Pictured: Ian McFarlane-Toms with Joy May
A Warwickshire company that supports business with a range of employment services has expanded after receiving assistance.
Absolute Works began as an outsourced HR service for companies in 2010 but has developed to offer more services to firms such as recruitment, apprenticeships, health & safety and training.
It has now expanded into offices in The Square in Kenilworth and employs 16 staff off its own servicing more than 80 clients in a range of sectors.
Business owner Joy May tapped into support from the University of Warwick Science Park’s Business Ready Programme to aid the company’s growth and development.
Joy, who mentors other business owners, received some mentoring of her own in order to plot the best route forward for Absolute Works.
She said: “We were at a stage where we were looking to grow and I know about the help available through the University of Warwick Science Park as I mentor other business owners.
“But there is always a gap in your knowledge and you should never be frightened to listen to advice from people with different expertise to your own.
“It’s good to have someone come in and challenge what you originally thought and to make you question what you are going to do. It has certainly helped us at an important stage for the business.”
The team at Business Ready also advised on the launch of a new online portal that will offer an even slicker service to clients and helped to secure a capital grant through Warwickshire County Council for the relocation.
Joy added: “When we first moved in, we thought it was too big for us but we’ve already grown and the space is exactly what we need.
“The support has been extremely helpful in bringing us to this stage – it would have been really challenging to have done it without the help available.
“We are now looking at developing partnerships around the country to further grow the business.”
Ian McFarlane-Toms, a Business Growth Adviser at the University of Warwick Science Park, said Absolute Works was a perfect example of how to make the most of support available.
He said: “Joy has great experience and expertise in running a business but the fact that she recognised there was a gap in her knowledge that could be supported by another mentor proves that all business leaders can benefit from this kind of help.
“We have been pleased to support the growth of Absolute Works and it continues to be a great success story.”
For more information on Absolute Works go to www.absoluteworks.co.uk
Business Ready is delivered by the University of Warwick Science Park and is part of the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Warwickshire County Council.
