How business mentoring helped
How business mentoring helped Fairfield Electrical secure a major contract, expand its team and build confidence for the future.
Fairfield Electrical 1971 Ltd is a Electrical Contractors based in Frome, run by Mr Adam Fairfield. The business offers various aspects of electrical work throughout the Southwest with a focus on Business-to-Business contracts.
The Challenge
Before mentoring began, the business was struggling with a steady workflow and a high percentage of domestic clientele. This lack of stability made it hard for Adam to plan for the future and grow the business. Adam felt stuck in a rut, with no time to focus on rectifying the issues faced, this made him feel overwhelmed and stressed and as such was affecting all aspects of the business.
The Mentoring Journey
Across six mentoring sessions, Adam and Neil focused on the perfect business plan for the next 12 to 24 months. From this we focussed on the client portfolio, identifying existing clients that could offer increased work and then potential clients that match the company objectives. We assessed the existing workforce and areas that would need improving and increasing in order to support the proposed growth. A marketing plan was also developed, and this covered a new pricing strategy, from this a more stringent financial review was undertaken. With all this in place Adam had a new focus and this gave him a renewed drive and determination to succeed. This filtered through the team and improved morale.
In Their Own Words
“Prior to mentoring I felt isolated and lost with little motivation to be at work. Neil gave me the support and focus to then identify what was wrong and why. He also brought new insight and ideas and was easy to work alongside. This ignited my passion for the business and gave me a new focus and confidence in my ability as a Company Director”
Outcomes
As a result of the mentoring, the business;
- Tendered and won a 5-year contract for Wessex Water offering great stability and a foundation for growth
- Hired new Administrator to ease the back office workload, making time to focus on submitting large scale tenders
- Hired Electrical Apprentice to help the business grow in line with the increased workload
- Stress levels decreased and the general attitude and focus of the entire workforce improved
Looking Ahead
Adam is continuing to grow the business and has since secured some more commercial clients and contracts. He is adding another Electrical Apprentice to the team this year and both turnover and profit continue to grow in the right direction. There has also been a renewed focus on including the entire team in the company’s growth and as such he feels less isolated.
