We celebrate a selection of these award-winning entrepreneurs and offer our congratulations to them all.
n-compass supports vulnerable adults and young people, who would otherwise be at risk, by providing a range of prevention services for local authorities and clinical commissioning groups. CEO Teresa Jennings needed advice to help her with challenges, goals and growth plans for the charity. Boost delivery partner Community and Business Partners identified Hamish Hamilton, a growth mentor with extensive knowledge of the not-for-profit sector, as the best person to support Teresa. Hamish helped to formulate a growth strategy she could take to the board for discussion and sign-off. The charity has since increased its turnover by £1.6m to £6.5m and recruited 48 staff, all thanks to Boost's Growth Mentoring programme. In September 2019, Teresa was voted Charity Director of The Year at the North West Charity Awards 2019. n-compass also received two highly-commended awards: Charity of the Year and Volunteer Manager of the Year.
Suzie Brooks set up Brooks Accountants in 2013 with the aim of providing more than just a standard accountancy service. She wanted to support clients in successfully managing and growing their businesses. Suzie discovered very quickly the challenge to convince clients that her business could really deliver this wider service. Not wishing to give up on her ambition, Suzie sought assistance from Boost’s Growth Mentoring programme. Suzie said: “I’ve got new branding, a new office, a new website and I’ve pushed my ideas further that I expected. Re-addressing my pricing structure has also significantly contributed to an increase in turnover.” In July 2019, Brooks Accountants was awarded Business of the Year (less than 50 staff) at the 2019 English Women’s Awards North. Read Suzie's growth story
A former chemistry teacher, Sara Dewhurst came up with the idea of Lytham Gin whilst sitting in a bar in London. “London Gin, why not Lytham Gin?” After quickly securing orders for her home-brewed gin, Sara found the business just grew faster than expected, recording a turnover of almost £10,000 in the first two months of trading. As a result, she needed support to help ensure the correct facilities, processes and structures were in place to cope with rising demand and production requirements. She has seen a twelve-fold growth in turnover in just 12 months after receiving help from Boost’s Growth Mentoring programme.
Her mentor Louise Owen covered all areas of the business, in particular, accessing working capital funding to support the significant rate of business growth, managing the rate of growth and protecting Intellectual Property. In September 2019, Sara’s business Sandgrown Ventures Ltd won the New Business award in the Enterprise Visions Award 2019. Get a taste of Sara's success
Suzy spent nearly 30 years as a sales and business development manager in the male-dominated IT and telecoms industry. When she left the industry, she missed the networking. So, Suzy founded Unique Ladies Network after a friend suggested she start her own network for women.
Suzy joined Boost's Growth Support Programme, benefited from 36 hours of support and gained the necessary guidance to develop an effective growth action plan for her networking business. She attended the programme’s funded masterclasses covering starting out in business and marketing your business on LinkedIn. Suzy was invited to join Boost’s bespoke networking sessions with other Lancashire entrepreneurs to help her build her business network and get insights from her peers. Boost has also helped Suzy by raising awareness of her upcoming Unique Ladies Network meetings through its website and social media channels.
Suzy said: "The team at Boost has been real a pleasure to work with and I would recommend the support services to women in Lancashire who are determined to grow their business. The help from Boost to grow Unique Ladies Network means more women like me can benefit from a strong regional network.”
In November 2019, Suzy Orr won Best Networker of the Year at the 2019 Manchester Lifestyle Awards announced at the Worsley Marriott. Discover more about Suzy's plans for expansion
Have you got an award-winning idea for business? Boost; Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub has a wide range of support services to help you every step of the way. Complete the contact enquiry form and a member of the Boost team will be in touch to start your growth conversation.
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