Tell us about yourself...
My name is Martin Murtagh, and I am the proud business owner of The Growth Company. Comprising a small team located in Northern Ireland, we provide expertise to small to medium-sized businesses throughout the UK, Ireland and further afield.
We deliver our services through advisory, consultancy, and training. Many companies work with us because of our LinkedIn and Sales Navigator expertise, and while we excel in this area, our services and overall value proposition is much broader. For example, we also offer B2B marketing strategy, content creation and managed social media services.
It's almost a year since I went from respected consultant to Ltd company, and since then, the business has gone from strength to strength. We have built a good repetition for getting results and helping our clients focus, develop LinkedIn strategies, implement and execute campaigns, and realise their growth ambitions.
When the Covid19 hit, it changed how I did business. I had lost about 80% of my freelance earnings from cancelled consultancy work, corporate training, etc. So I had to get creative, innovate and figure out how to pay the bills. While no stranger to remote work, I enjoyed going into companies and delivering training to a room full of people, so I decided to take the time to master providing training on virtual platforms. I was lucky to hold on to one or two clients, which became somewhat of a lifesaver to my business. However, I had seen others not so fortunate and struggling, so I decided to volunteer my time to mentor and support these businesses in helping with their marketing and growth strategies.
I delivered FREE training to SMEs titled The LinkedIn Lockdown, and it opened me up to businesses from across the UK, Ireland and further afield. Many good testimonials followed with companies commenting how it had transformed their businesses, encouraging me to review how I delivered my services to the point and think about the future. To that point, I had worked almost 20 years as a freelancer, and I was conscious about the future as I turned 40 in 2021. So naturally, I desired a better work-life balance, but I found myself almost always working, and it only increased during the pandemic. And after much soul-searching, I decided to gamble on my reputation, business relationships and previous results and set up a new agency, so The Growth Company was born.
We now work with businesses from various industries across the UK and Ireland. It also provides us with a broad insight into different sectors and their challenges. For example, in Northern Ireland, small companies within the FMCG are struggling to get to grips with the Post-Brexit trading implications of the NI Protocol. While larger companies are finding solutions, many smaller SMEs are anxiously waiting for the EU and the UK to settle their differences over the protocol.
Despite these challenges, I feel eternally optimistic about the ever-changing future SMEs face. Moreover, I sense that our positive outlook shapes which future we experience on an inner and an outer level. Being involved with the FSB is one of the positives. We would encourage all our clients to become members, particularly as we enter a recovery stage and post-pandemic marketplace. Over the last year, it has given me access to experts and opportunities to network with a community of like-minded small businesses—all keen to collaborate and support one another.
I've also used several resources on the FSB website and, more recently, was able to access an expert around the legalities of hiring staff. The expertise I received from the FSB about employment law has demystified that entire process for me, and it was a big help in recruiting my first employee.
There are many organisations out there who, for whatever reason, don't support small business owners and entrepreneurs. I know I've been a part of such groups only to be disappointed because big business needs are often at odds with small business owners. The FSB is the opposite of that.
At The Growth Company, we have reinvested much of our capital back into the business. We have worked hard to develop our brand, including engaging the services of a leading branding agency and a top web design company to stand from the crowd. We also have several exciting projects in the pipeline that should see the business grow, and we are eager to share this experience with our followers in these next 12 months. Get in touch with The Growth Company today if you're tired of being active on LinkedIn and not getting results. We would love to hear from you. www.thegrowthcompany.ie