Business Lincolnshire – and the Growth Hub – wouldn’t be what it is today without the hard work and dedication from our fantastic team!
Our network of dedicated, expert business professionals offer businesses across Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland vital specialist support... helping take enterprises to the next level.
Sean Gray is our Project Support Officer and has been part of the Business Lincolnshire team for almost two years. Sean plays a vital role within the Growth Hub, and has helped signpost hundreds of businesses to support that has enabled them to grow and thrive in our local economy.
Let’s find out more about Sean...
Tell us all about your role and how it fits into the Growth Hub?
I’ve been a part of the team since September 2020. My role involves leading on the enquiries we receive from businesses across Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland and signposting them in the direction of support best suited to their goals.
No two-days are the same at the Growth Hub, the variety within my role definitely keeps me on my toes, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! Some days I work on marketing events and programmes, while on others I may be speaking directly with businesses, providing them with information about the support packages we offer to set them on their growth journeys.
What’s your favourite part of the role?
My position within the Growth Hub has helped me grow - both personally and professionally. I enjoy engaging with new people, and find a lot of reward in knowing that I’ve been able to help local businesses develop and move towards their long-term goals.
Seeing success stories and hearing about the satisfaction of those that have engaged with the Growth Hub is a massive highlight of my job. I open my computer each day looking forward to speaking with people at different stages within their business journey and helping them to achieve new things – it’s great to be a part of their progression.
How do you help Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland businesses grow?
The Growth Hub team are like one big jigsaw, we all play a really important part in helping businesses grow. By leading on enquiries, I’m the initial point of contact for the majority of businesses who reach out to us. When an enquiry does come through, I’m responsible for pairing the business up with the Growth Hub adviser or support programme best suited to their needs – almost like a business matchmaker.
What’s your favourite Growth Hub success story?
I think all of our success stories are pretty impressive, but I’d have to say Iron Horse Ranch House is up there as one of my favourites! I started my position here when the pandemic was still at its peak, and I have witnessed the toll that the outbreak had on many businesses – especially those in the visitor economy and tourism sectors. Many businesses across our area were hit pretty hard during this period, with many of them being forced to close temporarily due to lockdown restrictions.
The resilience Iron Horse Ranch house showed during this time and the way they were able to diversify and adapt to such challenging circumstances is truly inspiring. With our help, the business is now performing far greater than it was prior to the pandemic, and their story serves as a reminder that what we do here at the Growth Hub really does make a difference.
What upcoming project are you most excited about?
Without a doubt the Next Level Scale Up Programme. I’ve been heavily involved in the re-development of this project – working with businesses who have had been enrolled on previous iterations of the programme and seeking their feedback on how we can improve it for 2022. The Growth Hub is all about helping Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland businesses up-skill and improve, so naturally, it’s important that we are doing the same - adapting and implementing new things to ensure that what we offer is adding value to the businesses involved.
We’ve been working on making the Next Level Scale Up Programme the best it can be, it’s taken us a while, but it’s definitely been worth it. I’m confident that the changes we’ve made to the programme will truly benefit those who enrol – we’ve seen a lot of interest already, which feels really rewarding, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it will help businesses progress.
If you want to find out more about our growth hub team or get in touch with one of our specialist advisers, click here.
