Businesses who took part in two Lancashire County Council led programmes designed to help the leaders of fast-growing businesses in the county have since created a combined 117 jobs and grown collective turnover nearly £27m, according to independent analysis.

The programmes were led by Lancashire County Council’s scaleup support service Two Zero and were aimed at improving the knowledge and skills of Lancashire’s scaleup leaders through targeted support while helping them create a network of likeminded leaders.

Scaleup businesses are those growing either turnover or staff by 20 per cent year-on-year.

The Two Zero Scaleup Leaders Network, which was fully-funded by Lancashire County Council, took place over almost two years between July 2022 and March 2024, supporting 43 businesses in total. This included well-known Lancashire companies such as Moorhouse’s Brewery and fast-growing electricity engineering firm Serconnect.

The programme was delivered by business growth organisation TurnKey Corporate and included one-to-one performance and leadership coaching, group masterclasses on key areas of scaleup strategy and peer learning with fast-growing scaleup companies.

Independent analysis shows its 43 participants have so far created 61 new jobs, increased turnover by £12.6m and generated £3.9m Gross Value Added (GVA) for the Lancashire economy.

Complete Online is a Blackpool-based digital marketing agency that has worked with businesses including Bodycare and and Eleven Sports Media. The company’s CEO Tom Smith was among the scaleup leaders who took part in the programme.

He said:

“As a sole founder of a growing business, it can be really lonely. Expanding your knowledge is vital as well as bouncing new ideas and strategies off other experts.

“The peer sessions which were part of the Scaleup Leaders Network gave me a platform to do that with other business leaders, while the masterclasses included guest speakers such as business growth coach Sarah Fletcher which really helped to deepen my understanding on key scaleup topics.”

After recently relocating to a new larger office at Lancaster House, Complete is now in the process of recruiting two members of staff and is delivering a growing amount of work for clients in both the UK and Dubai.

The second Two Zero programme, Women Scaling Up, was delivered by Lancashire business growth consultancy Role. It was two thirds funded by Lancashire County Council through Two Zero through two cohorts, the first taking place for six months from September 2022 and the second from September 2023.

It focused on developing the strategy and mindset of the women involved and included a residential retreat as well as an outdoor experiential day to improve resilience and communication. Analysis of the two cohorts shows participants have so far created 56 jobs, with a combined turnover increase of around £14m.

Female leaders which took part in the programme included Elizabeth Porter, managing director at Chorley based storage and distribution business Brysdales, Ceri Dixon, partner at accountancy and business advisory firm PM+M and Chantelle Brennand, commercial director at Poulton-based Innovative Food Ingredients.

Chantelle said:

“Being part of the Women Scaling Up programme has given me real confidence in my role in business. It is great to be part of a group of likeminded women who support each other, and the guidance offered by Role has been invaluable.”

County Councillor Aidy Riggott, cabinet member for economic development and growth, Lancashire County Council, said:

“Figures show that nationally, scaleups are less than 0.5 per cent of the total population of SMEs but contribute around 60 per cent of SME turnover.

“That’s why Lancashire County Council provides specific support to help our county’s scaleups reach their potential – so they can continue to create skilled jobs and wealth.

“The analysis shows the guidance provided through our Two Zero programmes to businesses on the Scaleup Leaders Network and Women Scaling Up programmes is already reaping the rewards. There are some real, inspiring success stories and I’m looking forward to following the participating companies’ success as they continue to grow.”