Stacey Crowther of The Little Group
People come first for businesswoman Stacey Crowther.
The founder of business and HR consultancy The Little Group was a high-flier at one of West Yorkshire’s leading groups before striking out on her own in early 2012 and making her mark in the field of health and social care.
After gaining a BSc in psychology at Leeds University, Stacey worked as a finance administrator in a nursing and residential home while applying for PhD scholarships in psychology.
But she fell in love with the health and social care sector and has been in the industry ever since.
At the age of 22, she was managing a 40-bed nursing and residential home for the elderly at Edgerton and in 2005 at the age of 23 was headhunted to work at Orchard Care Homes, part of Leeds-based LNT Group, where she became recruitment and training executive.
She was quickly promoted to head of department overseeing the commission of 12 homes, working with her team to train and develop more than 700 employees and manage HR for the full portfolio of care homes and 1,400 staff.
Following a management buy-out of Orchard, LNT Group chairman Lawrence Tomlinson asked Stacey to stay with LNT and she was promoted to HR manager for the group of companies encompassing construction, IT, chemicals, automotive and commercial estates.
Stacey became the youngest director at LNT Group and helped Batley-born Mr Lawrence establish Ideal Care Homes, a business that now operates 33 care homes, employs more than 2,000 staff and turns over �40m.
Stacey left the business in 2011 and set up The Little Group the following year.
The move was supported personally by Mr Lawrence, who is now one of The Little Group’s biggest clients.
Stacey launched her business from her spare room, but it is now based at the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre in Huddersfield and continued to go from strength to strength, having recently employed three permanent staff to help cope with a growing workload.
In its first year of operating, The Little Group placed 45 people in new jobs across the UK, worked across 39 care homes, gave day-to-day HR support and employment advice to 10 SMEs and developed 12 training courses for the health and social care sector, which were delivered nationwide.
Stacey is now in talks with a number of care home operators
She is looking to expand the compliance and training offer to cover not only older people’s care but also learning disabilities, children’s services and schools as well as driving the recruitment and HR divisions into all industries.
Stacey says that in forming The Little Group her vision was to create “a fresh-looking, approachable brand with a clear proposition to the customer and a good value offer”
She says: “I’m a firm believer that it’s people who are the integral part of any business.
“You can develop the best business plan with a clear strategy, but if you don’t have the right people in the right positions performing to the right levels, you will struggle to deliver it.”
Oliver North of North Fire
Oliver North has blazed a trail in the fire and rescue market since starting out in the industry as a sales manager in 2005.
After becoming established in the sector, he set up on his own as North Fire Ltd in 2008 and quickly established a reputation supplying aerial platforms and fire-fighting equipment supplied by its Austrian partners, Rosenbauer International.
Despite the recession – bringing with it public sector spending cuts and subsequent loss-leader pricing from blue-chip American and European competitors – Oliver stood firm on pricing and earned the firm a “premium supplier” tag with fire and rescue services across the UK and Ireland thanks to his “best value” and “whole life cost” philosophy.
In 2011, Huddersfield Giants owner and entrepreneur Ken Davy joined Brockholes-based North Fire as chairman and one-third shareholder, Since then, Mr Davy has acted as a business mentor to Oliver and helped guide the rapid growth of the company.
In the past 12months, Oliver has secured a key partnership deal for North Fire with Essex-based technology giants e2v which means that more than 80% of thermal imaging equipment used by UK fire and rescue and police services is supplied through North Fire.
What is now the new “standard” thermal imaging camera in the Uk was introduced, sold and serviced by North Fire – with Oliver completing every single dale himself as far afield as Aberdeen and Cornwall. Fire and rescue services to agree six-figure deals for the equipment include ones in Lincolnshire and Greater Manchester.
North Fire has also completed delivery of £1.6m of turntable ladders for Avon Fire Service – equipment that will be serviced annually at Brockholes over the next 15 years.
Oliver, 32, who served in the Royal Engineers before embarking on a civilian career, has moulded the North Fire into a company focused on customer care and satisfaction with a nine-strong workforce including service engineers, technicians and administration staff headed by an operations manager.
Said Oliver: “North Fire has an aggressive growth strategy supported by our Austrian partners which will see turnover exceed £10m by 2015 as well as the creation of over 15 new jobs.
“With new product launches, long-term order book filling up and quick turnaround deliveries increasing drastically, structured and specific growth will be carried out progressively yet quickly.
“In conjunction with the current product portfolio, North Fire’s armoury will dramatically increase after a confidential deal has been finalised between North Fire and Rosenbauer International – which will undoubtedly make North Fire the strongest supplier in the fire service market while adding a manufacturing element to the company.”
Salma Karolia of Salma's Beauty Ltd
She's turned a hobby into a thriving business.
Salma Karolia set up the Salma’s Beauty Ltd at the age of 22 and has built up a group of companies providing training for beauty, nails, holistic therapies, hairdressing and assessments for colleges, individuals and spas.
But the successful businesswoman did not initially plan things that way.
“I have always had a keen interest in hair and beauty, but wasn’t something I intended to do,” she said. “I was on the verge of training to become a midwife, but I would probably have got bored with that.”
Instead, she trained in hair and beauty at Liverpool and made her mark particularly in “threading” – a technique for shaping the eyebrows.
Salma’s Beauty Ltd has also made a mark in the sector.
Working alongside the Hair and Beauty Industry Association, she set the national occupational standards for beauty therapy.
Now Salma and her team of staff travel the country passing on their skills to college lecturers to help them ensure they are working to current standards.
The Dewsbury-based business runs a beauty salon and skin clinic, which has attracted more than 1,200 regular clients from far and wide.
It also has a range of Salon Xperts beauty products supplied to wholesale chains and used by professionals across the UK, Germany and Denmark.
In addition. Salma’s has been heavily involved with the local community, taking part in numerous events, including pampering evenings, shopping experiences and games.
Salma’s also offers courses at local community centres and short massages for the elderly in care homes. Salma’s works with West Yorkshire Home Working Unit to assist people who work from home and offers enrichment activities for young people in local schools.
Salma has opened offices and training facilities in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway and is also working in Dubai.
The company has grown from a standing start to employ 18 people and is currently recruiting more personnel.
Salma runs an employee of the month award, regular team meetings and appraisals to ensure staff are happy in their roles.
Said Salma: “Customer satisfaction is the key to my success and happy employees are the key to company development.
“Excellent customer service and constant training of staff ensures that customers return time and time again.”
