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MN Studio Lab

Built for the way a small studio really works.

MN Lab is our research and development space — where we build, test and refine the systems behind MN Studio, and where promising ideas grow into tools for other businesses. Nothing here is ever finished; that’s the point.

The first and biggest is the CRM at the heart of MN Studio OS. Enquiries, jobs, quotes, suppliers, invoices and deadlines used to live in different places, so the full picture of a job was never in one view. Rather than bend the studio around off-the-shelf software, we built a system around the way the work actually flows. We use it every day, and it keeps growing.

Designed around the studio’s real workflow
Built in-house
To run enquiries, jobs, briefs and invoices
Used every day
Refined a little every day
Always improving

One record, start to finish

How work flows through it.

Every job follows the same route, and its record grows as it goes — so nothing is retyped and nothing gets lost between stages. Choose a stage to see what happens there.

01

Enquiry

An enquiry arrives and is logged once, with where it came from, and followed until it becomes work.

In the CRMProspects · in use

02

Quote

A quote is prepared from the brief, linked to the client record and followed through to a decision.

In the CRMQuotes and documents · in use

03

Job

Once accepted, it becomes a job with its own reference, stage and deadline — visible as a list, pipeline, calendar or production schedule.

In the CRMJobs and projects · in use

04

Brief

The brief, stages and sign-offs live with the job, and briefs come out in the MN Studio template layout, ready to share.

In the CRMProjects · in use

05

Production

Specifications and proofs are tracked item by item, with the print toolkit to hand for sizes, bleed and page counts.

In the CRMPrint toolkit · in use — production tracking · in development

06

Invoice

The job shows whether it has been invoiced, sent and paid, and the full record stays on file for repeat work.

In the CRMFinance · in use

One place for the whole job.

Each part of the CRM answers a question a small business owner asks every week — grouped here by what it helps you do.

Win the work

From first contact to a confident yes.

  • Enquiries that don’t go quiet

    New enquiries and leads are logged once and followed until they become work, with follow-ups dated so nothing slips.

  • Quoting and follow-up

    Quotes are prepared from the brief, linked to the client record and followed through to a decision.

  • Documents that write themselves

    Ready-made documents in the MN Studio style — a capability brochure, an introduction sheet, sector one-pagers, a print buying guide and terms of business — filled in from details already in the system and sent straight from an enquiry.

Run the work

Every job, and what happens next.

  • Every job in one view

    Each job has its own reference, client, stage and deadline — viewed as a list, a pipeline, a calendar or a production schedule, and filtered by stage, client, type of work or anything that needs attention.

  • Briefs in a consistent layout

    Each project holds its brief, stages, sign-offs and deadline, and briefs come out in the MN Studio template layout.

  • Clients and contacts, with their history

    Organisations and the people in them are kept together with notes and past jobs.

  • Print know-how, built in

    Paper sizes, bleed and safe areas, booklet page counts and print specifications — with search that understands sizes as well as names.

Keep it healthy

A clear record, from enquiry to payment.

  • Invoices and payment, at a glance

    Each job shows whether it has been invoiced, sent and paid — and finished work can be added after the event, so the record is complete.

  • A healthier business

    Because every job keeps its full record, it’s easier to see which work keeps the business healthy, and to plan accordingly.

Still in development

  • Business dashboard
  • Sales pipeline view
  • Print production tracking
  • Supplier directory
  • Task reminders

Each stays marked as in development until it has been proven in daily use.

Behind the scenes

A quiet second pair of eyes.

Woven through the CRM is a set of AI assistants, each with one area of focus, being introduced step by step. Instructions can be given in plain English — to analyse information, suggest actions or keep work up to date.

  • Research
  • Creative thinking
  • Design critique
  • Print & production knowledge
  • Quality checking
  • Day-to-day running
  1. Prepare
  2. Check
  3. Suggest
  4. You decide

They prepare, check and suggest; they don’t decide. Every suggestion is reviewed, and creative direction, client relationships and the final call stay with people.

With other small businesses

Better tools, built together.

Most small businesses face the same problems: too many places to look, too much admin, and not enough time to step back. The thinking behind this CRM isn’t secret, and much of it can be shared.

  • Talk through how your work flows
  • Adapt a template or document approach that already works
  • Explore whether a tool could be built together

It starts with a conversation, not a sales pitch.

Start a conversation

Growth

Growing the business, not just running it.

The Growth area of the OS brings together the tools that help a small business find and win its next piece of work.

  • Prospecting

    Finding and managing potential clients, so good leads are followed up rather than forgotten.

  • Sales pipeline

    Tracking opportunities from first contact to a decision, so you can see what’s coming.

  • Partnerships & referrals

    Developing the relationships that bring in new work.

  • Performance

    Keeping an eye on the measures that matter — proposals, conversion and pipeline activity — to see what’s working.

Developed through real-world work across publishing, events, finance, community organisations and small businesses.

In development

From our studio, to other businesses.

Every tool starts by solving a real problem. Each one below carries an honest status, so you know exactly where it stands.

In development

A joined-up system for a local car workshop

One system for the whole workshop, from booking to bill.

A busy mechanic shouldn’t spend evenings on paperwork. This system brings the tools a workshop uses to run and grow the business into one place, and takes on the admin around them — so more of the day goes on cars and customers.

  • Customer and job enquiries in one place
  • Bookings
  • Job and project tracking
  • Quotations and invoices
  • Administration and reporting

Intended capabilities, being built and tested with the workshop.

In development

A publishing workflow

From first draft to final proof, in one shared space.

A publishing system where the designer, the chief editor and contributors work together through design, production and proofing. Everyone sees the same pages, the same comments and the same stage — so issues move faster, with fewer emails and no lost corrections.

Being developed and tested with a working editorial team.

Early stage

A workflow for accommodation providers

Smoother check-ins, calmer check-outs, quicker answers.

A product to help accommodation providers handle check-in, check-out and urgent last-minute requests without the scramble.

At an early stage: the business case is being developed with accommodation clients, shaped around how they really work before anything is built.

Opening to a small number of selected businesses in early 2027.

For businesses that want a system like these, or a website that works as hard as they do. If your business runs on spreadsheets, notebooks and good intentions, we’d like to hear from you.

Register your interest

Have a process that could work better?

Whether you’d like to see how the Lab works, share an idea or explore building something together, we’re happy to talk it through.

Get in touch See the studio’s work