Growing a Business During a Pandemic

This week is Global Entrepreneurship Week and we're celebrating by telling the story of how one of our Innovation Connect members started up and grew a business during one of the most turbulent times in recent history.

Developing a business is no mean feat, but it can be seen as even more of an achievement to overcome the difficulties of growing a business during a pandemic.

Innovation Connect member, Paul Lawrence is the Director of We Can Train Limited, part of the Pitman Training Franchise, which also has branches in Southampton and Bristol. After a brief stint as a pub owner, Paul found his calling for helping others with their careers and took a job that involved finding companies to train and employ people who have had difficulty finding employment.

This was how he met the Director at Pitman Training and was offered a job helping people with private training courses. Pitman Training is now over 180 years old - since Isaac Pitman invented shorthand in 1837, and offers courses, exams and career guidance for people in the local community in order to arm students with the skills they need to get the job they want.?

After over ten years working at Pitman, Paul decided he would take over the Southampton and Bristol branches when the previous director retired in early 2020 and began to make plans to ensure the success of the business.

Three weeks later Boris was on our screens telling us to stay at home…

Surviving lockdown

As a new business Paul wasn’t entitled to grants or furlough for his staff which made the situation even more challenging. He set up a makeshift office in his home and made sure his team could work remotely by ordering them laptops. They were able to survive the first lockdown by contacting workers who were interested in training whilst they were unable to work due to the stay at home order and delivering training sessions via Zoom.

However, no formal exams were able to take place and it wasn’t until they were one of the first exam centres to re-open again in June 2020 that the centres were filled with people keen to do their exams and get their qualifications. The team adapted and put measures in place so people could do their tests and stay safe from the virus.

Expanding

Despite the obstacles from the pandemic and a further lockdown, Paul took the leap and opened a branch here in Portsmouth in December 2020 based in the Technopole building, one of our Innovation Connect Centres at the University of Portsmouth. The branch covers a large area from Southampton to Bognor Regis and even the Isle of Wight.

The Technopole ticked all the boxes for Paul with a great management team and reception staff, convenient all in one costs and a location with parking and good travel links. And now the company has expanded a little further by taking on the office next door which will allow them to carry out more exams and cater to more trainees within the city.

Further lockdowns and restrictions meant that even though the centre was able to stay open in early 2021 for educational purposes, there was no opportunity for a big centre launch for the Portsmouth branch. So keep an eye out for future events from the team to celebrate and raise awareness of their work.

Continuing success

Pitman has changed over the last 180 years and even though they still offer support with shorthand, they now offer a whole range of digital support from Adobe to Microsoft, software development, coding bootcamps, data analysis, social media for business, and more.?

They also have a number of contracts with providers such as Amazon where they manage training for employees, and recently have a new contract with Life in the UK who provide testing for people who want British Citizenship. The provider closed their previous site in Portsmouth and moved their staff over to Pitman as they were impressed with how they ran the testing centre.

Value your staff

Over the past ten years, Paul’s team has grown to around 20 staff members, many having stayed on for the past decade and through the pandemic, including a funded learner who was keen to stay when a more permanent opportunity arose. Paul’s newest team member, Rachel, assists him with the Portsmouth branch, and ensures he stays organised.

When possible, Paul likes to organise get togethers for the whole team in the different cities where the centres are based so that they get a chance to socialise and unwind and he is also keen to be flexible where possible so that his staff know that they are appreciated.

Paul’s advice for other business owners is “Your team can help you float or they can sink you. If you’ve got a good member of staff, even if you can’t pay them the biggest wage, do what you can to make them feel a valued member of the team. Losing any of my staff would be a huge loss as I recognise the work they do.”

For more information visit Pitman Training Portsmouth.

Innovation Connect at the University of Portsmouth offers a range of workspaces and business support to help small businesses develop and grow. Our partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs and links with the University opens up a wide range of workshops, programmes and events. We also run regular networking events to give you the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals as part of our engaged business community.?

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