Bury St Edmunds-based Beckett Investment Management Group is sponsoring the SME of the Year category at this year’s Suffolk Business Awards. Ian White, its managing director, sets out what he thinks makes the county tick and what’s special about its businesses.

East Anglian Daily Times: Beckett Investment Management logoBeckett Investment Management logo (Image: Beckett Investment Management)

What excites you about the Suffolk economy?

The Suffolk economy is vibrant and diverse, and offers tremendous potential for business of all sizes that are willing to deliver outstanding products and services to their customers. We’re excited by the quality of the workers in Suffolk and the raw talent that is available. Our firm’s success depends on its people and so we’re eager to see how other firms have capitalised on their team’s skills.

What does success look like to you? Successful businesses tend to be the ones that have a clear sense of purpose and a set of employees who feel empowered to deliver the right outcomes. Success comes from enabling your employees to develop which leads to outstanding levels of customer satisfaction, and the desire to challenge the status quo. There are always ways to improve, and successful businesses are always seeking to evolve.

How does this award recognise the value of people within Suffolk businesses?

It’s often been said that a business’s most valuable asset is its people and this award is testament to this. The finalists are likely to have a track record of employee engagement in which team work and collective endeavour has produced a measurable improvement in the bottom line. Recognising the role that everyone plays in a business is key to enabling it to thrive.

Celebrate Suffolk and north Essex businesses with us. Enter the Suffolk Business Awards here