Howes was appointed as one of 10 Licensed Agents by The Rugby Football League in June 2003 after passing an examination set by the Joint Licensing Panel and securing a £10,000 professional indemnity bond.
In March 2004, Howes passed the stringent Licensed Players Agents Examination, set by FIFA and the Football Association. Howes subsequently signed the Code of Conduct, an ethical code of practice required of all agents under the FIFA Players Agent Regulations, and put in place regulatory professional indemnity insurance.
October 2004 saw Howes Etc form a partnership agreement with London-based athletes1, a worldwide representation company, to manage their stable of Rugby League players.