By Jules Love, Co-Founder of Spark AI
I started work in the late 1990s with Andersen Consulting, just as the internet was beginning to seriously disrupt business. Amazon was founded in 1994 and Google in 1998. Back then, we were asking ourselves whether we were better off using Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. Looking back, that was completely missing the point. The browser didn’t matter. What mattered was that the entire business model of how companies reached customers was being fundamentally rewritten.
Now, having worked with more than 50 agencies over the past 18 months through Spark AI, the company I co-founded, I’m watching the same thing happen again. Only this time, it’s moving faster.
That’s why I wrote Shift – AI for Agencies. Not because I had all the answers, but because after 18 months on the frontline of AI adoption with agencies, I certainly knew most of the questions.
Here are the 5 lessons agencies need to take on board:
When digital arrived, agencies had years to adapt. Broadband took 10 years to roll out. The iPhone didn’t appear until 2007, and the App Store didn’t open until 2008. Influencer marketing took a decade to become the juggernaut it is today. Agencies had two decades to experiment, learn, pivot, and rebuild their capabilities.
AI is different. More money is being poured into generative AI than any technology in human history. As a share of US GDP, it’s more than double what was spent on the Apollo moon missions in the 1960s. This level of investment means the rate of improvement we’ve seen since ChatGPT launched in late 2022 shows no sign of slowing down.
The models improve every few months. New capabilities arrive constantly. What seemed impossible last year is standard this year. And unlike the digital transition – which required new infrastructure and new devices – AI tools are immediately accessible to anyone with a laptop and a £20 monthly subscription.
But here’s what catches most agencies off guard: AI tools don’t work like the software you’re used to.
When you learned Photoshop or InDesign, you learned specific commands. Click this button, use this tool, apply this effect. The software did exactly what you told it to do, the same way, every time. Mastery meant knowing which buttons to press.
AI doesn’t work that way. The same prompt gives you different results each time. There are no buttons to press, just conversations to have. You don’t learn commands—you learn how to communicate intent, how to refine outputs, how to work iteratively with something that’s part tool, part collaborator.
This means agencies need to develop completely new capabilities. Not just “how to use ChatGPT” but how to prompt effectively, how to evaluate AI outputs, how to combine multiple AI tools into workflows, how to know when to use AI and when not to.
If AI was just about learning new tools, agencies would adapt fine. They’ve done it before. From desktop publishing to digital design to social media, the industry has consistently upskilled as new technology arrived.
But AI is different. It doesn’t just change your toolkit—it changes how creative work happens.
Think about the traditional creative process. You brief a team. They go away for days or weeks. They come back with three concepts. The client picks one. You refine it. You iterate. Eventually you have a finished brand or campaign that goes live.
Now imagine this: your strategist uses AI to analyse thousands of customer reviews in a few hours, identifying patterns that would have taken weeks to surface manually. Your creative team generates 20 concept directions in a day instead of three in a week. Your designers create 200 variations of each concept to test against different audiences. Your account team runs simulations of client presentations to anticipate objections before the meeting.
The work itself is different. It’s not about executing specific creative visions anymore—it’s about designing frameworks and parameters within which AI can generate brand-appropriate content. You become the architect of creative possibility rather than the executor of individual ideas.
This is where most agencies are missing the real story. AI doesn’t just make existing tasks faster. It redistributes where time gets spent and where value lives.
Junior creatives used to spend weeks creating multiple concept directions. Now they spend hours generating hundreds of options with AI. Their value shifts from execution to curation and refinement.
Your senior creatives used to spend days perfecting a single visual. Now they spend their time designing the guardrails and parameters that guide AI generation at scale.
Your strategists used to spend weeks doing desk research and analysis. Now they spend that time on higher-order thinking—interpreting patterns, making connections, developing insights that AI can’t.
And here’s the critical bit: the traditional pricing model begins to break.
When creating 100 variations doesn’t cost much more than creating one, how do you charge for that work? When a task that took three days now takes three hours, why would clients pay the same rate? When work that seems – even if only from the client’s perspective – increasingly automated, why pay agency rates at all?
Any time you save through AI efficiency will eventually be passed to clients. The market will force your hand. If you try to pocket those gains as margin, someone else will undercut you.
So the agencies that are getting ahead are redefining where value comes from. They’re moving from selling deliverables to selling ongoing creative capability. From project-based pricing to outcome-based models. From “time × rate = fee” to “impact × expertise = value.”
One agency director told us: “AI hasn’t made our work cheaper, but it has made it better. Now we’re exploring more territories, testing more ideas, and then refining them more.” The agencies succeeding aren’t trying to work faster at the same things. They’re doing fundamentally different work.
Many agencies come to us asking: “What’s the best AI tool for creating social content?” Or “What’s a great prompt for writing headlines?” Or “Should we use ChatGPT or Claude?”
They are treating AI like they treated Adobe Creative Suite, just another piece of software to master. Learn the tools, get certified, move on.
But that’s like asking in 1998 whether you should use Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. The browser didn’t matter. What mattered was that the entire business model of how companies reached customers was being rewritten.
The agencies getting this right are asking completely different questions:
These aren’t questions about tools or prompts. They’re questions about business transformation.
Our research revealed something striking: about 20% of agencies were deliberately moving forwards with AI—building adoption programmes, implementing policies, training their teams. Meanwhile, 50% were stuck at the experimental stage, where AI use was down to individual initiative with little support to move beyond it. And 20% still aren’t really doing anything at all – just letting their teams do what they want.
Shift – AI for Agencies captures everything we’ve learned in the last 18 months about how to transform your agency with AI.
It’s built around what we call the AI Maturity Model—a four-stage framework from
The book walks you through:
I studied Applied Generative AI at MIT, then co-founded Spark AI to help agencies navigate this future. We were supported by Innovate UK to build our AI Accelerator programme, and Shift contains everything we’ve learned from the frontline of AI adoption. Many of the concepts in this book I teach as part of the ‘Advanced Diploma for AI in Business’ at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School.
The agencies that will thrive aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or the most advanced technical resources—they’re the ones that understand they’re not just adopting new technology, they’re rebuilding what an agency is, what it does, and how it creates value.
Get the book
Order ‘Shift – AI for Agencies’ to transform your business for the AI era. To celebrate it’s launch on 4th November, BCI members will be able to buy the Kindle edition for 99p for the first 48 hours.
About Spark AI
Spark is an AI training, coaching and consultancy working with agencies and brands. We help leaders upskill their teams, build AI workflows and reconfigure their businesses. We have been supported by Innovate UK and teach our AI for Leaders programme at Oxford University’s Said Business School. 👉 https://www.wearespark.ai/
About the Author
Jules Love is a co-founder of Spark AI. He studied Applied Generative AI at MIT, regularly speaks about AI on the global stage, and is one of BIMA’s 100 for 2025.
When the Chancellor delivers the Autumn Budget, creative businesses across Bristol and the South West will be tuning in for signs of support — tax incentives, training funds, digital investment, and measures to steady employer costs.
As Bristol Creative Industries’ recent article, What our members want to see in the Autumn Budget 2025, highlights, the creative community is optimistic yet pragmatic. Members are calling for clarity, consistency and targeted support but they’re also pointing to something more human: the need to nurture and retain the people who make creative businesses thrive.
Budgets may set the economic stage, but it’s our culture how we listen to, reward and develop our people that determines whether we can truly seize the opportunity.
We’re lucky in the West of England. The West of England Growth Hub offers practical support to help creative organisations scale from access to finance to leadership mentoring and business development through programmes like Create Growth and the Creative Sector Growth Programme. At the same time, the Good Employment Charter provides a clear framework for what fair, progressive employment looks like: secure work, flexible working, wellbeing, employee voice and development. Signing up (it’s free) signals to both clients and teams that you’re serious about building good jobs and great workplaces.
Both initiatives point to the same truth: creative growth doesn’t just happen through funding or innovation; it happens through people who feel heard and valued.
While we can’t dictate what the Treasury does next, every creative organisation can take practical, affordable steps to strengthen culture, attract talent and improve retention.
The question is…why it matters now? The creative economy runs on people freelancers, collaborators, studio teams. But amidst client pressures, deadlines and tech change, it’s easy to lose sight of the human infrastructure that keeps the work flowing. While the national conversation focuses on budgets, our local conversation in Bristol and local areas can focus on something even more powerful: how we build workplaces people want to stay in.
So as the Budget headlines fade, here’s a challenge for creative leaders in the region:
Because growth doesn’t start with policy it starts with people who feel seen, supported and proud to create where they belong.
The government’s 2025 Autumn Budget takes place on 26 November.
Bristol Creative Industries members share what they would like to see in chancellor Rachel Reeves’ speech for creative businesses.
“It’s a tough market right now for creative businesses. We’re an economy of SMEs and micro-enterprises so support that encourages both business start up and scale is critical to our sector growth.
“While it’s encouraging to see central government championing the creative industries, we need that ambition to translate into tangible support. Support, simplification, and incentives for growth are what we’d like to see. That means easier access to enhanced funding, grants and investment, particularly for digital transformation and innovation, alongside tax strategies and initiatives that will create impact including practical help to make hiring entry-level talent affordable and accessible.
“The creative economy is ready to grow, we need support to help us do just that.”
Lis Anderson, co-chair of Bristol Creative Industries
“As the Autumn Budget approaches, creative business leaders must make the case for real investment in young talent. Our industry runs on innovation, but too many aspiring creatives are shut out by lack of access, training, and opportunity.
“Government support for employers to offer paid placements, mentorship, and creative facilities would unlock a wave of energy and ideas our sector urgently needs, and provide the foundations of a solid growth strategy. Investing in the next generation strengthens our talent pipeline, fuels diversity, and keeps the UK’s creative industries globally competitive.”
Mustafa Mirreh, Tell ’em Mo
“Rachel Reeves should be bold. It would be a good start to give the UK’s creative industries a leg up by doubling the Discover Creative Careers programme to £6 million, getting 100,000 disadvantaged kids into apprenticeships and setting up hubs in places like the North East and Midlands to close the jobs gap with London.
“A freelancer package, sorting out IR35, chucking in a £500 startup credit, easing late payment hassles, and a £10 million AI upskilling pot could tackle the skills shortage and calm 60% of creatives worried about job losses. That’d really spark inclusive growth!”
Jayne Caple, Vivid Imagination
“I’d like to see better support for creative businesses, especially when it comes to upskilling and investing in training. Improved R&D and innovation tax reliefs (with proper guidance on how to access them) would go a long way, as would targeted funding and incentives for skills development.
“With the big AI wave reshaping how we all work, it’s crucial that the UK government keeps backing the creative sector and helps it stay at the forefront of innovation.”
Rob Morrisby, Jambi Digital
“If the government is serious about fuelling the UK’s creative growth, it can’t keep treating podcasting as a hobby. The UK podcast and audio industry is now worth £5 billion annually – one of the fastest-growing in the creative economy – and a vital export channel for British storytelling.
“A targeted tax relief and global IP fund would turn that momentum into measurable economic impact, giving independent creators and production studios the same investment confidence enjoyed by film and TV. This isn’t a hand-out; it’s a high-return strategy. With the right fiscal framework, podcasting could become the UK’s next world-class creative export”.
Matt Allen, It Starts With a Podcast
“There’s some truth to that, but it also highlights an issue with discourse surrounding these big-ticket fiscal events.
“Will Rachel Reeves break a tax pledge? Who will the winners and losers be? This is interesting for those in the business of news and politics, but my issue is that it misses a bigger point.
“We have a government with a huge majority, elected on a mandate to change things. They have an opportunity to overhaul an economy that’s visibly and palpably failed too many people for too long – especially outside London and the South East. This is the backdrop for so many of the problems facing us today.
“My hope for the Budget is that we start to see the government’s vision for the country and understand how it plans to get us there. I would start by putting more resource with town and city leaders and getting Treasury officials out of London more often to better understand what places need to thrive and see where their policies over the last 40 years have failed.
“Creating the conditions for businesses and their teams to thrive should be top of any government’s growth agenda. Affordable homes, training and transport that works should all feature in some way.
“This would also add some meat onto the bones of the government’s slogan of ‘change’ and justify any tax rises that seem certain to happen. Polls suggest many people would pay more for public services that work. The challenge for the government is to join the dots between the measures and the outcomes they want. Whatever measure grabs the headlines, I hope we get more of a sense of what ‘change’ really means.”
Ben Lowndes, Distinctive Communications
“The UK’s creative industries thrive on talent, but nurturing that talent takes investment. I’d like to see the Autumn Budget prioritise easily accessible funding for apprenticeships and professional development, especially for independent agencies who want to bring in the best new people but are faced with complex (or costly) schemes.
“We also need sustained support for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that make creative careers possible for people from all backgrounds, not just those who can afford to take unpaid opportunities.
“Finally, a commitment to regional investment beyond London would unlock creative potential – and economic growth – across every part of the country.”
Ailsa Billington, Proctor and Stevenson
“Last year the creative industry was highlighted as a “key sector for economic growth”. This year I’d like to see the government go further. Creativity is an essential part of our economy, and we need stronger confidence, particularly in our region.
“Agencies like ours do more than “make things look good”. We craft world-class brand stories, shape digital experiences, and deliver campaigns that drive exports, growth, and innovation across the UK.
“Yet SMEs like ours are constantly squeezed. Rising costs, AI and immersive technologies are transforming how we work, and without targeted support and innovation agencies risk being left behind.
“The Autumn Budget is a chance to see more funding in that pace, and I’d like to see more opportunities with procurement to smaller agencies, and any business support via tax reliefs would be hugely welcome!”
Ruth Clarke, Six
“Employers shouldered the biggest tax rises in the October 2024 Budget, felt through the increase in employers NICs. Whilst Rachel Reeves has given herself very few tax levers to pull for the November 2025 Budget without breaking her manifesto pledge, I think it’s unlikely that further tax will be put on employers.
“Taxing businesses will only create more uncertainty. The creative sector needs a Budget that will bring back confidence in the UK economy.”
Karen Pearce, Loom Digital
“I feel like the Autumn Budget has been a long time coming – partly because it’s later than usual but partly because I’ve read so much about what may or may not happen. Most of it gloomy. But I’m waiting for the facts.
“I’m expecting changes to tax thresholds, but we’ll see what detail there is around that. I’m also expecting national minimum wage increases, but as a Living Wage Employer we’re well set up for them. I am encouraged by the recent measures announced to tackle late payments, which are a big problem for small businesses.”
Jessica Morgan, Carnsight Communications
“We saw business rates rise by over 30% overnight in the last review just a couple of years ago. With another review due next April — and no clarity from the Valuation Office, I’m deeply concerned. In uncertain times, the last thing businesses need is complete unpredictability.
“There’s talk of favourable changes for smaller high street properties being funded by higher rates on larger properties, but its just a mess. The entire business rates system needs rethinking. I hope a national review is on the agenda this autumn in time to give some clarity ahead of April.”
Jason Smith, Gather Round and Fiasco
“As a small, independent, creative business leader, I’m looking to the Budget for reassurance that skills funding will work for businesses of my size and nature. SME access to funds for AI and digital upskilling is critical in helping us maintain pace with some of the larger creative players.
“I would also welcome harder enforcement on late payments as cashflow has become increasingly challenging with rising business costs since the last Budget. Do this and agencies like ours in Bristol will have the support to continue our growth journeys, contributing to the wider creative offering within the South West.”
Lucy McKerron, Purplefish
“We hope the Autumn Budget recognises the vital role of the creative industries in driving economic growth and innovation. AI offers incredible potential for agencies like ours, and with the right support, such as relief on AI investment, we could combine technology and human imagination in even more powerful ways.
“Incentives for content creation would further unlock bold ideas and new jobs across the UK’s creative economy. Ultimately, a Budget that treats creativity not as a luxury, but as a catalyst for progress, would be a powerful statement of intent.”
Kit Worrall, Team Eleven
“TV sets (and mobile phone and routers) are all coming with a big NPU (neural processing unit) inside which will allow the device itself to modify the content while the user watches. You can be in EastEnders for example!
“This creates massive new opportunities for UK creatives to lead, but to do it requires investment in tech as well as the creative industry.
“The tech to do this is created in the UK (we are one of those tech companies) but generally tech is ignored by the creative industry.
“This is not expensive cloud based AI. This is Edge-based AI running in the device, at no cost to the broadcaster. So far only the American and Chinese hyperscalers are taking advantage of this UK tech!”
Trevor Neal, RedSquid AI-TV
Look out for a guide to what the Autumn Budget 2025 means for the creative industries after the speech on 26 November.
A guide to the government’s creative industries sector plan
A guide to the government’s digital and technologies sector plan
Government names West of England as priority area for creative industries
🚫 “It’s great to be here.”
🚫 “Hello, I am [insert name, job title]. Today I’m going to talk about…”
🚫 “Thank you for having me”
Avoid these predictable presentation intros. These just set up your talk as nothing new.
If you want your talk to be memorable you need to hook your audience from the very beginning and give them a compelling reason to pay attention.
The graphic below from Sequoia Capital illustrates a typical attention span over 60mins and the potential to lose 90% of your audience within the first five mins…but how to remedy?
Here are three ways (and a bonus fourth😁) to help to set up your talk as unmissable:
🎬 Set the scene like a movie.
“Our industry is facing seismic challenges. That’s what I would have said – until six months ago we discovered something that changed everything. Here’s what happened..”
📊 Drop an eyebrow-raising stat.
“If women started and scaled new businesses at the same rate as men, we could create £250 billion in additional value to the UK’s economy, according to a recent review. Here’s what needs to happen…”
🔍 Use a prop or an attention-grabbing slide.
One influential presenter wordlessly put up an image of an elephant to kick off a talk where they went on to talk about tackling ‘the elephant in the room’ of their industry, while another promised a visual to capture the current state of the economy…and put up a completely black slide.
Remember: with audio only, retention of content three days later is around 10%, but with an image that increases to an incredible 65%
⭐ Or you can call us. We can to help you to be memorable in all your business interactions.
Have you heard of the Seven Wastes in business? Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Overprocessing and Defects, known by the TIMWOOD acronym and originally from manufacturing.
The Seven Wastes are activities that a business should eliminate to become more lean, efficient and cost-effective. Maybe we should look at waste in company communications, given that:
👉 86% of executives and employees cite a lack of collaboration or ineffective communication as a significant cause of workplace failures (Salesforce).
👉 Companies with good communication practices are 4.5x more likely to retain top talent (Forbes).
👉 57% of employees report needing to be given clear directions, which leads to unnecessary stress and delays (Gallup).
Are any of these impacting your company? Luckily, you don’t have to work with TIMWOOD (bet he leaves the office kitchen in a mess too…)
TRANSPORTATION – how are you delivering your business messaging both internally and externally?
✅ Look at leveraging your communication platforms efficiently and in a targeted, memorable way
INVENTORY– are you trying to do too much with overloaded messaging where nothing cuts through?
✅ Aim to speak to your audience directly and with a clear headline message
MOTION – do you have unnecessary layers of approvals which means turnaround is sluggish or a culture of copying in many people into email threads which leads to confused ownership and congested inboxes?
✅ Empower your teams and streamline reporting where possible
WAITING – is there a bottleneck in your approvals process?
✅ Don’t let static process dictate timing to the detriment of the story
OVERPRODUCTION – have you spent enough time refining communications to ensure that it’s targeted where it needs to be most effective?
✅ Less is often more, be specific in your goal
OVERPROCESSING – are your communications team able to run effectively or are they hampered by non-communications specialists inputting into materials or strategy?
✅ Let them have the final edit
DEFECTS – do teams have a clear brief and/or the understanding to enable them to deliver?
✅ Prioritise precise communications to swerve damaging mistakes
Want to tackle TIMWOOD and wage war on waste? We can help with an internal and external business communications audit and forward strategy. Find out more and get in touch.
Weston College and University Centre Weston are looking to work with creative businesses to shape delivery, curriculum and skills alignment to provide your industry with a talented and work ready future workforce.
Current courses delivered by us include:
Please join us at one of our events (you can find them all here) and have your say! https://forms.office.com/e/0T1Z42Ey2V
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has quickly become the business world’s favourite buzzword. Tools like ChatGPT are now popping up in HR and benefits planning — and research shows that seven in ten SME leaders (69%) are already using AI to shape their employee benefits strategies.
On the surface, that sounds like progress. AI promises speed, efficiency, and instant insight. But is it really the solution employers need — or just a digital safety net covering deeper challenges?
AI can help in smart, practical ways: generating ideas, modelling costs, and improving communications. For busy HR and business leaders, especially in smaller organisations, these functions can feel like a lifeline. When time and resources are limited, a quick AI-powered draft or model can be a real boost.
But here’s the catch. Many leaders tell me that using AI hasn’t boosted their confidence — it’s actually raised doubts. Decisions are often driven more by personal instinct than by staff feedback or real performance data.
In many cases, AI is being used reactively — plugging gaps caused by a lack of time, resources, or expert advice — rather than driving meaningful, strategic change.
And that’s where AI alone falls short.
It lacks context: AI can crunch data, but it doesn’t understand company culture, demographics, or nuance.
It encourages short-term fixes: Fast answers can mask deeper, structural issues.
It doesn’t build trust: Employees value genuine care and investment, not chatbot-generated ideas.
There’s often a big gap between intention and impact. Only a minority of leaders feel confident in their long-term benefits strategy. Meanwhile, employee expectations around wellbeing, fairness, and financial security keep rising.
People want clarity and benefits that genuinely improve their lives. That takes more than clever algorithms — it takes insight, alignment, and communication.
AI isn’t the enemy — it just needs human partnership. Here’s how SMBs can use it wisely:
Start by listening: Gather real feedback before making decisions.
Use AI as an assistant, not a strategist: Let it support, not steer.
Bring in expert guidance: Trusted advisers add the context AI lacks.
Focus on outcomes, not products: Design benefits around real employee experiences.
Communicate with impact: Use AI to simplify complex details into clear, human stories.
AI absolutely has a place in modernising employee benefits — especially for small businesses under pressure. It can save time, spark ideas, and lighten admin loads. But it can’t replace the strategic thinking, empathy, and lived experience that make benefits truly meaningful.
The real advantage comes from blending smart technology with human expertise and honest employee insight. Done well, this approach helps smaller businesses compete confidently with bigger players — delivering benefits that are not just cost-effective, but genuinely valued.
💡 Free Employee Benefits Audit for Bristol Creative Industries Members
As part of Bristol Creative Industries, I’m offering a free employee benefits audit to help small and growing businesses assess where they stand, identify gaps, and take confident next steps.
It’s a practical, no-cost way to build a benefits strategy that blends AI efficiency with real human understanding — and ensures your people feel genuinely supported.
👉 Get in touch to book your free audit.
While each client I work with is unique, there is a common thread that runs through so many of my coaching sessions: expectation.
We have expectations of others, and for the most part we consider these reasonable: to listen to us, to trust us, to treat us fairly. But how do we know when the expectation becomes unreasonable? To remember our birthday, our anniversary, the names of our pets and children; to show us patience when we’re late, or tired, and support us when we’re struggling… even when they are struggling too. The expectations differ based on the relationship, of course, and that becomes a minefield of its own. What more would you expect of your partner compared to your closest friends?
We have expectations of life. We expect it to be sunny on our wedding days, sports days and holidays (we know it’s silly, but we do); we expect the roads to be clear and the printer to work and that Whatsapp message to just… bloody… send. We expect these things because we are programmed to spot patterns, and if the pattern breaks and something lets us down, we don’t appreciate it.
And then there are the expectations of ourselves. If that fool at school can get a six-figure salary and that weird guy at the gym can get married, and he can get promoted and she can get pregnant, why can’t we? It’s not just that we want these things. We expect them.
We expect ourselves to have more energy than we have (despite what we’re eating and how many hours we’re sleeping) and we expect to be happy at least 99% of the time (unless that character dies).
Every day, we expect more of ourselves and others, and more of life, than could ever be considered reasonable. But it’s not our fault. We’d still be living in caves if we didn’t have high expectations. We’ve just forgotten how to manage them.
If this resonates with you, you might like to join my free workshop on expectations and blindspots:
https://whatsinyourblindspot.eventbrite.co.uk
When we learn to identify our expectations, to drag them from the subconscious and into the light, we can choose which expectations to act on, and which to let go.
And if you want to start exploring your expectations now, finding a little clarity and more peace in your day, drop me a message.
[As always, not written with AI. Yup, ‘resonates’ was all me…]
City of Bristol College would like to share the news that this week, five leading Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges launched Colleges West, a new partnership between City of Bristol College, St Brendan’s Sixth Form College, South Gloucestershire & Stroud College, Bath College and Weston College.
By working more closely together, the colleges aim to provide joined-up, high-quality skills training for over 50,000 learners in the region, while supporting economic growth, social mobility and stronger local communities.
The top lines are:
If you would like to arrange an interview with Julia Gray, Principal and Chief Executive Officer of City of Bristol College, or would like further comment or information, please reach out to Elle Wintersgill, Director of Marketing, Sales & Student Experience at [email protected].
In my role and a fellow member of Bristol Creative Industries, I often sit down with founders of small creative agencies. They grow their teams from two people around the kitchen table to a buzzing studio of 40. Business is good, clients are happy — but there is a nagging worry about staff turnover.
“I feel like we’ve got a great culture”, “We pay fairly, we’re flexible about working hours, but people still leave for bigger companies. I can’t compete with their salaries — but maybe I’m missing a trick with benefits?”
That’s where an employee benefits audit comes in.
What exactly is an employee benefits audit?
In simple terms, it’s a review of the perks and support you give your team. It looks at the obvious things — pensions, healthcare, life insurance — but also at the less visible, day-to-day benefits: training budgets, wellbeing support, cycle-to-work schemes, flexible working, and even perks like free coffee or social events.
The goal isn’t to overhaul everything. Instead, it’s to answer three key questions:
Why does it matter?
Last month was a crying example for a BCI Member. When we ran their audit, we found they was paying for a health cash plan that most of her staff didn’t know existed — and those who did weren’t claiming. At the same time, their team wanted something much simpler: access to mental health support and more training opportunities.
By reallocating spend, they ended up with a package that cost her less but delivered more. Staff engagement has improved, and they noticed fewer people scanning job ads for “what else is out there.”
For SME/Mid-sized organisations, the stakes are high. Recruitment is expensive. Losing a key person can disrupt client work. The right benefits package won’t stop every resignation, but it can tip the balance between someone staying or leaving.
Isn’t an audit complicated?
Not at all. It’s not a mountain of paperwork or a six-month consultancy project. For Bristol Creative Industries members, it’s simple and free:
That’s it. No jargon. No disruption to your business.
Why now?
The world of work has shifted. What employees expect from their employer in 2025 isn’t the same as it was even three years ago. Hybrid working, mental health, flexibility, and personal development now matter as much — sometimes more — than traditional “perks.”
An audit helps you see whether your benefits reflect that reality. It’s not about spending more, but about spending smarter.
The takeaway
For the BCI Member I mentioned earlier, the audit was a turning point. They didn’t need a bigger budget — just a clearer view of what worked and what didn’t. The result? A happier team, better retention, and money saved.
Your people are your biggest investment. A benefits audit is a small step that makes sure that investment is paying off — for them, and for you.
👉 BCI members can access a free audit via myself. It takes less time than your morning coffee run, but it could make a real difference to your business.
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