STANDOUT ACHIEVEMENT
SPONSORED BY TEES VALLEY BUSINESS
AWARDS 2022
FINALIST
Key Wellbeing
Trophy – Tees Valley Combined Authority ’ s group director for business and skills , Helen Kemp , presents the Standout Achievement award to Sophia Gowland , founder of the Petite Agency .
WINNER
Petite Agency
She admits to having self-doubts every day – but it hasn ’ t stopped Sophia Gowland ’ s Middlesbrough-based marketing agency making massive strides .
Having already bagged the Most Creative New Business title , Sophia was thrilled to also pick up the Best New Creative Business trophy on a special night for the fledgling firm .
And recalling her own business journey , she said : “ You start one day at a time – baby steps – but if I ’ d have thought to myself , ‘ It has to be a business , I have to hire staff , I have to have this turnover ’, I wouldn ’ t have had the courage to do it .”
She admitted : “ I ’ ve had self-doubts every single day and tears every couple of months too .
“ Hiring staff can be hard , being in business on your own is lonely , learning on the job – no one tells you how to do it , no one tells you how to run a business , how to interview people , how to hire people – you just have to figure it out by yourself , but it ’ s the best thing you ’ ll ever do .
“ It is the best learning curve ever . I ’ ve changed so much as a person and I ’ ve loved the journey it takes you on – and there ’ s loads more to come .”
So what ’ s next for the Petite Agency ? “ I just want to keep growing and growing it , and see where it takes me . I feel like I ’ ve learned so much – two years on , I feel like a different person .
“ And I feel like I ’ ll be a different person this time next year , so I ’ m excited to see what happens .”
SPONSOR MESSAGE
Tees Valley mayor , Ben Houchen , said : “ SMEs are the lifeblood of our local economy and it was brilliant to see so many entrepreneurs and innovators recognised . Congratulations to Middlesbrough-based the Petite Agency on taking home the Standout Achievement award , recognising them as one of the very best and brightest of our young start-ups .”
Key Wellbeing aims to break the typical “ workplace wellbeing ” mould by delivering fun , engaging initiatives that create a tidal wave of positivity and self-care in workplaces across the globe – and ultimately help HR leaders to encourage the best outcomes from their workforces .
Despite pandemic pressures easing , the start-up is determined to help organisations keep on top of their wellbeing strategies and has partnered with Eatfruit , a national brand that delivers fruit to workplaces across the UK , to launch a new initiative , Wellbeing Weeks , designed to help employers create a consistent wellbeing buzz throughout the year and improve connections among fragmented teams .
FINALIST
Trew Surveying
After experiencing redundancy with no warning in March , Neil Trewick had to make a quick decision – apply for a new job or start his own house surveying business .
He chose the latter course of action and , within days , the business was up and running , as clients were still requiring work to be carried out and there was little time for any transition period .
Neil spent the first week carrying out those surveys free of charge , and at his own expense – but since then , things have progressed to such an extent , the business has a turnover of £ 105,000 , with on-target earnings expected to hit £ 240,000 .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 115