA and Waterways Ireland (the first cross border body set up under the Peace Process.


What was the greatest stumbling block?

The greatest challenge we have is convincing business owners that design makes a significant difference to the bottom line. Many business owners do not understand that there is a science behind design and rather than employ a professional they use someone in-house who ‘knows a bit about design’. As you might expect the results are usually poor with a hidden cost of labour wasted and potential damage to the company’s reputation.

How did you manage to overcome this?

We constantly re-enforce the message by referring to the number of IDEA awards we have won and a growing list of testimonials. IDEA awards are adjudicated by a panel of respected business people and are based on results and not pretty pictures. We have won 11 of these in the last twelve years.

How did you decide to contact DCEB and what supports have they given you?

We were introduced to the Plato Programme early on and the two year course supported by DCEB gave us some very valuable skills which made a significant difference to our growth.

What is the best thing about being your own boss?

Having a control over your destiny, facing challenges and having to work out a solution. Most importantly you transfer knowledge and confidence to your children which will hopefully benefit them in the future.

What is the worst thing?

Having to take fewer holidays that you might have had if you worked for someone else.
Does the reality of running a business differ from what you were expecting, before you started?
Yes, I could write an article on this subject alone. Use networking to build your supplier base as well as your customer base. Take time and select appropriate professional service providers such as Accountants, Solicitors, Designers etc. Cutting corners will cost you more in the end.

What advice would you give new business owners, who are setting out?

Understand what is unique about your service or product and make sure your staff understand it too. Service, delivery and quality are a given, so what makes your product/service special.
Be quick to adapt to the environment. If something is not working, find out why and change it. Look for new products or services and get ongoing feedback from your customers.

If an SME is planning to meet with their bank, what service can you provide to them?
We help companies who are due to meet their bankers to re-negotiate their existing facilities or seek increased limits.

For example, we can help SMEs create a document that presents their company in a positive light with key historical data and future ambitions in a way that responds to their bankers’ requirements.

Our team of retired senior bankers will help them to lay out their financial information in a way that shows their bank that they understand their business and concerns. SMEs  can present their case in a trial setting which will give them the opportunity to experience the type of questions they are likely to be asked

Meeting with the bank could potentially be one of the most stressful things you have to do this year, being properly prepared will take the anxiety out of the situation and give SMEs a far better chance of success.


Our thanks to Alec Drew for taking part in this feature. For more information about Baseline and its Bank Support service, please contact Alec  on (01) 889 3150 or by e-mail to: a.drew@baseline.ie

• Back to Index