A Leicestershire gritting business is looking forward to a busy winter having grown from just two vehicles when it launched in 2017 to 14 today.
Management at Weatherwise Services said the business has gone from covering 36 client sites after it first launched to covering 250 today.
Based in the village of Barrow upon Soar, just outside Loughborough, it provides commercial gritting and snow clearance for anything from footpaths, car parks, loading bays and forecourts to shop fronts and railway stations. Most recent annual turnover was around £335,000.
Directors Tim Grainger and Andrew Martin said clients include PepsiCo, DHL and Leicester City Football Club, with the firm using surface temperature forecasts from the Met Office to decide when to head out at night during the winter months.
It covers an area stretching from Sheffield down to Northampton, focussing on the Midlands, and operates 24/7 during the winter with an 18-strong team of contractors with vehicles holding loads from 3,500 to 26,000 tonnes.
Tim Grainger manages sales, finance and marketing while Andrew Martin looks after operations including organising the vehicles, drivers, loading and dealing with breakdowns.
Tim said a chance meeting in a pub introduced him to the gritting business, when he decided to become a driver. In July 2017, he set up Weatherwise Services with his partner Andrew.
Along the way he has had support from Leicestershire’s Business Gateway Growth Hub and adviser Joanna Moore.
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He said: “I needed support on how to manage the growth and stop pulling my hair out. Time is the biggest thing I didn’t have.”
He said even in the warmer months he is busy working seven days a week, developing new clients, overhauling equipment, replacing wagons and refurbishing.
This year he has been working on digital marketing to communicate with customers and switched from a manual to an online accounting package.
He said: “I’d say one of our greatest strengths is communication and keeping in touch with our clients.
“But as our portfolio expands, I’m not convinced I’ll have the same amount of time to do that or develop new clients.
“These are some of my drivers for going digital. Getting it out of my head and off bits of paper so anyone could do it was what I need.”
He said Weatherwise had a tough 21/22 winter season with fuel prices soaring and the price of salt going from £56 a tonne to £99 a tonne. Despite the challenges, he said it was their best year yet.
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He said: “The support from the Business Gateway has allowed me to see a broader picture and understand what I need to do to control the issues concerning me.
“The biggest thing is clarity, which has been invaluable - clarity of thought and action. I’ve never had a business plan since we started, we have one now and that’s down to support from Jo. She’s been incredibly helpful.”
Business adviser Joanna Moore said: “When growth comes rapidly to a business it’s great news but without the right systems, tools or knowledge it can also lead to all sorts of operational and people issues.
“I’ve been able to signpost Tim to many relevant workshops and he has put together a growth strategy so he knows where the business is and where it wants to be.
“Our one-to-one meetings have covered many areas including recruitment, improving processes, marketing, building digital knowledge and more. It’s been a pleasure supporting him and I wish Weatherwise more success going forward.”
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