York digital agency The Distance hits £1m turnover with dramatic change to management approach

Despite building a 17-strong team, he knew he needed to evolve his team’s structure and redefine the company’s vision for the future if it was to continue growing.

Mr Main enrolled in the 12-week, 90 per cent government-funded Help to Grow: Management Course which is designed to help business leaders and senior managers increase resilience, innovation, and growth.

The course was delivered by Leeds University Business School – a recipient of the Small Business Charter accreditation that recognises institutions that support small businesses. Mr Main said it gave him the skills needed to develop and implement an effective growth strategy.

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Mr Main believes that the most transformative lesson for him came in the strategy and innovation module. It encouraged him to consider how he might better streamline the business by rethinking his own leadership role and elevating long-serving staff members. It was during this module that Mr Main also identified that the mission and values of his 15-year-old SME were no longer fit for purpose.Following the course, Mr Main promoted his former head of operations Louise Wain to managing director, enabling him to spend more time on the business and building valuable industry connections.

These organisational changes, combined with a renewed mission statement and more of a focused approach to targeting, resulted in revenue increasing from £860,000 in 2022 to £1.09m by 2023.Mr Main is now rebranding the business with his team, drawing on the new mission and values he’s created since the course. Mr Main believes this change will help revenues hit £2m within the next few years.

He said: “Our industry is undergoing a rapid period of change where the value-add for customers is more important than ever before. I knew Help to Grow: Management was going to be good for me, but the impact came in unexpected ways – including the sense of camaraderie and collaboration I experienced with my cohort.

“The 12-week programme encouraged me to take a step back from the business and take a more holistic look at the journey we’d gone on so far, where we wanted to go next, and how we could get there.

“Making sure you have the right people doing the right role, including myself, in your team was a major breakthrough moment for me. It hit home because as business owners, we can’t and shouldn’t be doing it all – but we often try to.

“As a result of the changes we’ve made, The Distance now has a much clearer direction of travel which makes us more resilient to market changes. We have set ourselves ambitious targets, and we're confident that with the new structure and mission, we will continue to thrive and reach our growth goals.”

Michael Hayman MBE, chairman of the Small Business Charter, added: “many business leaders make the same point. That when they get the time and headspace to work on the business rather than in their business, they get the perspective they need to boost commercial success.

“With support from the small business experts at Leeds University Business School, Anthony has gained the tools and knowledge needed to innovate and drive growth – hitting that momentous £1m milestone for the first time – and make robust plans to futureproof the business.”

Business leaders can find out more about Help to Grow: Management and sign up for their nearest course by visiting: https://smallbusinesscharter.org/help-to-grow-management