Conversations with London Make & Co: Trading Insights
We sat down with London's fast-growing brand and product design studio, Make & Co, to find out how they've used London's FX markets to their advantage when working with international clients. Their approach to managing currency risk offers valuable lessons for traders and international businesses alike.
The International Design Challenge
Make & Co works with clients across Europe, North America, and Asia, which exposes them to significant currency fluctuations. Rather than seeing this as merely a financial challenge, they've incorporated market analysis into their business strategy.
"We realized early on that we needed to understand forex markets to properly price our services and protect our margins," explains James Wilkinson, co-founder of Make & Co.
From Reactive to Proactive: Their Trading Journey
Initially, Make & Co simply reacted to exchange rate movements, sometimes experiencing unpleasant surprises when converting client payments. After several costly lessons, they developed a systematic approach to managing currency exposure.
Their journey included:
- Education: The team invested time in understanding basic forex fundamentals
- Analysis Tools: They incorporated technical analysis to identify favorable exchange rate periods
- Strategy Development: They created a hedging strategy appropriate for a design business
- Integration: Currency management became part of their client onboarding process
The Technical Edge
What makes Make & Co's approach interesting is their use of technical analysis to identify potential trends in currency pairs relevant to their client base.
"We're not day trading or looking for speculative gains," notes Sara Chen, their financial director. "We're using basic technical patterns and support/resistance levels to make more informed decisions about when to convert currencies and how to time our international contracts."
Their technical toolkit includes:
- Moving averages to identify trends in key currency pairs
- Support and resistance levels to time currency conversions
- Volatility indicators to assess risk in new markets
Practical Takeaways for Traders
The Make & Co approach offers valuable insights for traders:
- Trading with Purpose: Their trading decisions are tied to specific business outcomes, not speculative goals
- Risk Definition: They clearly define acceptable losses in currency transactions
- Systematic Approach: They follow a documented process for all trading decisions
- Continuous Learning: The team regularly reviews and refines their approach
Conclusion: The Intersection of Business and Trading
What's most impressive about Make & Co's approach is how seamlessly they've integrated trading principles into their creative business. Their story demonstrates that trading skills have applications well beyond speculative market activities.
For traders, this case study highlights the value of applying trading knowledge to real-world business problems. Sometimes the most effective trading isn't about maximizing profits but supporting broader business objectives with disciplined market analysis.
