29/04/2008 The Funds to Succeed
Published in West Lothian Business Connections Magazine Spring 2008
Nobody ever said that running a company would be easy. But the punches that business people are increasingly made to roll with as they grow can at least on occasions be softened by the help and advice from business support organisations such as Business Gateway.
Take Alpha Plus Group for example - a West Lothian firm selling and leasing ground maintenance, cleansing and waste management vehicles for over 17 years. The company has seen its fortunes move continually upwards during this time, growing from a staff of two to in excess of 50. But even Steve Matthews, founder and managing director who displays a sound business acumen and passion for his business, can recognise the range of business support out there for firms on a route to growth.
"I realised two years ago that the business was outgrowing my ability to control it solely," says Steve. "Turnover was at a healthy level and the workforce was reaching 40, and the feeling was that we could do with some support to take things forward.
"In 2006, I took the advice of Business Gateway West Lothian to speak to staff in Scottish Enterprise. My first thoughts were that we probably wouldn't qualify for support, not being a biotech or hi-tech sector firm. But through a bit of networking, we were put in touch with a very experienced independent consultant."
That consultant was brought on board by Steve to act as mentor, and proved particularly useful when facilitating the management team away-day. On the back of this, Steve enlisted the help of an HR consultant to get proper procedures and processes in place. In both cases, Alpha Plus qualified for financial support to cover a percentage of the costs.
While managing to steady the foundations for further growth, the need to back it up with a concerted marketing plan proved to be another challenge. "Our marketing strategy was poor," says Steve. " There was no consistency, brand identity or underlying message."
A Business Gateway contact was on hand to introduce the company to the Graduates for Business recruitment scheme, and this inspired Alpha Plus to appoint two marketing staff, leaving Steve "delighted" with both the process and the calibre of his new employees.
The support for Alpha Plus' growth didn't stop there, however. One of the firm's prime sellers is a street-cleaning machine called Littermaster, and continuing its good sales record relies on developing the product in line with changing legislation on noise, vibration and emission levels.
Enter TAP - the Technical Assistance Project that provides investment and growth funds to companies that qualify for backing. As Steve explains: "We already had a machine which we had sold many of - but we wanted to make it better. The TAP grant was towards that development. It helped a local company produce something that can be sold on a national scale."
So where does a growing Alpha Plus Group go from here? "An important foundation stone for the company now is proper training for our colleagues," adds Steve. "This will help give them some ownership of the business. Within the next year, we hope to make some structural changes to the business, giving some people more responsibility. There are good local people working here who want that opportunity."
Being able to call upon a whole range of business support has meant the future now paints a much clearer picture for Alpha Plus Group. While further growth for this successful company is not a foregone conclusion, Steve Matthews' own calculations point to a doubling of the workforce within five years. And given his own natural passion for success, that is a target worth betting on.