Three Years in Sheffield
Three years ago, Bravand opened an office in Sheffield.
Not as a satellite. Not as a nameplate. But as a commitment.
We wanted to properly embed ourselves in Sheffield and the wider South Yorkshire region - to contribute, collaborate and grow alongside the businesses and institutions already here.
Three years in, we can say with confidence: Sheffield is a fantastic place to start and grow a business.
Here’s why.
Starting a Business in Sheffield: Plug Into the Ecosystem
One of the biggest advantages of starting or growing a business in Sheffield is the strength of its business networks.
But they only work if you work them.
From day one, we made a conscious decision to show up consistently and contribute.
Sheffield Chamber of Commerce
Joining the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce gave us immediate access to the local business community. Becoming part of the Chamber Council deepened that involvement.
This wasn’t just business networking in Sheffield. It was credibility, visibility and long-term relationship building - a powerful launchpad for any business entering the region.
Sheffield Digital
If the Chamber gave us reach, Sheffield Digital gave us momentum.
Being part of Sheffield Digital has connected us to the business support community in Sheffield’s digital ecosystem and, after a recent Stop–Start–Continue review of our regional activity, Sheffield Digital membership stood out clearly as something to lean further into.
It has directly led to:
- Referrals into paying client projects
- Strategic partnerships that strengthen our delivery
- Access to specialist business support in Sheffield
That includes:
- Meeting and now working with Robin Williams - of Robin Does Digital fame - to support our growth
- Benefiting from free IP drop-in clinics with Kerry Russell - of Shakespeare Martineau fame - helping us sort a client IP assignation agreement with minimal stress
- Joining the Pathways Off the Plateau programme to sharpen our thinking around scale
There's a really healthy tech and digital ecosystem in South Yorkshire: practical, collaborative and commercially relevant.
3D Connect
Through 3D Connect (led by the fabulous Andy Hanselman, Jilly White and Danielle Sheldon), we’ve also found a tribe of likeminded folks all grafting away, offering support and just being generally awesome
Sometimes the most valuable support isn’t a lead - it’s better thinking.
South Yorkshire has a strong culture of practical business support. That matters whether you're scaling-up, scaling-down or holding steady.
Growing a Business in South Yorkshire: Collaboration Wins
What makes Sheffield and South Yorkshire particularly powerful isn’t just cost base or talent (though both are strong).
It’s culture.
There’s a willingness here to collaborate rather than posture. To share insight. To connect people. To help businesses thrive together.
If you show up and contribute, the region gives back.
That culture has shaped not just our commercial growth - but our social impact.
Building Social Value That Works
Fresh Meet - delivering high-quality digital work while creating paid opportunities for emerging talent - has existed as a concept almost as long as Bravand.
But opening the Sheffield office accelerated it.
See It Be It & Cornerstone Employer
Through See It Be It in Sheffield, we became more embedded in working with young people in education settings. Becoming a Cornerstone Employer, and working strategically with South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Athority (SYMCA) and the South Yorkshire Careers Hub, allowed us to test delivery and commercials and learn.
We knew form day 1 that there were lots of young people we couldn't reach via classrooms and, when you're talking about diversifying a talent pipeline and getting young people economically active, those young people not in a classroom were a big target group for us.
When we were doing this in London, we couldn't figure out how to reach them, but in Sheffield, we could see multiple ways of getting in front of them.
That meant:
- Moving beyond one-off talks
- Testing delivery models
- Learning how to make social value commercially sustainable
We were able to properly experiment, refine and learn.
Social Enterprise Growth Accelerator
The breakthrough moment for Fresh Meet came via the Social Enterprise Growth Accelerator (SEGA) programme.
SEGA gave us space to step back and ask bigger questions about structure, scale and impact.
The result?
We launched Fresh Meet CIC - a Community Interest Company designed to house and scale the social value work we were already delivering through Bravand.
That progression - from idea to structured social enterprise - happened because of the regional support andecosystem around us.
Why Sheffield Is a Brilliant Place to Start and Grow a Business
Three years on, Sheffield has given us:
- A stronger regional client base
- Meaningful partnerships
- Access to talent and education networks
- Strategic business support
- The confidence to launch and scale a CIC
For any business considering starting in Sheffield or expanding into South Yorkshire, our advice is simple:
- Don’t just relocate.
- Join in.
- Turn up.
- Contribute.
This region rewards participation.
And we’re proud to be part of it.
