Andrew Firth
Whilst the number 13 is often regarded as unlucky, the team at digital marketing agency Ascensor have bucked superstition and completed their thirteenth year in business with their best-ever results.
MD Andrew Firth says “We had set ourselves ambitious targets for 2020 and considering the trading conditions we’ve faced, I’m pleased to say we’re on track to exceed £1.6m in turnover. This represents more than 55% growth, for the second consecutive year. The results demonstrate the determination of the team at Ascensor to succeed, despite the issues presented to the business market by lockdown.”
He adds: “Like many companies, 2020 has presented Ascensor with a number of operational and commercial challenges. However, we quickly understood the needs of our clients and embraced the opportunity. Many of our current and new clients have needed to scale up their online sales and servicing capabilities. This has created increased demand for our services, and we have been able to advise on and deliver our clients’ digital transformations.”
Andrew says: “We decided to move the entire Ascensor operation to home-working before the government announced this requirement back in March. We have a fully tested business continuity plan in place as part of ISO27001 and this allowed for a seamless transition. We were also able to accelerate the rapid development of clients’ e-commerce websites and digital marketing, at a time when there was an ever-increasing demand for our srvices.”
The growth in new customer acquisition meant that the team expanded from a headcount of 19 to 30 in the past 12 months, with 9 new colleagues recruited since the Spring lockdown period.
Andrew Firth says: “We moved to new offices in December, with a growth plan in mind, and are busy filling our available desks more quickly than we had imagined.”
The Leeds based team has also benefitted from a clutch of new client wins, including digital transformation projects for specialist lender Shelby Finance, Nobia / Magnet Kitchens and Challenger bank U-Account.
And, as if an office move, accelerated recruitment and an increased order book were not sufficient challenges, the purposeful team at Ascensor completed the acquisition, in July, of Bradford based web design and app development business Webposse, and web hosting firm ClaretMedia LLP. This acquisition has strengthened their market position, adding more than 70 small firms to Ascensor’s client bank. The purchase enables Ascensor to extend their digital marketing and support services to the new clients.
