10 December 2018
Thomas Schilling decided in 2012 to go it alone and established Tugela People to provide HR technology services to global, mid-sized companies.
Tugela partnered with Fairsail, a Cloud-based HR management tool (now known as ‘Sage People’). As the first Preferred Partner in the UK Thomas wanted to leverage this strong relationship with Sage People to grow the business. He had ambitious plans but wasn’t sure on the best way to put them into action.
After a quick Google search, Thomas came across the Growth Hub. He was interested in the training opportunities the Velocity Growth Hub could provide him and his staff as well as the coaching offered.
Having enrolled onto the Growth Hub’s ERDF project Thomas signed-up to attend a number of free workshops on a range of topics, including team management, securing funding, finance and marketing.
Following these workshops, Thomas also worked 1-to-1 with Gordon Sparke, a Growth Hub Business Adviser.
“Working directly with Gordon has been fantastic. He really understood my businesses challenges and has supported me to make real improvements with practical experience. We’ve discussed the challenges facing my business, and he has given me a clear direction on where to focus.”
In November 2018, Thomas attended the Growth Hub’s annual businesses conference ‘Show Me Success’
“Show Me Success was very beneficial to my business. Hearing directly from other-entrepreneurs about their real-life experiences showed me that I was not alone”
Following the advice and support from the Growth Hub Tugela People grew by over 100% in 2016 and achieved another 60% growth in 2017. Thomas now feels that his businesses is “set up for the future” and the business has recently moved to a new premise in Milton Keynes. He feels he has a new-found confidence in himself and his business.
Looking forward Thomas wants to expand and develop the services Tugela People offer as well as looking to expand the business in Australia. He also plans to set up his own apprenticeship scheme, to develop his own talent-pipeline.
“Reach out to your local Growth Hub. By understanding the services they offer you will be able to develop and improve your business massively. The workshops, networking and real-life experiences are fantastic.”
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