Wholesaler and distributor, Bondeye Optical are proud to work, live, eat and sleep optical supplies. Their dedicated team endeavours to provide a one-stop optical solution for their clients by offering all the essential products needed for the journey through an optician, from eye test to finished pair of spectacles.

Founded in 2002 by Louise Keeney (Director), Bondeye are now the UK’s fastest growing wholesaler and continue to grow by 50% year on year. With their utter dedication to outstanding customer service and their quirky sense of fun, Bondeye are shaking up a traditional industry and achieving phenomenal success.

Creating a visionary organisation for lasting success

We met Bondeye at a time when they were transitioning from a two-tier management structure to a three-tier one and Louise was keen to include her management team as a strategic part of the organisation. To support this process and to facilitate Bondeye’s ongoing growth, we identified an approach that not only addressed their immediate operational challenges but that also established a firm foundation for lasting success.

Together, we began by articulating the very core of their organisation. Through a series of creative workshops, the management team expressed their core values and uncovered their sense of purpose. Looking ahead, we challenged the team to create an inspiring vision for their future based upon a bold, exciting and audacious goal. A goal that took them beyond their comfort zone and enabled them to realise greater ambition than they were aware they had.

We also introduced Bondeye’s management team to the process of strategic planning and gave them a strategic framework with which to structure their ongoing development. During our discussions, it became clear that Bondeye’s people are organised according to a functional structure built around their key business processes. By creating a detailed process map, we were able to collaboratively identify key strengths and areas of weakness, at the same time as profiling new and existing personnel whose development would create room for the organisation to grow and breathe.

By using an approach that topped and tailed the strategic planning process, we enabled Bondeye to achieve valuable insights and to organise for success, both now and in the future. Almost immediately, Bondeye put their understanding into action by enacting process improvements that increased efficiency, recruiting new members of staff who subscribed to their core ideology and by creating strategic alignment throughout their organisation.

Edward Dent died aged seven years. Through the pain and grief of their loss, his parents, Peter and Hilary Dent, founded Edward’s Trust in 1989 to support other families affected by the death of a child and children bereaved of a sibling, parent or significant carer.

More than twenty years on, Edward’s Trust remains rooted in the vision of its personal beginnings and continues to provide an essential service to those coping with the loss of a loved one. Recognising that each person is unique in their grief, staff at Edward’s Trust have special skills, training and expertise in the supportive care of bereaved children and families. The charity extends this training to schools, businesses, voluntary and statutory organisations, providing others with an understanding of grief and giving them practical strategies for working with bereaved families.

For hundreds of people, Edward’s Trust has been, and continues to be, a valuable support, giving them the strength to carry on and enabling them to begin to rebuild their lives. In the words of one family member, “their support for us has just been outstanding.”

From foundation to future in a time of change

In 2008, Edward’s Trust experienced significant change. Edward House (which had provided accommodation for families whilst their child was receiving treatment at Birmingham Children’s Hospital) closed its doors in June of that year. Through our relationship with Jeremy Walker, Director of Business Development, we began working with Edward’s Trust in 2009.

By holding a vision, values and purpose workshop, we enabled the executive management team and board of trustees to articulate their foundational tenets and to envision a future beyond this time of change. In response, Edward’s Trust asked us to provide additional support throughout this challenging period.

Since 2010, we have mentored the executive management on a monthly basis. Working with Christine Bodkin, Chief Executive, we have supported Edward’s Trust in their strategic and operational development, enabling them to move forward with purpose and to maximise their success. We have similarly supported Jeremy Walker in creating revenue generating opportunities, including the formation of the Honourable Hundred and the Top 250 Club, as well as advising on marketing, positioning and branding challenges.

For both Christine and Jeremy, we have provided a neutral, professional and supportive environment in which they have been able to sound out ideas, seek advice and expand their professional development.

deltatheta UK Limited was founded in 2009 by its Chief Technical Officer, Peter Harman. Although an early stage company, deltatheta has a unique approach to modelling and simulation software and they are already one to watch in the dynamic simulation software industry.

Passionate about delivering products and services that are integrated and effective, deltatheta aims to revolutionise modelling and simulation by bringing model-based engineering firmly into the engineering design and development process.

Their software tools are designed by engineers for engineers and deltatheta places particular emphasis upon usability and functionality. Based upon a unique technology designed by deltatheta, each of their software tools harnesses the power of Modelica to put a wealth of knowledge and expertise at the fingertips of design engineers, simulation specialists and project managers alike.

Born global: from beta to launch

We began working with deltatheta during the beta stage of their business, at which time they were developing three new software products. As a firm already born global, deltatheta had generated significant interest both in the UK and internationally. Moving forward, deltatheta were keen to maximise their chances of success, to ensure a smooth launch of their products and to capitalise upon existing international interest.

Working together through the UKTI Passport to Export scheme, we provided guidance, mentoring and strategic support throughout the launch process. By enabling deltatheta to prioritise product development through reallocation of resource and to also prioritise the order of development for their three products, we were able to shorten the software development cycle and significantly reduce their time to market.

Prior to launch of their products, we worked with deltatheta to build a solid foundation for their international marketing strategy and positioning. This included consideration of their pricing strategy to ensure that is was aligned with their organisational strategy and overall positioning. We also provided specialist support in developing deltatheta’s online presence, taking into account their UK and international positioning. Working in partnership with deltatheta, we developed an informative and usable structure for their website and wrote all copy on their behalf.

With Peter Harman, we together explored potential UK and international company structures with a view to building the deltatheta team both here in the UK and in the US. Since that time, deltatheta’s Board has been strengthened with a new CEO who has significant experience and expertise in the commercial aspects of the engineering software industry. To safeguard the business, we advised deltatheta on ensuring that the correct legal documentation and shareholding was in place for a successful, long-term partnership.

Whilst deltatheta are a new entrant to the dynamic simulation software market, they are already making significant waves within the marketplace. During the early stages of this new and exciting venture, we have provided deltatheta with a professional and supportive environment in which they have been able to sound out ideas, seek advice and receive expert practical support.

Jan Constantine designs and creates original, hand-embroidered textiles and home accessories that are designed for today but destined to be heirlooms of the future, proudly handed down from one generation to the next.

Borne out of her love for textiles and embroidery, Jan launched her business in 2002 and it has been going from strength to strength ever since. Now an established brand and respected household name, Jan’s beautiful textiles are incredibly popular and stocked by many leading stores, including Harrods, Selfridges & Co, Liberty, John Lewis, Fenwick and Fortnum & Mason.

What began as a personal passion has become a growing and successful multi-channel retail business, popular with both trade stockists and consumers alike.

Meeting the operational and strategic challenges of success

As a creative business with sales that were soaring, Jan Constantine needed to meet a variety of strategic and operational challenges, whilst maintaining their focus on delivering high quality, specialist craft products. Over the period of a year, we worked in partnership with the team to ensure that their operations and marketing were equipped to support such high levels of growth.

By analysing the end-to-end value chain, prioritising the improvements that could be made and working with the team to implement our recommendations, we enabled Jan Constantine to increase both their process and human resource efficiency. During this time, Jan Constantine also expanded into a new fulfilment warehouse for which we project managed the set up of a new IT infrastructure that would enable multisite working. To enhance their operations further, we researched e-fulfilment software vendors and advised on the suitability, integration potential and benefits of different solutions, enabling Jan Constantine to fully understand and evaluate the options open to them.

Beyond the operational perspective, we worked with Jan Constantine to create an effective marketing plan, enabling them to take a more proactive approach to communicating with their customers and to allocate their resources more effectively. As they expanded internationally, we advised on their online strategy, including consideration of the technical challenges and domain management involved in internationalising. Finally, we conducted a full review of Jan Constantine’s UK and US websites, enabling both the team and their suppliers to understand the ways in which consumers were using their websites, to discover their online brand perception, and to implement recommendations for improvement.

By working collaboratively with Jan Constantine at this time, and in particular, their General Manager, John Eccleston, we were able to ensure that the team received the specialist support they required without needing to either employ extra staff or seek the assistance of multiple specialists.

Established in 1996, Automatic Flare Systems (AFS) have been involved in hundreds of landfill and flaring technology projects over the years. As international specialists in their field, they deal with all the mechanical and electrical elements required to set up and manage a landfill safely and legally, the end result being that our non-recyclable waste is eventually transformed into a green and pleasant hill.

Intelligent growth

We began working with AFS in 2008 when we enabled the firm to achieve completion of their website refresh project. Soon afterward, we worked in partnership with Steve Willacy, Managing Director, to identify new opportunities for growth.

Already established in the UK, Ireland, Poland, Portugal and Turkey, AFS are never a firm to rest on their laurels. Moving forward, AFS were looking to build on their existing success and to diversify their risk. By analysing their most successful market to date, we were able to identify the key factors that had led to success and to create a market profile against which new markets could be compared. We also worked with Steve to determine the available routes to market and the opportunities that these offered.

Building upon this groundwork, we worked closely with UK Trade & Investment to shortlist potential countries and to conduct detailed market research. By utilising UKTI’s Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS), we were able to identify key companies and contacts within the possible growth markets.

Continuing our collaboration with UKTI, we undertook a market research visit on behalf of AFS to meet with key contacts and to explore firsthand the market dynamics and opportunities available within each country. This enabled AFS to learn more about the international marketplaces they were considering, to create opportunities for partnership, and to make informed, strategic decisions about which markets to pursue.

Handing over the reins to Steve Willacy on our return, AFS have continued to build upon the strategy we created, ensuring their ongoing growth and success.