How business support helped Peterborough firm to thrive

Garment-cleaning business Peters’ Cleaners was hit hard at the start of the pandemic, with revenues slashed by half – while overhead costs remained the same.

Owner and Managing Director, Vicky Whiter acted quickly to adapt her business model with the launch of new fully automated garment-cleaning pods, where customers can drop off and collect items at any time.

And now, thanks to fully funded strategic support from Growth Works, along with peer learning and funding to ignite a crowdfunding campaign, the firm is preparing to roll out the pods across the UK in addition to their two stores and two pods in the Peterborough area.

Growth Works is a transformational business growth service which offers new ideas, innovation and outcomes to high-growth businesses in the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority region.

The team works to diagnose challenges and identify issues to provide the relevant help, from 1-to-1 consultancy to expert-led workshops, grant funding and much more.

They helped Vicky to hire a new Marketing Director and go all-in with their marketing efforts: the result was a cheeky, attention-grabbing new slogan – ‘there’s never been a better time to drop your trousers’ – to show residents how the new pods offer dry-cleaning for how we live now.

Last year, Peters’ Cleaners used part of the funding received from Growth Works to hire a professional videographer to launch a high-quality crowdfunding campaign. The resulting efforts well exceeded their target, raising over £270,000 from 235 investors.

Growth Works’ financial support meant they could produce high quality marketing videos that elevated the campaign, bringing more funding. And, with professional videos under their belt for future use, Vicky and her team are able to boost their marketing efforts to see results faster.

Alongside a revenue grant, Growth Works offered Vicky one-to-one mentoring and peer support. Vicky says the programme offered a support network of local talent where “everyone has been really supportive; I’ve not come across anyone that’s put my ideas down”.

She adds: “When you are isolated as a business owner, especially during Covid, it gets really lonely… being able to go on these chats, meet people and get excited feedback about what you were doing was really nice.”

Talking in this environment helped to build her confidence, improving the presentation of the business. Overall, the revenue grants and support from Growth Works helped to elevate business growth: as Vicky puts it, “why wouldn’t you want to get free access to experts?”

Peters’ Cleaners has now won two local business awards for its contributions to innovation and technology – in turn, increasing brand recognition and bringing a much-needed morale boost for staff recognised as being a part of a forward-thinking team. The company is looking for more staff in the Peterborough area to support the additional pods and keep up with demand.

Could your business benefit from expert support and funding to help you unlock further growth? Check your eligibility and tell us about your business to join our programme at https://www.growthworkscoaching.uk/get-started/

For more information, email [email protected]