Boost support provides solid foundation for business

A Darwen-based property maintenance business has secured key contracts in both the private and public sectors after receiving funded pre-start and startup support from Boost; Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub.

A former wallpaper machinist, Mark Dearn was made redundant when the factory where he worked closed at the end of 2023.

As part of the redundancy process – the firm set up a careers fair at its premises to support its employees.

Mark met with Boost advisers who attended the event and spoke to Boost Business Adviser Lynne Trickett about his vision for the future.

Lynne recommended Mark to join Boost’s Flying Start service which is for early-stage businesses and aspiring individuals with a great business idea.

He signed up to the programme and attended his first Flying Start support one-to-one session in December 2023 to establish what type of support and guidance he needed.

Boost’s mission is to help Lancashire businesses thrive and since 2013, it has supported over 14,000 businesses, helping create 3,500 jobs while adding £100m to the local economy.

Mark then registered his sole trader business, Dearn Home Solutions at the start of 2024.

He has since attended a series of one-to-one coaching sessions and gained further advice from Boost regarding financial management, client diversification and operational efficiency.

A key focus of the support was also reviewing the management of his financial records. Mark had created an Excel spreadsheet to track income and expenses, a positive step towards maintaining accurate financial data.

Now successfully trading for nearly a year, he specialises in property maintenance for rental properties and has secured contracts with a local estate agent and as a general maintenance contractor at Chorley Council for its portfolio of serviced care properties. Mark also provides commercial property maintenance on factory facilities.

Mark said: “The most striking advice the Boost advisers gave me was to not fall into the trap of the ‘the gorilla effect’. I learnt not to focus just on one type of job contract, and make sure to diversify and have a range of contracts across different sectors.”

The gorilla effect, also known as the invisible gorilla effect, is a phenomenon that demonstrates the tendency to overlook obvious things when heavily focused on something else.

Based on an experiment dating back to 2010 – it is a concept often used by business consultants when advising business owners on leadership and business growth objectives.

Through the support from Boost business advisers, Mark learnt to make sure to keep his sights set on the bigger picture for his business. He has now begun to diversify his clientele, by focusing not only on business-to-consumer work but also on commercial contracts and service level agreements (SLAs) with estate agents across Lancashire.

Mark said: “I set up the business in January 2024 and now I have work coming out of my ears! I have even appointed two subcontractors to help me with the workload.

His vision for the business over the next two years is to consolidate his workflow and have a good balance between supply and demand, and ensure it continues to provide a healthy pipeline of work. He is also looking to build on his solid reputation and the high quality of his work to expand into a very profitable business.

Chris Trickett, Boost Flying Start business adviser, said: “By ensuring our Boost team are present at local career expos and Lancashire business events, we are able to help and advise budding entrepreneurs like Mark.

"He came to us with clear determination, but like many starting out, he needed to shift from just finding work to building a sustainable business. The first thing we worked on was ensuring he had the right foundation – getting his financials in order and diversifying his contracts to reduce risk.

“What stands out about Mark is his ability to take advice and turn it into action straight away. From managing a growing workload to securing contracts across multiple sectors, he’s proven that with hard work and the right guidance, you can bounce back from tough times and build something strong and sustainable.”

Mark’s advice to other people with an idea for a business is: “Get plenty of advice! And don’t be afraid to just knock on the door and ask for help.”

If you’re looking to grow, scale or start your business, use Boost; Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub. We offer a range of funded business support services. Call our Business Support Helpdesk on 0800 488 0057 to find out more.