Now, Hannah Cox is encouraging others to get in touch with Growth Works, to see if they too can watch their fast-moving business thrive and find the confidence to plan bigger, scale faster and be prepared for the journey ahead.
For Hannah, the support means she is smashing her revenue growth targets, has newfound confidence, and is now planning to employ three additional staff.
An engineer with a special interest in industrial coatings, Hannah set up HC Technical Consulting and Contracting Services in 2014 and has a wide range of clients from boat builders to mining companies. She also offers specialist training courses including industrial paint spraying and abrasive blast cleaning – both available in multiple languages.
However, despite succeeding, she realised she was taking on too many roles within the company, was exhausted from barely taking a break and after the stagnant period of the pandemic, hit a brick wall.
“We weren't just looking for funding. We were looking for some sort of mentoring as well. We knew we must deliver new changes whilst keeping everything high-quality,” she said.
Hannah had previously reached out to other coaching schemes but was disappointed as nobody seemed to understand her niche market.
A lack of confidence, coupled with trying to run things alone, left Hannah feeling stuck. That’s when she contacted Growth Works, who helped her move forward with business support, website grants, and coaching from one of the team which helped improve her confidence and strategic business mindset.
As a result, Hannah had a swing in attitude towards achieving success. She also had a light bulb moment when she recognised nobody should be working all the time -and came to terms with the fact she needed to schedule some time off for herself.
“We’ve now hit the aspirational target for every single milestone we set. That's really down to working with Growth Works and increasing staff so that I've got more time.
A business can't grow if the founder is doing everything.”
Hannah added: “The new website played a huge part in the increased success that we're having. And that really surprised me just how much of a difference that would make.”
But her main challenge was confidence. “When you're a business owner, you don't tend to give yourself permission to say, I need a bit of help. You're supposed to be able to do everything.”
Martin Johnson, Programme Director (Growth Coaching) of Growth Works, said: “Seeing Hannah’s business grow exponentially has been wonderful to watch. Receiving that expert support and connecting with the right people to help her business grow has been key. A fully funded programme, we encourage other fast-moving businesses across the region to get in touch with us to find out if they too can benefit from working with us to achieve successful and ambitious growth.”
Growth Works is a transformational business growth initiative, backed by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority and Business Board. By unlocking faster growth in the most ambitious of businesses and organisations, Growth Works aims to build a more resilient and prosperous future for the region – with stronger skills, better jobs and long-lasting innovation and economic growth.
It supports businesses with services like growth coaching, connecting employers with potential employees, support with apprenticeships and traineeships, providing grants and equity investment opportunities.
For growth ambitious businesses who need a boost to tackle the next scaling challenge, Growth Works is ready to help with funding, support, coaching and more, all under one roof. Get in touch today Growth Works - Strategic business growth support and investment
