The boss of a digital marketing agency which has doubled in size in the past year has no plans to slow down. Bethany Whymark reports.
After a year which saw both workforce and turnover double, a Suffolk digital marketing agency is hoping to do the same with its office space.
StrategiQ, based in Brightwell near Ipswich, began as a husband-and-wife team four years ago and is maturing into a successful integrated marketing service.
In 2016 the firm's workforce grew from 14 to 26, while turnover has increased from just under £600,000 in 2015/16 to £1.2m in 2016/17. Founder and director Andy Smith has ambitious targets for turnover growth and is keen to continue building the agency's bank of specialists, from UX (user experience) designers and technical developers to social media experts.
'We have spent the last four years getting to a point where we are almost starting to set a benchmark of what a good integrated agency should look like – experienced people, a good culture that focuses on client strategy, and being able to deliver across all platforms,' Mr Smith said.
'We are focused this year on topping £2m revenue, which we can achieve if things carry on as they are.'
StrategiQ's expanding portfolio of clients includes The Dorchester Collection, Jacada Travel and Trinity House Paintings, as well as a number of local SMEs.
The past year has seen it launch its digital media arm StrategiQ Video, which has its own premises in Rugby, and a new company website went live this month.
Mr Smith said his firm was 'not a little local agency' any more. It has already outgrown the office it moved to in Brightwell 15 months ago and is planning to open a second office in either London or Leamington Spa in the spring to accommodate further workforce expansion.
'We have a robust business plan. Revenue and location are the key focuses for the next 12 months, plus everything else that comes along in terms of recruitment or enhancing our processes,' he said.
While embracing the company's rapid growth, Mr Smith is as pleased about achieving another, more personal, business goal.
'One of the gauges of success for me is that a year ago we found it really hard to recruit, but now I get two or three CVs a week. That has been my aim from day one, to build a brand that people want to be a part of, but more importantly that clients want as well. I think we have got really close to that vision now.'
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