Case Studies from June 2024

Sector: Health and Wellness

Location: Derby

Moko Physiotherapy is a state-of-the-art, award-winning health and wellness facility in Mickleover, Derby.

Katie and Martin Ogley formed the company in 2021. The aim was to create something different by offering multiple health professional services under one roof. This includes physiotherapy, massage therapy, yoga, Pilates, exercise classes, nutrition, counselling, coaching and educational workshops.

Moko is a rapidly growing, friendly team of 16 experts who love to help improve pain and guide individuals back to what matters to them. This could be sports, work or playing with the grandchildren. Its physiotherapists specialise in bespoke rehabilitation tailored to the client's needs and it offers a range of classes to improve strength, flexibility and reduce stress. The Moko team are interested in making lifestyle changes, not just quick fixes, so their workshops aim to empower clients to make long-term healthy choices.

Challenges faced

Katie said: “Recruiting exceptional team members that align with our company values has been the greatest challenge. We have created an excellent team culture that makes us stand out from our competitors.

“Since growing the team, the challenge has been to find more individuals that will continue to grow the culture positively, keeping consistent quality across multiple individuals from different backgrounds. With a thorough four-stage interview process, we have been able to achieve this.”

Katie wanted to grow the business, extend the premises and ensure the business remained competitive.

Solution and Impact

Katie was already connected to the East Midlands Combined County Authority Growth Hub and had attended various webinars over the last few years including HR Essentials and How to Develop a Killer Marketing Plan.

She heard about the support and grant funding for Derby City business through the Growth Hub and was put in touch with Accelerator Business Adviser Aruna Bhagwan. Accelerator is a project delivered by East Midlands Chamber in partnership with Derby City Council and funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

The business applied and was successfully awarded a Business Growth & Innovation Grant for £12,472.

Katie continued: “The grant allowed us to build an additional consultation room within our clinic to create a new service which offers women’s health, specialist physiotherapy. 

This has created an additional job for a Senior Physiotherapist in Women’s Health, which we appointed at the end of May 2024. Our new staff member is the only registered Mummy MOT practitioner in Derby, giving us a huge competitive advantage!”

It’s too early to say the difference the new service has made specifically, but Katie reports clinic revenue has grown in the last five months by around £6,500.

Katie added: “Aruna has been very supportive throughout the grant application process. She came to see the clinic to gain an understanding of our business needs. She was very positive about our clinic and keen to help us be successful in gaining the grant.  She also highlighted any potential issues with our application promptly. We are very grateful for her support.”

“The grant has allowed us to continue our rapid growth and help a new client population which we were previously unable to help. 

We, and our new clients, are incredibly grateful for this support.”

- Katie Ogley, Owner

Read the full Case Study

This initiative is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of Derby City Council.

Sector: Hair & Beauty

Location: Broxtowe

Glamour Hair & Beauty is based in Beeston, Nottinghamshire and is owned by Tracy Wealthall.

Tracy provides hair and beauty services herself and through several self-employed stylists who rent space in her salon. The business has been running since 2010.

Challenges faced

The business needed more footfall from its high street location and to not rely so heavily on word of mouth for promotion. Tracy also wanted to grow the business, reduce costs and improve efficiency to help boost revenue.

Support is available for SMEs in Broxtowe through the Accelerator project and Tracy was introduced to Chamber Business Adviser, Sonny Lakhani. The Accelerator project is delivered by East Midlands Chamber and funded by Broxtowe Borough Council’s Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

Following a business diagnostic, they identified that the salon needed improvements to reduce its carbon footprint, reduce costs and improve energy efficiency.

Solution and Impact

Sonny went through several options with Tracy, including the Broxtowe Energy Grant Reduction Workshop, which she attended. Tracy said: “At the energy audit workshop, it became clear that I needed to take proactive steps to reduce my business carbon footprint.”

Tracy also applied and was successfully awarded an energy grant of just under £4,000 from Broxtowe Borough Council, where the business contributed £474.

Tracy said: “The installation of the Mitsubishi air conditioning cooler/heater system gives me confidence that we are using a product from a world-leading manufacturer, which ensures superior energy efficiency and will result in the reduction of negative environmental impact.

The unit also has a series of air filters which will remove allergens, bacteria and dust, improving the air quality for customers and staff. The double-glazed front window was a huge benefit to improving heat retention and reducing draughts when compared with the existing single-glazed window we had. Also, our new composite back door improves heat retention and removes the penetration of damp issues caused by the current door not being to standard.

The above not only improved the condition of the business for both staff and customers but reduces the carbon footprint as well.  This will also reduce utility bills which will enable the business to grow and re-invest further in the future.”

Tracy is now working with Sonny on further growth plans including seasonal promotion to boost footfall.

“The support I’ve had has been so good and very helpful.

Sonny was amazing and very patient with me. He came to see me and my staff at the salon and shared some helpful information. And, my monthly bill from Eon has gone down by £150 since I received the grant!”

- Tracy Wealthall, Owner

Read the full Case Study

This initiative is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of Broxtowe District Council.

Sector: Human Health

Location: Bassetlaw

Dr Bethany Rushworth is a fully qualified dentist who decided her passion lay in restoring not just appearances but confidence through non-surgical cosmetic and skin treatments.

She takes pride in creating natural-looking yet impactful results, empowering her patients and helping them feel their best.

During October 2021 - February 2022 her clinic was within another salon, Dr Beth went on to open her own clinic in March 2023. She is an employee of her own business with a part-time receptionist at the time of her embarking on the Accelerator Project.

Challenges faced

Dr Beth has previously sought advice from external business consultants. While they have been encouraging and supportive, she still wanted to reach more new clients.

She has big plans but has been frustrated with the lack of results against the amount of effort she has put in.

Solution and Impact

Dr Beth said: “My business adviser Alex Gardner helped me understand where the blockages were in the business. She gave us a bird's eye view.

“We saw an immediate upturn in business. Within two weeks of my time with Alex, my turnover was six months ahead of target and my new client uptake was more than 25% ahead of where we planned to be. This gave me the confidence to expand sooner than previously anticipated.
“I’ve taken on larger premises to enhance the client experience as well as being able to employ a member of staff to grow our team and give me time to focus on our more complex treatments. I can also focus on the passive income streams available to us as a business."

“I am incredibly grateful for the advice I have received and would recommend anyone accessing the support available through the Accelerator Project.

The information I received was timely as I had reached a plateau. Alex’s relevant and tailored support enabled me to overcome the obstacles and challenges I was facing in the business helping to accelerate the growth and expansion of the clinic.”

- Dr Beth Rushworth, Owner

Read the full Case Study

This initiative is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of Bassetlaw District Council.

Sector: Renewable Energy

Location: Rushcliffe

Wing Energy is a renewable energy solutions business based in West Bridgford, Nottingham. Its mission is to promote and support the transition to sustainable energy.

The business is a Tesla-certified installer and builds balanced energy systems for commercial and residential properties. Wing Energy specialise in design and installation of photovoltaic (PV) systems, battery storage and electric vehicle chargers.

Challenges faced

The business has been growing well over the last few years, until last year when the pace of growth dipped and turnover fell by £100,000. Director, Shaun Taylor puts this down to increased competition as many local electricians pivoted to renewables which has affected margins. Having said that, the level of knowledge and skills needed for this work is a high entry barrier and because Wing Energy has all the necessary accreditations they have a distinct advantage over new entrants.

Still, with bills and wages to pay the business couldn’t afford to sit back. They needed to generate more business and grow to safeguard current jobs. A lot of their money was also reinvested into the business, including the acquisition of electric vehicles so the business needed to keep moving forward.

Solution and Impact

Wing Energy has taken advantage of the Accelerator project with 1-2-1 support from Business Adviser Insan Farooqi. Through a business diagnostic, they have identified what their most pressing needs are. One of these areas is Wing Energy’s current website. Shaun commented: “Increasing competitors in the renewable energy space requires our online presence to be working optimally to drive enquiries into our job management system.”

The business successfully applied for a Growth Voucher and is being supported by consultant Ian Lockwood to ‘polish up’ the website and help generate more quality leads. Both Shaun and his colleague Shivam have attended East Midlands Combined County Authority Growth Hub and Accelerator workshops which have helped them identify the skills they need and don’t have in-house. Shaun continued: “Ian has those skills in SEO, website design and optimisation so we are using him to help take us to the next level and help drive leads. We can monitor where leads are coming from and where we are losing people.”

The business hopes to cut costs, improve efficiency and streamline processes which will help them become more competitive on pricing and win more customers. The website work will also help them be more targeted in their marketing, particularly around Google Ads. The support has helped them specify geographical areas and potential customers, stopping adverts to people who have no intention of buying and wasting their marketing budget. Ian is also guiding Shivam on the website to help the business build an in-house resource.

“I am impressed with the attention to detail and the care taken to understand our business from Insan.

Because we’ve done the workshops, we’ve recognised which of the consultants has the skills we need. Ian’s work on the website is helping us to generate leads which is vitally important to secure the jobs we’ve got. It’s been a life saver.”

- Shaun Taylor, Director

Read the full Case Study

This initiative is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of Rushcliffe Borough Council.