Hut22 – a flexible solution for a changing workload
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.
