App agency returns from brink of collapse to hire 20th employee

A mobile app agency based in York and London that almost shut down two years ago has just taken on its 20th employee.

Entrepreneur Anthony Main founded the company from the spare room in his flat nine years ago.

In 2012 he merged his operation with fellow agency Media Make to form The Distance. The combined business continue to grow over the next three years, employing 15 people at its peak.

But when business took a turn for the worse, the two companies de-merged and The Distance, newly downsized, struggled to convert leads into sales.

After 18 months of struggle, the company’s staff agreed to go part time in a bid to keep the business afloat. But eventually, Anthony had to let the rest of the staff go, leaving himself and one developer to turn the business around. The Distance surrendered its office at this point and moved in with a partner company.

One of the firm’s key clients signed a long-term contract and new business followed, delivering more than £120k in the space of three weeks.

Fast forward three months and The Distance had signed a new 10-year lease on a 1,800 sq ft office, its current premises in York, and employed six full-time staff.

That was two years ago. The company now employs 20 staff and plans to triple its turnover in the next three years.

Its client book includes a number of national and international firms, including transport operator Virgin Trains, golf organisation PGA, pharma giant AstraZeneca and auto maker Bentley.