As another year ends, we're thinking of the future and what the next 12 months will have in store. We'd like to grow, and, despite economic uncertainties, we're positive we can achieve this.
Growth is a common and understandable aspiration. But to plan for growth, we need to have the right foundations in place. These foundations create resilience and provide essential space for adaptability.
We’ve built our town planning consultancy and established our market position based on these underpinnings.
A Diverse Client Base
The planning landscape keeps shifting. Certain sectors contract, others grow. You might see a decline in co-working spaces or a rise in affordable housing, for instance. Some predictions are for the UK economy to be sluggish in 2024. Others predict a more notable growth in the development and construction industry.
We’ve always recognised the challenges accompanying our work and risen to them by growing and maintaining a diverse client base. When one sector contracts, we can adapt our focus to another. This way, we maintain our work levels.
We’ve diversified how we generate new business. Of our staff members, half are active new business generators. We’re very market-facing and sensitive to which specific sectors are most active at any given time.
We've also spread the risk. We’re not overly reliant on a single client for our turnover. This does, however, mean we need to work hard at developing multiple relationships.
Small Trading Teams
We've structured our teams for growth. We've set them up in small pods of three. Currently, we have five of these teams and we're looking to build at least 10.
This system of multiple micro-teams is perfect for continuing to support and grow our diverse client base. Each team will have its own area of focus, whether by client type or sector.
The teams are semi-autonomous, with plenty of room to develop their individual strategies depending on their clients' needs or the demands of the sectors they serve.
With us having workspaces in London and Manchester, this structure is ideal for providing both flexibility and agility in how we respond to these different markets. However, geographical differences aren’t the main drivers for us.
We don't want to feel tied to either location, but instead focus on where new business opportunities arise.
Workability + Adaptability = Consistency
Good foundations establish consistency. We can look forward confidently because we've written workable and adaptable ground rules.
However, although consistency is vital, we don't want it to make us too cautious.
We've balanced risk mitigation against a keen sense of exploration and built this into our brand values and principles. We're not risk averse, but we know when to switch tactics.
Despite the market's choppiness, 2023 has been a good year for us – stable and positive. Now, we're looking at 2024 as an opportunity to grow our staff and win more new business.
To explore new town planning opportunities, please contact me at david@maddoxassociates.co.uk