Member Article

Mick’s got grand designs on growth

Producing creative design and marketing campaigns for clients is what Mick Wood does for a living but he faced an altogether different proposition when he turned his attention to his own business development.

When Mick launched MW Design in 2009 he was keen to locate the business in his hometown of Ashington and he was undaunted by the threat of the global economic downturn.

“The recession was biting but I knew if I could make a go of it then the business would be all the stronger in the future,” said Mick. “Since then we’ve succeeded in achieving steady annual growth due largely to word-of-mouth recommendations.

“Right from the start my focus has been on the clients but I’ve probably been guilty of ignoring my own advice which in turn has hindered my prospects of achieving step-change growth.”

Faced with the dilemma of needing to maintain his client work and spend time on his own business development, Mick turned to Oxford Innovation for support.

The UK’s leading provider of specialist business coaching, Oxford Innovation delivers the £1.35m Business Northumberland High Growth Programme, which is jointly funded by Arch, The Northumberland Development Company; Northumberland County Council and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The programme offers established and start-up businesses in the county free support in reaching their full growth potential.

Gill Hall, business coach with Oxford Innovation, stepped in to support Mick. “Right from the off I was really impressed with Mick’s creativity and passion for his work,” said Gill. “However it was clear Mick had fallen into the very common trap of pouring every ounce of effort into his clients’ work and largely ignoring his own business development.”

Drawing on her own experience as a Chartered Marketer with a 20 year career in the industry, Gill helped Mick plan MW Design’s growth strategy.

Gill explained: “We started by asking clients for feedback on their experience of working with MW Design. From this, we gained an understanding of satisfaction levels and we were able to use the opportunity to introduce clients to the full range of services MW Design can deliver. It also engages the firm’s clients in the ongoing development and growth of MW Design.”

The clients to be asked for their feedback included social housing group Bernicia, Greater Morpeth Development Trust and Northumberland College.

Mick acknowledges he began the coaching process with a degree of scepticism but he’s thrilled with the results. “We’re now establishing the concept of an MW Design Community and it’s all about how we align with our clients and match our expertise with their requirements. I couldn’t be any happier with the outcome and I would strongly recommend Oxford Innovation’s programme to other businesses in Northumberland.”

With the coaching now complete, Mick says he’s got a clear vision for the future: “Of course I want MW Design to attract some new business but I also want to recruit and develop local, young talent in order to play my part in establishing Northumberland’s creative industries sector.”

Oxford Innovation’s methods have proved successful elsewhere in the UK, where the organisation has worked with over 2,500 high growth businesses. And despite the challenging economic circumstances of the last three years, Oxford Innovation has helped its clients across the UK access over £100 million of funding, creating or safeguarding more than 400 jobs.

Anyone wishing to find out more about the Business Northumberland High Growth Programme and how Oxford Innovation can potentially support their business should call 01670 528403, email northumberland@oxin.co.uk or visit www.businessnorthumberland.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Round Table Solutions Ltd .