Management course helps marketing firm grow

A course delivered by the University of Derby has helped marketing and design business MacMartin triple its turnover and grow its workforce.

Founded by sisters Claire MacDonald and Anna Hutton in 2017, MacMartin produces branding and marketing campaigns for clients across the UK.

Due to strong client demand, the business reported a significant growth curve throughout 2020-21 but faced various barriers to maintain stability.

This prompted Claire to enrol on a 12-week Help to Grow: Management Course designed to help business leaders and their senior managers to increase resilience, innovation and growth within their organisations.

Delivered by the University of Derby’s business school – a recipient of the Small Business Charter award that recognises institutions that support small business – Claire finished the course with the tools needed to make improvements to stabilise the business’ growth and streamline its offering.

Since then, the firm has boosted its turnover and increased its team from seven to 12 staff.

Claire, who is design director at MacMartin, said: “We took away so much from the course but there were three key points that resulted in our success.

“First, we learned about the dangers of spending too much time in the business and not enough on the business.

“We’ve now got into a really good habit of setting aside time each week to have more strategic conversations and plan our future.

“The second big takeaway was around processes. Working in such a creative environment often means the structures are put in place last.

“We’ve worked hard since the Help to Grow: Management Course to put a framework in place that helps us standardise our quality while leaving room for creativity.

“The final takeaway, and a crucial one for us, was internal communications.

“Before the course, my sister and I would try and do everything. Now we’ve reassessed where we want to be and where are strengths lie so have redefined our roles and learnt to stay in our own lane.”

The Help to Grow: Management Course also includes peer-to-peer group work and one-to-one support from a mentor throughout the programme.

Michael Hayman, chair of the Small Business Charter, said: “The Help to Grow: Management Course is an invaluable tool for SME business leaders looking to gain new skills that allow them to grow.

“From the experts on hand to give advice, to leaders that can enhance productivity, the course helps businesses overcome challenges, make attainable goals and become more resilient.

“I’m delighted to have observed MacMartin’s journey so far and look forward to seeing how the business continues to explore new opportunities in the future.”

Business leaders can find out more about Help to Grow management course at http://www.smallbusinesscharter.org/help-to-grow-management .