Background

The Original Black Garlic is a UK based food retailer and wholesaler. As the name implies (!), they sell black garlic, the must-have ingredient of the decade. The business is led by food importer Katy Heath, who came to love black garlic for both its flavour and its health benefits.

Challenges

Katy knew that strong PR could play an important part in her marketing strategy. But she also knew her business didn’t have the skills in-house to deliver a targeted PR campaign. So, she approached Get Ahead and the PR campaign started in July 2024, with a view to increasing brand awareness in time for Christmas.

Solutions

We introduced Katy to our PR expert Louise. Not only does Louise have extensive PR experience; she also has a keen interest in food and has delivered several PR campaigns for food businesses in the past.

Get Ahead worked with The Original Black Garlic to produce a detailed strategy for the PR campaigns. The strategy identified the unique selling points of black garlic, as well as the key demographics to help Louise decide which media to target.

Louise delivered a number of targeted campaigns for The Original Black Garlic. Utilising her PR expertise and contacts, she sent out samples of their products to journalists and influencers. She gained many column inches through coverage and features in national publications including the Daily Mail, the Times, the Guardian and Good Housekeeping.

The Original Black Garlic already use their own in-house marketing team for day-to-day social media posts. Get Ahead became an extension of this team and delivered additional specific campaigns alongside the work of their regular social media and marketing, complementing their posts and creating a fully integrated marketing effort.

Louise created Instagram competitions to build brand awareness, increase engagement and encourage The Original Black Garlic to trend over the Halloween and Christmas period. The competition in Good Housekeeping attracted an impressive 38,494 entries.  Our social media manager Mel repurposed content from previous years to create Christmas reels for Instagram. And our graphic designer Kate created new packaging designs which can be seen in Sainsbury’s and visuals for a full-page advert in the Guardian – her designs have popped up in social media posts too. With so much going on, it’s been important to keep Katy up to date without putting her under more time pressure. Get Ahead created monthly reports to share with Katy, so she can clearly see where her budget is going and how effective it is.

Outcomes

Katy is delighted with the results! Her mission is to move The Original Black Garlic from being a niche ingredient into the mainstream and the PR has helped her achieve it.

 We’ve loved working with Katy – she gave us great input at the beginning of the project then trusted us to get on with it. And The Original Black Garlic is gaining fans among the Get Ahead team too!

Katy says: “Get Ahead’s PR support has been invaluable. I’ve been able to concentrate on my business while Louise has delivered the PR. I love being able to use Get Ahead on an ad hoc basis – whether I need ongoing support or a one-off project, they can deliver what I need without tying me into a restrictive contract. Louise’s work has had fantastic results – I’m really proud of The Original Black Garlic and now everyone knows why!”

Background

The client’s business provides locally made home furnishings. It’s a family business with a small team, based in the West Country.

The MD received funding from a local college to cover the cost of working with an HR expert to set up the processes she needed.

Challenges

The MD had started her business because of her passion for local crafts. However, she knew that she needed clear forward planning and HR processes if her business were to grow successfully.

She was aware she needed to write a strategy and a business plan for growth. And working with the HR expert, the MD also identified that she needed support with HR contracts, job descriptions and performance reviews, all aligned with the business plan.

Unfortunately, she was also facing the pressures of running her own business, getting bogged down in day-to-day tasks. This meant she struggled to prioritise the steps she needed to take to help the business grow.

Solutions

We immediately saw the managing director’s vision for her business and felt that a more structured approach to both HR and the wider business would be beneficial.

We helped the MD to prioritise recruiting a general manager who would cover the admin and regular demands of the business. This freed the MD up to concentrate on business growth and make the HR improvements she needed to achieve it.

With the new manager appointed, the HR expert supported the MD to put a number of processes in place that would empower the staff and deliver the high standards the business deserves.

The HR expert supported the MD to map staff strengths and weaknesses. This demonstrated the MD’s faith in her team and encouraged them to take ownership of their work.

With the HR expert’s advice and support, the MD also booked one-to-one meetings with each staff member. She used these meetings to issue formal job descriptions and contracts and also carry out a performance review. The reviews covered not only capability but also general wellbeing, helping her to get more from her staff while understanding any outside pressures they were facing too.

To improve the organisation of everyday tasks, the HR expert suggested adopting a project management tool like Trello. This enabled the team to easily keep track of projects and orders, taking pressure off the MD.

Outcomes

Setting up clear HR processes had great outcomes – both productivity and morale improved! The job descriptions and performance reviews meant that each team member knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing, as well as how and why. This benefited the whole business: the staff could work more independently and not have to take every question to the MD; this meant the MD had more time to concentrate on business growth too.

Support with HR processes and business planning helped the MD to take her business to the next level and realise her vision.

Background

Eneco UK is a renewable energy company. They are well known in the Netherlands where they were founded, and where they are one of the biggest energy providers. In the UK, however, they were less well known and their work is focused on delivering clean energy to commercial customers.  

Challenges

Nigel is Head of the UK Energy Trade team for Eneco and Ben is responsible for the customer supply business. Having secured some large UK clients, they were aware that their website had not kept pace with their growth. They also knew they needed to raise the profile of Eneco in the UK and gain more commercial customers to continue their expansion. Ben reached out to independent marketing manager Brooke to discuss creating a new website. Brooke is an active part of Get Ahead’s business family and she immediately approached us to ask us for support.

Eneco is a big brand in the Netherlands and its Dutch market is made up of both domestic and commercial customers. However, what it offers to the UK energy market is slightly different, so the target market and messages have to be slightly different as well.

An additional challenge was that the new website has to appeal to a diverse audience. In addition to working directly with businesses, Eneco UK also sells energy through third-party energy brokers. The website also aims to invite owners of renewable energy sources to sell through Eneco.

Get Ahead’s task was to create a website that was consistent with the Dutch brand while also reflecting the work of the UK team.

Solutions

We created the website through strong team work and clearly defined responsibilities. Brooke had already done thorough market research and collated it into one UK-specific branding document. Our copywriter Charlotte used this document, along with input from Brooke, Nigel and Ben, to create informative, on-brand copy for the new website. The copy went through a two-stage approval process, with Brooke checking it first for messaging and tone of voice and Nigel and Ben checking it for accuracy. Our web designer Jennie conducted comprehensive keyword research, focusing on intent, and then worked closely with Charlotte to integrate these insights into a layout that strengthened the written messages.

Because the domain, brand and visuals are owned by Eneco’s Dutch head office, Jennie coordinated with their branding team to ensure consistency. She sourced and created on-brand images that aligned with the company’s visual identity and utilised their media library for additional visual content. Jennie worked closely with the Dutch web build team to complete the website within four days, efficiently managing the additional step of gaining approval from Eneco’s Dutch head office. She ensured that brand consistency was maintained while delivering an expertly designed website.

Outcomes

Eneco now has a website that showcases its strength in the UK market and clearly communicates its point of difference. Together, we had created a useful tool for Eneco’s prospective UK customers, where they can find out about the company and start (or continue!) their journey towards using renewable energy. An on-brand website also enhances Eneco UK’s credibility – an important factor in expanding their customer base.

Nigel was impressed with the teamworking Get Ahead displayed. The Get Ahead team were delighted to have the opportunity to work for an international brand as part of a multi-organisation team.

What the client said:

“We are delighted with the new Eneco UK website. Get Ahead’s team of experts understood our brand and created a site to meet the needs of our UK business. Importantly, they also understood the need to work closely with our Dutch counterparts, which they did seamlessly. We were impressed by the level of expertise displayed by each member of the team. The new site is a big step forward from where we were previously and really does justice to the competitive strengths of the Eneco UK offering.”

Background

As It Should Be is a Bristol-based business that supports organisations in making their digital  products and services more sustainable and accessible. It was founded by Jon Gibbins and became a certified B Corp in 2022. Jon had been keen to gain B Corp status – it was the right fit  for him, and the only framework in which he could build a business that aligned with his values.

Challenges

Jon had initially been running As It Should Be alongside his own consultancy work. However, when he decided to make the move to focus solely on his business, he recognised that he would need solid support, tailored to his needs.

Now he is a full-time business owner, Jon finds that his workload is either a famine or a feast in these early days of growth! He needed any support to be flexible – this would enable him to manage his budget and decide how best to prioritise the time he pays for. 

He also needed his support to dovetail into his own variable workload. When Jon is working on a project, he needs support to keep up with social media, nurturing leads and admin tasks. And when he has the capacity to do those regular tasks himself to build direct relationships with his clients, he needs support with preparing reports and other ongoing responsibilities.

B Corp status comes with certain important responsibilities and impact initiatives like pledging a percentage of profits to environmental and social causes, and submitting annual reports on the impact of the business’ practices. Jon needed help to keep the business running while he gathers and collates information for these reports.

Solutions

Jon approached Get Ahead in July 2022 and described his specific needs. After listening to his story and gaining a deeper understanding of what it means to be a B Corp, we introduced him to Dee. Dee is a virtual assistant and social media manager with a wide and varied background. Jon and Dee clicked immediately. Jon was delighted that Dee quickly grasped the concept of his business, including its purpose and drive for positive environmental and social impact.

Dee’s role includes social media, marketing and email management. She has also created and refined business development processes, increasing leads and driving conversions.

Supporting As It Should Be’s B Corp status, she manages their membership to 1% for the Planet, an ethical organisation that ensures that 1% of  member company’s profits are donated responsibly. She also manages the carbon reporting, keeping records of energy and water use, so As It Should Be can monitor and reduce  its energy and water consumption .

Because of the flexibility we offer, Jon has the freedom to adjust the amount of work he gives Dee each month, depending on his own workload and turnover.

Outcomes

Dee’s support has alleviated the pressure Jon was under, increasing his own capacity so he can focus his attention wherever it is needed. This includes retaining As It Should Be’s B Corp status and having time to develop the annual impact report all B Corps are required to submit.

Dee’s support has really helped Jon grow the As It Should Be brand. On LinkedIn, follower numbers are growing at a rate well above industry benchmarks. Online and offline, As It Should Be is getting attention for the right reasons. It’s been named as one of the top ten Bristol green techs to follow in 2024, and one of the top ten most sustainable digital agencies to work with in 2024. And during the 2023 B Corp month, it was one of the Bristol B Corps chosen to have its logo projected onto the side of the Tobacco Factory arts centre.

We are thrilled to be supporting a growing brand at such an exciting time in its development.

Background

ThreeTenSeven is a brand transformation consultancy specialising in health and wellbeing. A long-established business, they were founded in 1984 in Leeds, under the name Thompson Brand Partners. The business has gone from strength to strength, and has some very big names among its clients, including NHS England, Mind and Morrisons.

Challenges

All was well with ThreeTenSeven until 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic. As working models changed, the business’ need for a full-time in-house office manager declined and the Client Services team and Directors absorbed many of the office manager’s tasks. This was the right choice at the time, but as workplaces reopened and as the pipeline picked back up, the gap left by the office manager became very apparent. 

Solutions

Managing Director Rachel recognised that the team needed back-office support again to free up their Client Services team to focus on client work. She approached Get Ahead to find out what solutions we could offer. We matched Rachel and her team with our virtual expert Sophie, who started by managing their emails from her home office in the North West. 

Over time, the role has grown. On top of email management, Sophie now has other regular duties including managing a MailChimp database, organising time sheets, updating schedules and creating weekly reports. She also does the supermarket order so all the team get a healthy lunch! 

In addition to these regular tasks, Sophie also has a reactive role. The team communicate with each other through business messaging app Slack. Through Slack, they can contact Sophie as and when they need her. Some jobs that might take the team ages can be fixed very quickly by Sophie. She has tweaked spreadsheets so they work effectively and quickly reformatted documents so they look professional.

Sophie continues to work remotely. Slack’s capabilities mean she and the team can communicate in real time, while cloud storage and document sharing make co-working simple. 

Rachel and Get Ahead manage the reactive side of Sophie’s work. We agreed that Sophie would work eight hours per week for ThreeTenSeven, with an option for more time as required. Equally, during quiet weeks, Rachel has given Sophie permission to remind the team her support is there! Sophie can use Slack to let the team know she has capacity and is available to help. 

Outcomes

Sophie and the team at ThreeTenSeven have built a really positive working relationship. Sophie’s support means that back-office tasks are being completed reliably and on time. Not only is this good news for the business, but the team feel more supported; Rachel and the team know they can delegate tasks to Sophie, creating headspace for their core work. 

Outsourcing has been good news for the bottom line too. With an agreed limit of eight hours a week, Rachel can easily stay within her staffing budget. It’s amazing what Sophie can get done in the time!

Testimonial 

Working with a VA was new but made sense for us, and it’s worked out really well. Fiona was a joy to work with and took the time to understand our needs, rather than just fielding any old person, and it’s that right-fit that’s made the difference. Sophie just gets on with it – we know all the essential recurring weekly tasks will be done like clockwork, and it’s a real relief in a small owner-managed business. She adapted to agency ways of working and bespoke software beautifully. Once Sophie nailed the baseline tasks, they were being done in much less time than expected, which meant we could then think of other tasks we could get her to help with. It’s always like that with a smart, competent person, isn’t it – you think ‘Well, that was easy – what else can I give them?’ and they soon soak up tasks you hadn’t thought to delegate before. Now I’ll fling anything her way, from helping out with our carbon reporting to researching new job management software and buying last minute client Christmas pressies. Everyone needs a Sophie in their lives!

Background

Hut22 is a consultancy devoted to helping businesses reduce their carbon footprint and increase their sustainability through behavioural and organisational change. They’re based in Gloucestershire and are led by Kevin Couling.

Challenges

Kevin is a force for good. He’s full of ideas but because he works alone, he sometimes finds it difficult to find the time to put them all into practice.

When he first approached Get Ahead, he was facing a number of challenges. Kevin had been managing on his own for a while, but had decided it was time to focus on his strengths and get support for tasks others could do more efficiently.

He’s a good writer with clear ideas, and recognised that, to make more of his written content, the Hut22 website needed to be updated. He needed support to take advantage of social media opportunities.

In addition to marketing, he needed help to improve the output from his core offering. Kevin facilitates workshops with businesses who want to be more sustainable. During a workshop, he encourages the people he’s working with to explore issues and develop solutions, writing them down as they go. However, for this to be useful in the long term, it is vital that these notes are brought together cohesively. Kevin was struggling to keep on top of collating the handwritten notes.

Solutions

Get Ahead contacted several virtual experts to support Kevin.

We introduced him to Carrie who took over the improvements to the website. She created new pages for his services, case studies and blogs. Carrie worked with another Get Ahead expert, Mel, to create a gated content area on the website for subscribers to access free resources.

For social media, we brought in Emma. She audited his social media channels and analysed what his competitors were doing. She also asked Kevin questions about how he was using social media to establish what was already working for him. Ultimately, she created a list of recommendations, including how often to post and which channels would be most effective.

Administrator Juliet addressed the difficulty of the handwritten notes. Kevin now photographs them and sends them to her, and she collates them into spreadsheets for Kevin to share with his clients. In addition to natural organisational skills, she has also developed an excellent ability to read unfamiliar handwriting!

Outcomes

Kevin is delighted with the work Get Ahead are doing, as well as the time efficiency he has gained. The website is looks professional, functions well and is regularly updated. Juliet’s work means that Kevin is free from the pressure of having to write up notes from his workshops. It also means he has a tangible output he can share with his clients – a great way for him to add value.

Social media has evolved, with Kevin doing some posts himself and Emma taking up the slack when Kevin is busy. Get Ahead’s flexible approach makes this possible – like any Get Ahead client, Kevin can choose how many hours’ support he receives each month.

Kevin enjoys the convenience of outsourcing both project work and ongoing work to the same agency. It means he has a single point of contact for all his outsourced work, while also benefitting from a flexible solution.  

What the client says…

I’ve been working with Emma Barratt and the team at GAVA for around 10 months, calling on a range of resources for support, including: admin, website building, social media and online marketing. The range of skills and flexibility of the team mean that I haven’t yet come across anything they can’t tackle technically or in a timescale that fits with my needs.

The team are engaged, professional and always accommodating when I invariably change my mind or need something at short notice.

I’d absolutely recommend them to any SME that needs both ad hoc support and more focused project delivery.

Background

Vagabond is a digital marketing agency based in Manchester. Their team is made up of experts in digital marketing, pay-per-click and other aspects of paid search. However, they decided not to employ a full-time finance administrator because there wasn’t enough work to justify it. Owner TJ decided outsourcing finance admin was the better option, and approached one of our regional directors to ask for support. 

Challenges

TJ is a digital marketing genius but the finance side of the business was taking him away from his real purpose. He felt that outsourcing finance would give him back both time and head space, while ensuring finance admin is completed to a high standard.

Solutions

The regional director introduced him to our finance experts. He began by working with Charlotte. When her circumstances changed and she had to move on, Get Ahead simply slotted finance administrator Holly into the role instead, ensuring a seamless service for TJ. 

First Charlotte and then Holly worked flexibly for Vagabond, adjusting their hours depending on the workload. The core task is to raise the client invoices and pass them to TJ, who checks them to ensure they align with the agreements he has made with his clients. Holly also reconciles invoices and manages payroll. 

In addition to doing the job she had been asked to do, Holly noticed some areas where processes could be improved. There was already a dedicated “accounts” email address but it wasn’t being used consistently. Holly encouraged TJ to direct clients to use it, making invoices easier to find when it was time to reconcile the accounts.

TJ has now handed over responsibility for the accounts inbox to Holly, who is authorised to reply to emails and answer invoice queries. Again, this frees up his time so he can get on with delivering Vagabond’s core business. 

Outcomes

TJ is delighted to have some support with financial admin. Finding someone dependable and trustworthy in Holly has freed up his time and now he can focus on growing the business.

Vagabond has benefited financially too. When Holly was reconciling the invoices on Xero, she noticed TJ had not claimed back as much of the tax as he could have. As the expenses in question were still within HMRC’s time limit, Holly was able to generate reports to gather the relevant information for TJ’s accountant to make the claim and ensure all future claims are made too. This has made a difference to Vagabond’s finances, and shows why outsourcing finance admin offers great value for money!  


 

Background

Evolve Counselling is a therapy practice based in Leeds, run by Nicola Hepinstall and her business partner Eleni Michael. In addition to offering therapy themselves, they also let rooms to other practitioners. 

Challenges

Evolve Counselling has grown since its inception in 2015. Nicola and Eleni took on a new premises in 2022, with more opportunities for letting rooms and broadening the therapeutic and naturopathic services they offer. 

Unfortunately, the old marketing, particularly the website, did not reflect these new opportunities. The website was excellent at promoting the therapy services, but did not have the capacity to promote the rooms available for hire or make it easy for practitioners to book them. Evolve Counselling was ranking on search engines for keywords like “therapists,” but not for “room bookings.” 

In addition to changing the information on the website, it also needed bringing up to date in its appearance, while still staying on-brand. 

The business was not using social media to promote the therapy or the room hire. This was because Nicola and Eleni felt overwhelmed by it – the pressure to post consistently, find time to create posts and choose the best platforms meant that they weren’t posting at all. 

Solutions

We introduced Nicola and Eleni to our web designer, Jenny. Jenny did an audit of the old website to assess its effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. Then she put together a proposal to rebuild the site. She chose the website-building platform WordPress so it would be easy for Nicola and Eleni to amend information on the website themselves. 

Working within the existing brand guidelines, Jenny updated the website. From the brand colours, she chose the lighter ones to create a bright, optimistic look for the therapy website. She also installed an online booking system to streamline the room-booking process. 

It was difficult to audit Evolve Counselling’s social media because there wasn’t any data to draw on – it needed to be restarted. After some initial work from one of our dedicated social media experts, we decided to hand social media over to Jenny. Jenny had established a strong relationship with Nicola and Eleni through her work on the website, and they felt that allowing Jenny to build on her existing knowledge would produce the most effective social media content. Our regional director managed the change in personnel – another strand to our support for Evolve Counselling.  

Outcomes

Nicola and Eleni are delighted with the work Jenny has done on their website and social media. Knowing that their digital marketing is in safe hands means they can get on with providing therapy to their own clients and running the business. SEO is a long game but we anticipate the new site will rank for the additional room-booking keywords as well as for therapy searches.

What the client says…

“Jenny has been great and taken everything we have asked for on board – no task has been too much for her. We have really appreciated all of her hard work with designing and creating the new website and alongside this, her support in helping us understand the many aspects of the website and booking system.”

Background

Rowena Prescot is an established Harley Street homeopath. She approached Get Ahead at the end of 2022, seeking marketing support. She had already invested in her brand – her website, logo, graphics and tone of voice were all excellent and fit for purpose. However, she had reached the point where it was time to leverage the quality of her brand, enhance it further and grow her business. She was ready to invest in customer segmentation, content marketing and social media. 

Challenges

Rowena had been outsourcing her marketing offshore. Unfortunately, while it offered a budget solution, it wasn’t delivering the results she had hoped for. The offshore marketing team didn’t appreciate the significance of a Harley Street address for a natural health business, nor were they able to relate to her specific target market. 

An additional challenge is that Rowena’s work means she spends most of her working hours with clients for consultation and treatments. This means that she needs to work with marketing experts who are self-motivated and have plenty of initiative. Trust is essential – Rowena needs to feel confident that her marketing support is delivering the work she needs to the right audience. 

Solutions

We matched Rowena with our marketing expert Gloria. Gloria’s skills complement Rowena’s well – in addition to being a social media expert, Gloria also works as a life coach. This gives her a deeper understanding of the nurturing side of Rowena’s work as a homeopath. 

Gloria now delivers a range of content marketing support, including social media management, creation of Instagram reels, post scheduling and hashtag research. Above all, Gloria has focused on Rowena’s target market, building online relationships with the specific group of people who would most benefit from Rowena’s homeopathy. 

Gloria is also providing blog support. Rowena writes her blogs herself – as the person at the centre of her brand, it’s vital to maintain an authentic voice. However, she does find it helpful to be able to delegate proof-reading, formatting and uploading to Gloria, who’ll also take a fresh look at her work. We love supporting business owners to leverage their natural talent – this is a great example of how a little input from us can enhance a client’s own work. 

Similarly, Gloria has also encouraged Rowena to make videos. Sharing her real self and talking to camera is a great way to engage with future clients, especially as trust between homeopath and client is essential. 

The Get Ahead team felt that Rowena would benefit from some paid online advertising too. As this is outside Gloria’s area of expertise, we brought in a second virtual expert, Anneka. Anneka delivered a one-off project for Rowena, creating a dedicated campaign which is now up and running. 

Outcomes

Even though we have only been supporting Rowena for six months, she’s already seeing her social media presence grow. Both Rowena and the Get Ahead team are delighted with the working relationship we have established and look forward to deepening it in future. Rowena is thrilled to have found the right outsourcing partner and we can’t wait to help her take her business even further.

Long-term support for an evolving charity

Background 

The Social Tech Trust work to realise the potential of technology to create a fairer and more regenerative future. Since 2008, they have supported almost 800 socially motivated initiatives in the UK, providing more than £31m of funding to transform lives with tech. 

Through this work, they have played a vital role in developing the social tech ecosystem and have built an extensive track record of successfully supporting social tech ventures to deliver financial and social returns. 

The Trust provides investment, grant funding and support to organisations that are addressing social challenges using tech to transform lives. 

Get Ahead have supported the Social Tech Trust since 2020. 

Challenges 

The Social Tech Trust team usually work remotely. They knew they needed support but the variable workload meant they didn’t want to take on a full-time administrator. Because they’re a charity, their funding is limited and they have to account for their spending to their trustees. This means they sought a cost-effective and agile option to enable them to deliver their strategy. They came to Get Ahead looking for affordable, flexible, high-quality business support. 

Like many of Get Ahead’s clients, the Social Tech Trust is growing and evolving, meaning their needs change over time. One such development was the arrival of a new Operations Director who immediately saw a need for a personal assistant to their CEO. 

Solutions 

Get Ahead supports the Social Tech Trust with board and committee meetings and general ad hoc administrative support. One of our virtual assistants, Debra, has worked with them throughout our partnership and their team has grown during that time with Debra’s support across their recruitment activities. 

Another of our VAs, Sara, has joined in the role of PA to the CEO. More than just diary management, Sara’s role has expanded to include research, diary coordination, collating CRM data into spreadsheets, organising the team away day and setting up induction meetings for new starters. 

Outcomes 

Debra has supported the Operations Director with recruitment for specialist team members, as well as administrating board meetings. This helps the charity to grow their team and expand the number of projects their work can support. Meanwhile, Sara’s remote PA services have helped to free up their CEO to deliver the strategy. They are delighted to have the benefit of proactive, thorough support through an affordable service they can flex as required.