Making Rooms makes room for growth with Lancashire Forum

making-rooms-1.jpg

A Blackburn business is flying high and making major progress after successful involvement with the Lancashire Forum.

“Like many small businesses, we were trying to be all things to all people, but it’s hard to manage and market such a scattergun approach,” said Dr Eddie Kirkby, of The Making Rooms. “The Lancashire Forum enabled us to focus our activities and move forward.”

The Lancashire Forum, part of Boost; Lancashire’s business growth hub, is a six-month programme designed to help owner-managers, MDs and senior decision makers of SMEs to grow their businesses. The programme has played a key role in The Making Rooms’ development.

The Making Rooms exist to provide a space for creativity, technology and advanced manufacturing to come together.

“Our objective is to help create new businesses, jobs and skills,” added Eddie. “But a lot of things go into that, from the free open access day at our Fab Lab (Fabrication Laboratory), to our incubator spaces and funded programmes like Tech Blackburn, our technology start-up accelerator. We also hire out time on equipment like laser cutters and CNC routers, and provide commercial design, 3D printing and prototyping services.”

Blackburn Borough Council approached Eddie after he set up the UK’s first Fab Lab in Manchester in 2009, wanting him to do the same in Blackburn. The business plan quickly evolved and the intention was always for The Making Rooms to become independent, flexible and agile.

“This was the first time I’d effectively had sole responsibility,” said Eddie. “So I found myself thinking ‘I want to learn how to lead a business myself – and I want to learn from others in the same situation’. That’s where the Lancashire Forum came in.

“I’ve had a relationship with Lancaster University for years, particularly with the product development unit. When I heard about this programme, there were two main drivers for me: gaining tools and techniques for growing a small business, and building a peer network.

The Forum delivered exactly what Eddie wanted, and he added: “I came away from every session with something I could apply in the business, and it wouldn’t have been anything like as effective without the peer-to-peer learning. It really put me at ease that it wasn’t just me struggling with these issues. I gained lots of confidence – and support.”

Eddie explained how, with his business being so responsive, forecasting was difficult and a traditional business plan of limited value.

“Being introduced to a tool like the Business Model Canvas was so useful, because it’s much more adaptive,” he said. “The key thing I took away was rationalisation of the business. I was able to cut all the services we were offering down to a few key revenue streams, so we could really focus on those.”

He has since used the same methods for this year’s strategic review, changing the business model to a simpler one and now reaching their sustainability target.

Since attending the Forum, The Making Rooms has grown dramatically. Eddie said: “Without increasing costs, the growth in revenue has been phenomenal. In the latest report, income for commercial work had gone up by 53%. However, our strategy now is to deliver more grant-funded programmes (which we have increased by 141%), whilst maintaining growth of the commercial work. If we continue to focus on this more predictable side of the business, we should be recruiting new staff in the next six months.”

Eddie is keen to highlight the ongoing one-to-one support he received on the Lancashire Forum, both from his peers and from the experts delivering the workshops.

“They didn’t just stand at the front and then disappear,” he said. “They were really interested in helping you. Here in Blackburn and East Lancashire, it’s a close-knit, collaborative community, especially on the innovation side. You have things like Boost and the Hive, which make building a business a much easier pathway. By putting those SMEs together in a room – and with all the people they know as well – the Lancashire Forum has created a wide-ranging network and a lasting impact.”

The Lancashire Forum is fully-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The next six-month Lancashire Forum cohort starts on March 17th. To find out more, contact Jane Hunter on 01524 593712, email [email protected] or visit lancaster.ac.uk/lums/lancashireforum

Enjoyed this? Read more from Lancaster University Management School

Latest news

1

Construction begins on new Civil Service office building in Talbot Gateway Alan McBride Muse Will Town Defence Infrastructure Organisation Jennifer Chard Defence Business Services Cllr Lynn Williams Blackpool Council Garry Bowker Vinci

Construction begins on new Civil Service office building in Talbot Gateway

20 May 2025

2

Skiddle raises over £750,000 for charities Skiddle cheque presentation to Alder Hey Hospital

Skiddle raises over £750,000 for charities

20 May 2025

3

Former Victorian Hotel approved for residential conversion The site

Former Victorian Hotel approved for residential conversion

19 May 2025

4

REVOLUTION PARK: Work starts on Darwen’s new home of advanced manufacturing Oliver Webber, Tracy Clavell-Bate and Tim Webber from Barnfield Group with Cllr Phil Riley, second from right, Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council

REVOLUTION PARK: Work starts on Darwen’s new home of advanced manufacturing

19 May 2025

5

Two Cuckoo Gins named winners in The Gin Guide Awards 2025 Mark Long

Two Cuckoo Gins named winners in The Gin Guide Awards 2025

19 May 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
LBV122 May/June Launch Event
121 Lancashire Business View Magazine Launch
Networking
21 May 2025

LBV122 May/June Launch Event

Lancaster and Morecambe College, Lancaster, LA1 2TY

08:30 - 10:30

Sub36 Networking
Networking
11 Jun 2025

Sub36 Networking

British Jewellery School, Scorton, PR3 1BA

15:00 - 17:00

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference
Net Zero Carbon Social 1200pxtrident 2
Networking
18 Jun 2025

Lancashire Net Zero Carbon Conference

Crow Wood Hotel & Spa Resort, Burnley, BB12 0RT

08:30 - 13:00

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025
BEC 315 X 315 Px
Networking
25 Sep 2025

Lancashire Built Environment Conference 2025

Blackpool Football Club, Blackpool, FY1 6HX

08:30 - 13:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers
WENDY BOWERS RISE Illustrstion copy.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
02 Apr 2025 - 08 Oct 2025

RISE - The Academy for Female Leaders and Managers

East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Clayton le Moors, BB5 5JR

09:00 - 15:30

Amber River True Bearing quarterly investment seminar
LBV Hub Seminars
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

Amber River True Bearing quarterly investment seminar

Cottons Hotel & Spa , Knutsford, WA16 0SU

16:00 - 18:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Mytton Fold, Langho, BB6 8AB

11:30 - 14:15

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: May
Freelancer Meet-Up May.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
22 May 2025 - 22 May 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: May

society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Liverpool Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-881365363-4862066883-1-original.20241023-085714.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Awards
23 May 2025 - 23 May 2025

Liverpool Business Expo 2025

Aintree Racecourse , Liverpool , L9 5AS

09:00 - 15:00

Advantage: AI – A Workshop for Business Leaders – May 29
Artboard 15.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
29 May 2025 - 29 May 2025

Advantage: AI – A Workshop for Business Leaders – May 29

Door4 Office, Burnley Wharf, Manchester Road, Burnley, BB11 1JG

09:00 - 11:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV122 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin