A creative business is seen "as an oxymoron - either you're creative and sit around in a beret or you're a business person and sit around in a suit".

That is how Stef Lewandowski sums up the central dilemma facing small but rapidly growing creative companies such as his own. The 28-year-old runs 3form, a Birmingham-based agency specialising in web design, online gaming and interactive tools, with clients including Vivienne Westwood and lastminute.com.