French Connection for new Highland business

An Invergordon design and print business is going from strength to strength thanks to financial help and advice form the local enterprise company there.

Jacqueline MacDougall who returned from five years of living and working in France started CreaCom Design with business partner and French national Christele Ance.

The two friends met up while Jacqueline lived in France. When Christele was thinking about leaving her Paris based marketing job to explore opportunities abroad, Jacqueline - who is originally from Inverness-shire - encouraged her to look into moving to Scotland to set up in business with her.

With a £3,000 funding package and business planning advice from HIE Inverness and East Highland - part of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network (HIE), they started the business which provides integrated web design, graphic design and printing services to local and UK wide businesses.

Jacqueline said the award winning service which also incorporates marketing, advertising and communications services took a while to set up but they now have a growing list of clients from the Highlands.

She said: "The support we received from HIE Inverness and East Highland was extremely valuable. Whilst we had a good handle on the marketing and sales side of the business plan, the financial section was much more of a challenge. That's where HIE Inverness and East Highland helped out with advice and guidance from a business counsellor.

"Although my five years in France was great, I had watched Inverness and the Highlands and Islands grow and change quite dramatically in that relatively short time. This encouraged me to move back and start my own business. Since then I haven't looked back. It's a great place to live and work."

Jacqueline and Christele operate another business - Inverness Print - which offers a dedicated litho and digital printing service including business stationery, brochures, publications and flyers. The service caters for new business starts right up to large corporations.

Chief executive of HIE Inverness and East Highland Stuart Black said: "Jacqueline and Christele are good examples of how the Highlands and Islands are becoming more attractive as a place to do business - both for people originally from the area and for those from further afield.

"The creative industry which consists of areas like graphic design, multimedia, film and the internet is growing quickly and businesses like CreaCom Design are making a significant contribution to one of the most exciting economic sectors in the Highlands and Islands."