In December 2015, Carlisle’s Web Industry Ltd offices were out of action due to flooding with the two business founders Oliver Warnes and Daniel Towers also personally affected. They had also recently had an influx of new clients after buying another local web design company but adding to this challenge the directors now faced the added stresses of flood related problems. At the beginning of 2016 the realisation set in that if Web Industry was to prosper it would need to be restructured as the old model had ceased to be effective.
Oliver and Daniel turned to Business Doctor’s Peter Fleming for advice.
“When I first met Dan and Oliver, they were in a state of flux with these added pressures, working long hours with a low return and margin for their time” said Peter. “We began work by creating a five-year strategy linked to their personal aspirations. It was also very evident that Dan and Oliver had the skills to run a successful business, so we worked together to determine and clarify their own roles and responsibilities before creating procedures for developing and adding value to their existing customer accounts along with attracting new business.”
“A jumbled up ball of string”
Peter’s approach to focus on standardising their work processes and to define their own roles within the business was the clarity that the directors needed to move the business forward.
“Peter got us to think about our roles in the business and when he mapped it out on paper it hit me: we realised that the business has been a jumbled up ball of string and he helped us unravel it,” said Dan. “We’ve been doing the same things the same way for ten years and Peter got us to look forward, visualising our plans, which then allowed us to see clearly how the business should be structured and how we should refine our workflow processes.”
Dan and Oliver now have management KPIs at their fingertips and anything that is non-core and they don’t have the time for, this is outsourced. For the core essential skills which was lacking and highlighted within the workflow process, these were brought in creating one permanent additional full time role. As a result, they now have more time to develop new revenue streams.
Clarity, Innovation and Growth Opportunities
Web Industry are pioneering new data-driven software which helps local firms grow their businesses online. It allows them to crunch through blog posts, search engine information, forums and various other data to help their clients draw up a strategy for their websites. This includes the type of content they will need to influence search results and to generate more business.
Oliver explained, “We spent about two years developing our own software which gathers all this data and information on a clients’ competitors. We use this to advise clients a different approach to take with marketing. It comes up with a long list of suggestions on what to write, with a section on blog posts, a section on social media based on data, keywords and questions people asked on Google. It means our customers have a guide on what to write, what questions they need to answer and what their own customers’ needs are.”
One company to benefit from Web Industry’s structured approach are accountants MoynanSmith. Dan explained: “We launched their website using the new software and it had the desired results. Senior management at MoynanSmith are over the moon that they have material to guide what they write for the foreseeable future. The innovative approach has provided the firm with strong leads and enquiries, which they are now able to convert more effectively.”
It is a methodical approach that mirrors the work Dan and Oliver have been through with Business Doctor Peter Fleming, who has helped them through a “challenging and stressful year”.