Richard Cross

Richard Cross is a web designer and developer as well as a photographer and certified drone pilot based in Stanley.

He has run his own business for nearly 20 years and recently moved from Edinburgh to rural Perthshire, getting in touch with GrowBiz after finding out about the community-based enterprise support organisation on social media.

Since first contacting GrowBiz and signing up to their mailing lists, Richard has been to one of the networking events aimed at supporting creative entrepreneurs which he says is a great way to meet others facing similar challenges.

Richard is also keen to become part of GrowBiz’s award-winning mentoring programme – the first of its kind in Scotland to be accredited by the Scottish Mentoring Network - to be matched with a mentor to help him develop the drone photography side of his business. 

Getting started

Photographer Richard set up on his own as a freelance web designer and developer in 2002 after working in web agencies for six years during the boom and bust period of the dot com years.

In 2010 he turned his freelance practice into a limited company to help larger clients have the confidence that he was a reliable choice.

The enterprise journey

If you ask Richard how he got to where he is today, he would say that he likes to think it is by doing a good job. 

But he says: “There’s more to it than just that.

“Running a small business myself, I appreciate the challenges other small and micro business owners face, so I try to build this understanding into my approach. Providing quality ongoing support is also vital. And while these aren’t unique traits, I’ve been in the sector a long time which I think helps a lot.” 

As with all businesses, Richard had challenges to deal with over the pandemic, but he also found some positives as well: “In the first lockdown I thought I would lose clients, but I ended up helping quite a few get up and running with e-commerce. This was something they were perhaps thinking about but the pandemic accelerated their thinking. Those that embraced it have done well, while those who thought it would be a magic bullet for success have been disappointed. 

“In terms of running projects I’m even more convinced that an in-person kick off / planning meeting is essential to get to know everyone involved.” 

Support

Over the years, Richard has enjoyed support from a number of sources, citing everyone from his first boss to his partner Helen who he says “helps me on a daily basis, even if it’s to remind me to go for a walk”.

“The hardest thing about running your own business is that it never stops,” he says, adding: “Day and night there’s always something to think about or sort out. Over the years I’ve become very good at time management but thoughts of what’s next are always there.”

Richard relaxes by walking, cycling and foraging, saying that he loves being outside and surrounded by nature.

“Moving from Edinburgh to rural Perthshire means I now have the sort of work-life balance that I’ve wanted for many years, which is a big achievement in itself for me.

“It is important not to burn out and having been close to that a couple of times I’m very keen not to put myself - or clients - in that position again. 

“I think that surviving as a small company is a huge achievement, and GrowBiz and the support it gives its clients to not only survive but also to thrive is a fantastic resource for micro enterprises in rural areas. Their Smart Village project is a brilliant example of building community resilience.” 

Looking to the future

Richard is keen to develop the drone photography side of his business, explaining: “Before the internet, I was a photographer and I have kept shooting landscapes and commercial work, mostly interiors and products, throughout my career.

“I’ve been using a drone to capture previously unseen sides of the Scottish landscape and I’m looking to develop this project to help inform the discussion about how we use our environment.” 

Richard is also working towards some sustainability goals: “The travel restrictions of the pandemic have been useful to show people their lives can change and I’m trying to follow this up with more conscious / slower travel decisions. Have always been good about recycling, reusing and minimising waste but now have shifted the balance of meat in my diet to 2 days out of 7 rather than most days.”

​And he says he is interested in working with others in the future, commenting: “Collaborations and partnerships with other professionals and small and micro business owners, where people from other disciplines come together to create something that is greater than the individual parts.

He’s most lately been working on some notes about websites; observations from 25 years creating sites: https://www.controlx.co.uk/notes 

For further information see www.controlx.co.uk.