Inside Story Super support helps Susan grow her business

Growth Hub provides speaking expert with the direction to take her business to the next level

Growing a successful business may be a natural step, but often the challenges come from not knowing the ‘how’.

Welwyn-based Superstar Communicator is run by award-winning business owner Susan Heaton-Wright, an international communications expert who helps people speak and present with more confidence. She typically delivers training to large organisations, but also works with individuals wanting to get better at pitching, running meetings or standing out for promotion.

After her son left home for university in 2018, Susan realised she had more time to devote to growing her business. Working alone and unsure of her next step, she contacted Hertfordshire Growth Hub, which initially provided her with five free sessions of advice and support.

Superstar Communicator was originally the name of Susan’s methodology and podcast, but following conversations with the Growth Hub that challenged her to view her business from a different perspective, Susan decided to make it her company brand name, too.

The Growth Hub introduced Susan to specialist legal advice for trademarking the new name and then started by helping Susan rationalise her products and services. In particular, it helped her concentrate on promoting the more profitable aspects of her business and less on the free or low revenuegenerating services. She was offered guidance as she created a new website to reflect her new brand and offer.

Later, during the early months of the Covid pandemic in 2020, the Growth Hub enabled Susan to access a free one-to-one mentor – an experienced businessperson who helped her refocus her business, create tangible goals and navigate new challenges. Two years later, the Growth Hub worked with Susan to review progress, identify opportunities and set new goals.

One of the priorities that came out of this was marketing and Susan was given help to access advice and grant funding through Herts Camera Action, a programme aimed at supporting creative businesses. Susan was awarded over £2,500 to invest in expert marketing support from a specialist consultancy.

More recently, the Growth Hub introduced Susan to the Create Growth Programme, delivered on behalf of Hertfordshire Futures.

The programme aims to increase management skills and confidence among businesses with high growth potential that are operating in Hertfordshire’s film and TV sector or its supply chain or that are looking to diversify into the sector. The programme, which runs until the end of March 2025, also supports businesses to become investment ready and develop new products or services.

The sector was one Susan hadn’t considered before. But with part of the programme focusing on supply chain innovation, Susan found herself with the opportunity to pitch a new product idea to Sky Studios. After completing the course, she took advantage of specialist support from the University of Hertfordshire, again as part of the programme, to develop her service offering further.

Over several years, Hertfordshire Growth Hub has built a strong relationship with Susan, who has been able to dip into the support as and when she needed it. She has been given the advice and confidence to rebrand her business, position her products and keep focused on drivers for growth.

Through access to grants, she’s been able to formulate a clear marketing plan and promote her services, and she’s now developing an exciting and potentially groundbreaking product for the film industry – something she says she would never have imagined doing before.

Susan says: “I’m really grateful to the Growth Hub for believing in and supporting me – I’ve acted on all the advice I’ve been given. At every stage, the support has been invaluable. When you’re on your own, it’s so helpful to have experts that can act as sounding boards and keep you on the right path.”

Get in touch with Hertfordshire Growth Hub

For more information on the Create Growth Programme and to find out if your business could support the booming Hertfordshire TV and film industry call 01707 952777 to speak with an adviser.

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