North West Christmas convo: Vilayte Essa of SearchQuest Europe Ltd.

Christmas is almost upon us and it’s been a well and truly exciting year for the North West business community.

With many of the region’s businesspeople no doubt looking forward to grabbing a glass of wine and putting their feet up, or allowing themselves to slip into a post-roast dinner snooze while pretending to listen to the kids, at Bdaily we thought we’d bring you closer to the personalities behind some of the North West’s most exciting enterprises.

Today’s festive catchup is with Vilayte Essa, managing director of internet marketing agency SearchQuest Europe Ltd.

What did your business achieve in 2015?

In 2015, SearchQuest achieved stability and growth, with our staff numbers increasing from 30 to 45. We also developed an expansion plan for 2016 and secured additional premises in Lancaster.

What were some of the bigger challenges you faced this year?

Structuring the company and moving on from the growing pains. We put a management layer in place to create a solid foundation for our expansion in 2016.

Does your business have anything exciting planned for 2016?

We have some very exciting plans for 2016! We’ve bought a stunning Georgian building which is just a couple of doors down the road from our current premises on Church Street in Lancaster.

The building needed a lot of work doing to it, so we’re currently renovating it very carefully as we want to keep the original features, but add a modern twist. As soon as the renovations are complete, we will be expanding into it and hiring 35 new staff members.

The next year is going to be a very exciting one for SearchQuest.

Do you find any other North West businesses or their owners inspiring? If so, who?

I find Rodney Banks Lyon incredibly inspiring. He is an independent jeweller and has the vision and the drive to be the very best you can be, and I follow the same thought.

Give us one tip for a budding entrepreneur

One tip? I have a few! Never give up. Always believe anything is possible. And be prepared for a bumpy ride.

Where’s your favourite village/town/city in the North West, besides where you live?

Manchester. It has everything London has but it’s smaller. If I was going to live anywhere else besides Lancaster it would be Manchester.

What would be your dream job?

A fashion designer. I always wanted to do it at school but there were no courses available at the time.

Do you have a favourite Christmas song?

Stop the Cavalry by Jona Lewie.