In this post Jamie Lindsay, Director at Breadalbane reflects on how the business has evolved and grown since the start of the pandemic and how investment has played an integral role.
“Since our inception in 2013, Breadalbane has evolved at a rapid pace and like many businesses we were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and faced the same uncomfortable uncertainty felt by lots of SMEs.
“In the early stages of the first lockdown, amidst that uncertainty, we took stock of our situation. We were a rapidly growing business, with a solid client base and a talented team of individuals.
“We identified a real opportunity to consolidate our position as a broker of choice and drive our business to a new level as SMEs emerged from the pandemic looking to capitalise on their own growth recovery opportunities.
“However, we were limited in our ability to grow due to an outdated IT infrastructure, lack of headcount and a brand that didn’t reflect our ambition.
“We also recognised that we would need to relocate our offices to accommodate our growth plans.
New Breadalbane. Same Values
“Through a collaborative approach internally in the business, and with support from Edinburgh-based creative agency 39steps, we undertook a top to bottom review of who we were and who we strive to be.
“And in 2021 we kicked off the year with a modern, fresh and dynamic brand that we felt better reflected the new Breadalbane.
Growth of the team
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve also doubled our headcount, including hiring the first member of our team from an apprenticeship scheme. We’ve dedicated new resource to both sales and client management roles.
“When you combine these new members of the team with the home-grown talent that we have nurtured internally, I genuinely believe that we have created an organisation that is unparalleled in its drive, ability and industry experience. With the newest members of the team being the cornerstone of our growth plans.
New offices
“We have always been an organisation that encouraged hybrid working, giving everyone the option to work from home long before lockdown enforced this “new normal”.
“At the same time, we have always been an organisation that enjoys sharing a workspace from a collaboration, efficiency and social perspective.
“Our new offices at Kittle Yards in Edinburgh were given a complete facelift with help from Angela Newton at &More, and the new space really has given us an environment where we can execute our growth plans. The whole team love the new office environment and the energy it creates is excellent.
“We’ve also shown our commitment to west central Scotland with our new Motherwell office, headed up by John Smyth.
On the opening of the new office John commented: “This will allow us to better service our existing west central Scotland clients and support local businesses with a face-to-face approach.
“I’m excited to be able to support local businesses in Lanarkshire and the Central Belt as I help them to secure tailored funding to bolster their growth plans.”
“The result of these combined changes is that since the start of the pandemic we’ve received over 800 new funding enquiries with a combined total of over £130m of funding requirements, with no sign of this slowing down.
Edinburgh Rugby Partnership
“And finally, this month we announced our continued support for the future of Edinburgh Rugby as the on-kit partner for the next season. Our logo will be featured on the upper sleeve of the teams Macron home and away match jersey.
“As a business, we feel there are a lot of shared values, ambitions and synergies between ourselves and Edinburgh Rugby.
“The potential for where this club can go really reflects where Breadalbane is as a business too. We’re hugely ambitious and can’t wait to join the club’s journey in the coming seasons.
To conclude…
“The key for our business is strategic agility. We need to be adaptable, not just regarding our own business but adapting to funders credit appetites, adapting to what our clients want, adapting to market conditions and so on.
“What allows us to offer that agility, and what makes Breadalbane, is having a solid foundation for growth based on investment, people and building a company and brand that we are proud to champion.”
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