Our Two Person Studio Won Scotland’s Startup Award: Here’s What Changed (And What Didn’t)

It’s been just over a month since Creative Compass UK was named Scotland’s Creative Startup of the Year at the 2025 UK StartUp Awards. (Before you roll your eyes, bear with us, it’s not a humblebrag, promise! 😂)

In September, we’ll head down south, from Aberdeen to Tring to attend Ideas Fest, and the UK national finals, which feels wild considering we’re still working out of our caravan office (for now anyway 👀). The recognition from the Scotland regional win genuinely meant an incredible amount to us (and we're so grateful for the opportunities it's opened up already!), but also, the whole experience has been a chance to step back and look inward. Specifically, it reaffirmed why we chose to build CCUK in the way we did: staying intentionally small, human, and hands-on, even when everyone else seems to be chasing scale.

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“Small” isn’t a weakness: here’s why we chose it -

From the outside, Creative Compass UK is an underdog story: two neurospicy founders, zero funding, zero safety net and yes, the infamous driveway caravan office that we are more than happy to mention on the regular. On paper, we’re not exactly corporate giants, but that’s the whole point.

When we were both made redundant one day apart (That really did happen, it's not a made-up sob story), we had two choices: dust off our CVs and jump back into the same cycle, or take a chance building something we have an extreme amount of passion for. We chose the second option, not because we wanted to become the biggest studio out there, but because we wanted to be one of the most thoughtful, genuine, enthusiastic and hands-on. The industry we loved was starting to feel like a factory line, and we’re both too stubborn to accept “that’s just how it’s done now.” 

Being intentionally small means we can offer something bigger agencies can struggle with: genuine relationships. We don’t hand clients off down a management chain; instead, we stay close, agile, and accessible. It’s the difference between feeling like a number versus being treated as a human being. For us, small has never been a limitation; it's always been a deliberate choice, and it still is. - We love an underdog story anyway. 😉

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What the award process has taught us - 

When we first decided to apply all the way back in Febuary, we thought summing ourselves up in a tidy 300-500-word answer would be straightforward. But clearly articulating what makes you stand out without sounding like a robot or a walking LinkedIn cliché turned out to be much tougher than you'd think. Awards like the UK Startup Awards are important because they push you to step back and explain to a non-biased, outside source exactly who you are, what you stand for, and how you're making an impact. Going through the application process and then actually winning the Scotland finals didn't only turn into a credibility boost (though it certainly did!); it also helped us better define the values and strengths that we knew in ourselves that we had since day one.

Attending the regional finals and connecting with the other finalists was a highlight too. It was clear from the start that there are many different ways small businesses succeed; some through scale and rapid growth, others, like us, through building relationships, staying intentionally small, and offering genuine care and thoughtfulness at every step. Winning the Scotland leg of the UK Startup Awards has been the most exciting development for CCUK to date, and it also cemented our confidence in the way we've chosen to represent ourselves as well as work with clients. 

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Real value for other small businesses or freelance journeys - 

If you’re reading this as a freelancer, small studio, or someone quietly wishing you could build something you believe in, here’s what we’ve learned that you can take away too:

• Being hands-on isn’t a flaw: it’s your biggest asset. When clients know exactly who they’re working with and that you genuinely care about the work you produce, trust comes more easily, and relationships last longer. Especially nowadays, where genuine client connections are getting lost to AI chatbots and multi-layer, overly expensive agency systems.
• You don’t need a fancy office, a huge team, or a flashy budget to be taken seriously. Professionalism is defined by clarity, consistency, and reliability, not scale. Since COVID (that time that should not be named 🤐), remote work culture is still going strong. If you are in a position where you can work efficiently and to the highest standard wherever you are, as long as you have a laptop and reliable internet, then the need for a big flashy office can look like an unnecessary expense - and that's ok. 
• Being unconventional does not mean unprofessional; it means you’re real. Lean into your own unique quirks, voice, and approach, and clients will notice, and it will make you stand out against the crowded industry. It’s better to be genuinely different than perfectly polished but completely forgettable. 

If you’re clear about your offer, your strengths, and your genuine passion for the work, with the proof to back it up, you already have everything you need to stand out. Clarity and consistency can speak louder than size.

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What's next for Creative Compass (UK)?

If you couldn't already tell, winning this award and looking to the national finals hasn't suddenly prompted us to pivot into a big-agency mindset. But since that first application, we do have a clearer picture of what we’re working towards, so here’s a transparent look at what we have planned:

• Little spoiler here: Projected for before September 2025, we’re officially dropping the “UK” tag from our name. Its not to have a random re-brand or give us something to post about, we've been planning this for a while behind the scenes, because we’re lucky enough to be building a global client base, with multiple clients across not only the UK but the US too, and we want our name to reflect that (plus, it’s shorter and snappier, so a win-win, really).
• By Q2 next year, we plan to switch from our little old caravan to a branded Creative Compass campervan. We plan to be hitting the road to attend workshops, talks, and networking events across the UK and Europe. Think of it as a travelling mini studio, built to share value, create connections, and probably have a lot of dog-friendly pit stops along the way.
• Another big focus for us is accessibility. As founders who both have ADHD and Dyslexia (match made in heaven we know 😂), we already obsess over things like legibility, colour contrast, and clear language. Our goal is to take these checks, package them up, and formally stamp them into a design standard. By the end of 2026, every website, design and brand we launch will carry that stamp, reflecting a commitment to accessible, inclusive design.
• Finally, we’re going to be growing our community and impact. We’ve set a goal of reaching 1,000 newsletter subscribers entirely through value-focused content like this. No gimmicks, just genuine insights and practical advice.

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Sticking to what we do best

As we said, winning the Scotland leg of the UK Startup Awards isn't going to change how we work, and even if, on the off chance, we win the national final, it won’t change our approach either. But the whole experience has confirmed what we already knew: The best work, for us anyway, happens when we stay true to our values, stay intentional, and keep our business genuinely human-focused.

We will, of course, be keeping you updated on how the road to the finals is going and come September, there will be LOTS of Ideas Fest content! But in the meantime, here’s our two cents: If you’re another small business or freelancer quietly trying to do good work in your own way, stick with it. You don’t need to scale as quickly as possible to be respected, recognised, or trusted. Just stay consistent, stay clear, and stay human - You got this 👏