A Preston businesswoman has increased her staff numbers and turnover after receiving mentoring support.

Kelly Bolton has created two additional jobs at her marketing agency, Aggressive Growth Marketing Ltd, and is now aiming to reach a turnover target of £5 million over the next five years.

Kelly attributes her success to the mentoring support she received through Boost, Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub.

Read more: Preston woman building popular furniture brand using reclaimed wood

After setting up the business in 2007, Kelly moved into offices in Preston in 2018. Kelly was also juggling her business with caring for her husband, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

While looking for a way to manage her career and still have quality time with her husband, Kelly began working with mentor Martyn Jones through Boost’s Growth Mentoring programme.

Kelly says the mentoring helped her to think more strategically about her day-to-day tasks, which has resulted in improvements in the business, as well as her work-life balance and wellbeing.

She said: “The mentoring experience was amazing! Martyn was the perfect match for me and my business. In fact, I doubt the experience would have been quite so positive if I’d been matched with anyone else.”

Read more: Boost Business Growth Hub bolsters Preston businesses

Martyn provided one-to-one mentoring support and focused on developing a strategic plan to identify Kelly’s staff requirements and improve her processes. 

Martyn said: “When I met Kelly it was clear she had the drive, determination and potential to become hugely successful.

“Kelly had a good idea of where she wanted to be, but she didn’t have a sufficiently clear, detailed plan of how to get there. She was in danger of making decisions about her business that may not take her to where she was aiming to go or, worse still, take her in the opposite direction.”

Kelly now has plans to expand the training side of the business. She has purchased a healthcare recruitment company, secured contracts in Manchester and Cumbria, and is planning further recruitment in the next 12 months.

Boost is Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub and is led by the Lancashire LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership) and Lancashire County Council, and supported by funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Established by the European Union, ERDF funds help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects that will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations.

Read more: Preston businesses are being asked to ‘team up’ to help raise funds for Child Action North West

What do you think of Kelly’s success? Let us know in the comments.