Lancashire survey firm captures accelerated growth

Staff and customer survey provider Scancapture is poised to generate focused and sustainable expansion after taking part in Boost Business Lancashire’s Growth Accelerator programme.

Founded in 2002, the Altham business is also planning to grow its document scanning and record management services.

Managing director Steve Smith decided to take advantage of the Growth Accelerator initiative to help businesses drive controlled high growth after his Altham-based company created substantial organic expansion.

Steve said: “We differ from most organisations offering similar services by tailoring survey designs to match the needs and values of our clients. Rather than simple data collection, our surveys are geared towards developing the business and act as a blueprint for future strategies, HR policies and marketing plans.

“I was looking to expand Scancapture’s offering with a more focused and targeted approach and was already working with growth coach, Ian Hargreaves at Next Level BD, who told me about the programme. Its role in helping companies achieve year on year growth of over 20 per cent had massive appeal to my business, which has real potential to expand quickly with the right strategy in place.”

Growth Accelerator is delivered in Lancashire by business coaching specialist Winning Pitch and enables companies to grow by working with them on key issues including business development, commercialising innovation, and leadership skills.

Steve worked with local growth manager Mike Wilson and coach Ian Hargreaves who helped him to put together a Scope of Work and three-year plan setting out how Scancapture could grow.

Steve commented: “This had the added benefit of holding me to account by laying out the strategy in a formal document. Everything was straightforward and Mike was always at the other end of a phone and came to see me if we ever needed advice on the process.”

He added: “While it’s still early days, just completing the Growth Accelerator Scope of Work and Planning Orbit has already focused my mind on Scancapture’s growth targets, the timescales set and the ways that I hope to achieve them.

“Everything was very straightforward from start to finish. The fact that my local growth manager has commercial knowledge means red tape is avoided where possible and any questions or concerns I raised are always dealt with in an uncomplicated manner.”

Boost Business Lancashire is being delivered through a partnership between Lancashire County Council, Community & Business Partners, Lancaster University, Regenerate Pennine Lancashire, University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and Winning Pitch. £3.6m of funding has been provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Boost offers a range of programmes, some 100% funded, some part-funded, including: Growth Mentoring by Community & Business Partners; providing high growth mentoring support through successful business leaders who have already worked through similar challenges. Lancashire Forum; an exclusive leadership peer-to-peer networking and development programme run by Lancaster University. Lancashire LEAP; led by Winning Pitch and Regenerate Pennine Lancashire, providing advice to pre-start and early start businesses. UCLan’s Innovation Clinic; aimed at supporting advanced manufacturing and engineering companies develop new products and move into new markets. Winning Pitch’s GrowthAccelerator+; an expanded version of the national GrowthAccelerator programme. Businesses looking to sign up to the programme can do so through the website www.boostbusinesslancashire.co.uk or call 0800 488 0057.