The success of Fifteen, the restaurant set up by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and staffed by keen but unemployed wannabe chefs, typifies the new breed of entrepreneurs who are combining business with altruism. One North-East company proving that theory is brand and design specialist Sumo, which has achieved 100pc growth and doubled staff numbers year on year since it was founded four years ago by Jim Richardson and Suzanne Evans. Now one of the region's most profitable design agencies, Sumo's client list includes Barclays Bank, Northern Film & Media, Newcastle City Council, Novartis and Solutions Recruitment. But, Jim and Suzanne's style is a far cry from the cut-throat attitude and sharp-suited image of some of their peers. Sumo quietly supports a range of charity and community projects and recently donated a website for the Children's Cancer Run in aid of funds for North East Cancer Research. "We were disillusioned by our experiences in London and Glasgow, working for large design agencies which were all about profit and nothing about people," says Suzanne. "Our aim was to create a company where we would want to work ourselves." One of the firm's latest charity projects is the second edition of Jim's brainchild, Building Letters magazine, which raises funds for development work in third-world countries, including the building of orphanages in Africa and India for children with Aids. Run in partnership with Sumo client, Madventurer, a youth travel and development company, the project is typical of Jim and Suzanne's belief that combining commerce with charity pays dividends for the business and the causes with which it gets involved. "We simply choose to work with genuinely nice people and apply good design to deliver the results they want," says Suzanne. "That principle remains the same whether it's done for a good cause, or to help a client win more customers." Involvement in business and community activities, together with constant networking, has resulted in a long list of loyal customers. And it's not just UK contacts that pay off - a partnership with renowned Dutch designer, Max Kisman, came about through Jim's involvement with the European design scene. Although now based in San Francisco, Max worked on some of the projects that helped Sumo beat off 600 entries to pick up five awards at the region's Fresh design and advertising awards, including the Grand Prix prize for Best Design of the Year. Sumo's worldwide contacts also resulted in a big response when it organised a free poster exhibition in Newcastle, attracting entries from as far away as China and Argentina. Jim beieves that a willingness to share its expertise is one of the reasons behind the company's success in rattling the cages of some of the bigger players. "The North-East design world is a tight community, but we can learn so much from looking outwards and building bridges with international design experts," he says. "We regularly appear on the speakers' circuit in Europe - and more recently the USA - and while this might not immediately generate revenue, it always brings results in one form or another." One example is a conversation at a conference in Holland earlier this year that led to a unique job-swap for young designer, Sarah Tempest. She exchanged places with a designer in Newcastle's twin city, Groningen, and the result will be a book to promote the region to the Dutch tourism market. Jim is quick to see the value of opportunities such as this. "It's a chance for us to share best practice and forge links with the overseas design community that will keep us ahead of the competition," he says. "Sarah's host company recently opened an office in Amsterdam and gave us some useful advice that will help with our own expansion plans. In return, we've been able to pass on our experience of investing in new studio management technology, which has transformed the way we run the business." Job-swaps are just one way that Jim and Suzanne encourage staff to learn and grow alongside the business. "Sarah came back buzzing with ideas and inspiration," says Jim. "Constantly delivering award-winning creative work takes a high level of motivation and enthusiasm. You can't buy or bully people into being motivated, but you can provide an environment where they want to give that little bit extra, which makes the company more successful and ultimately benefits everyone." Suzanne sums up the company's ethos. "Sometimes we get involved in projects simply because we can, and it feels right," she says. "Although we're serious about our clients and the work that we do, we don't believe in taking ourselves too seriously. We want to engage and inspire people, deliver great results and be part of an organisation with a feelgood factor. "Life is too short to just be taking up space." | 
