Outpost Creations is owned and operated by Wil Fahy, a Waterford City native who launched his business in Feb 2019. It creates props, sets, mascots, displays, collectibles and replicas.
Wil had been making props for many years, originally for himself. He volunteered to build props for a local haunted house attraction and ended up working on complete rooms filled with purpose made props designed and built by himself. “I started out, as many did, by drawing, painting and making model kits. Mostly from my favourite sci-fi movies. I progressed onto sculpting and developed a love for movie special effects. It was this that got me into prop making and then cosplay”.
His business plan was to start with cosplay, an emerging market in Ireland, and branch out into film, theatre and museum displays. So, he attended conventions and ComicCons, mostly for research purposes, and when he felt he was ready, he launched Outpost Creations making foam weapons, latex masks and anything clients required.
Business was going well for the first year, but while Wil was working on a film set, making costumes, props and sets the whole industry was closed down due to the pandemic. This stalled Wil’s progress and left him reconsidering his future in business.
It was around this time that he sought assistance from his Local Enterprise Office, “I met with its business advisors, and they introduced me to a business mentor who, after several meetings, gave me a clear focus on a way forward for the Outpost Creations, while still maintaining its core values.”
The Local Enterprise Office Waterford serves as a ‘first stop shop’ to provide strategic, administrative, technical and financial support and services to start, grow and develop micro and small business in Waterford.
“On their advice I signed up for LEAN integration. Even though I’m in business for over four years, I feel the pandemic set me back two. The support from LEO has been vital in guiding the business through the aftermath of the pandemic and resetting it to become a more viable enterprise and renewing its prospects for the future.”
LEAN For Micro is designed to encourage clients to adopt Lean business principles in their organisations, to increase performance and competitiveness. Lean is for all companies, regardless of sector, not just for manufacturing companies.
Lean tools and techniques help companies across the globe to address competitiveness issues within their businesses by building the capability of their people to identify problems, improve operations and create a more innovative organisation. Lean is about doing things quicker, better and saving costs. Lean strives to remove waste and to continually improve a company.
With the help of the Local Enterprise Office Wil has now returned to creating costumes, props and sets for plays and films. He has also found a lucrative business in the creation of props for businesses, for events and promotions. Outpost Creations plans to expand from its current one man operation and hire motivated and talented new designers. Wil wants to expand both the shop and its product range to include mascots and fibreglass installations.
The Outpost Creations studio, at Spring Garden Alley, has even become an attraction in itself, with Wil welcoming locals and tourists from home and abroad.
Local Enterprise Office Waterford is here to help you start a business, expand an existing business or reach new markets. It provides advice, information and supports in starting up or growing your business as part of a network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices across Ireland.
Contact your Local Enterprise Office Waterford for their latest training programmes and events schedule on www.localenterprise.ie/Waterford or email info@leo.waterfordcouncil.ie for access to all their training support information.
Wil Fahy and his work can be found at www.outpostcreations.ie