Growth is direction of travel on Strand PR’s journey

No-nonsense marketing and communications agency looks ahead to ‘exciting future’ after celebrating 10th anniversary.

Organic growth is a ‘natural evolution’ for no-nonsense PR and communications agency Strand PR, the Chamber’s newest patron.

The company, which has been a member for more than six years, celebrated its 10th anniversary last year.

Founder and Managing Director Laura Pearce, who started the company with just one client from her dining room, is keen to see the business keep moving forwards as it continues to provide a broad range of marketing and PR services from traditional PR, through digital advertising and award-entry writing.

She said: “The future is exciting at Strand PR. We have an expert team delivering brilliant work for our awesome clients and growth is a natural evolution.

“As a business, our growth to date has been the result of recommendations and this continues to be a focus for us. Nothing beats third-party endorsement.” Many of those recommendations have come through membership of the Chamber.

“As a business looking to establish itself within the county, it was the natural choice to want to join the Chamber. I’d visited smaller Chambers but the breadth and variety of membership within the Herts Chamber represented opportunities to help expand our reach and connections across the entire county.

“As a member, the most important thing is you get out of it what you put in. The Chamber is what you want it to be for your own business.

“In addition to networking, there’s a whole host of workshops and events with incredible guest speakers that impart knowledge and expertise.

“I recently attended the Economic Outlook event hosted by Handelsbanken. Having those kinds of insights are really important, not just for Strand PR’s business growth, but to accurately advise our clients.”

While the Chamber has provided many new leads, including the Chamber itself which has worked with the agency for two years, Strand PR’s client list stretches well beyond the county borders. The agency works with a broad spectrum of organisations, from a village pub to Nest, the Government’s pension provider. Strand PR’s reach even extends over the border into Scotland having been contracted to work with Business Energy Scotland, a Scottish Government-funded programme.

“I am so proud that we have national clients and I’ll confess I sometimes have to pinch myself… especially on those days when I get a random call from a distiller in the Orkneys looking for press support.”

Strand PR started small and has continued on a steady path of growth. Laura is a proud supporter of the Chamber’s Entrepreneur Foundation and is able to offer valuable insights to those individuals developing their vision. The experience gained as a young woman starting her own business is inspiring for those looking emulate her success.

“I was only 22 when I started Strand and having other business owners share their advice was instrumental in helping me make key decisions. And now it’s time to be able to pay it forwards.

“One of the great things about the Chamber, and one of the key reasons we decided to become patrons, is that everyone supports each other.

“Every Chamber event, whether as patron or not, is an opportunity to connect, collaborate and grow and we’ve met some incredibly diverse individuals and organisations.

“The Chamber team, especially Mary Sykes, is a world of information. Staying up to date with county news helps us to advise and support our clients.”

While the future is looking bright at Strand HQ, growth is not without its challenges, mainly around recruitment.

Laura knows that hiring the right people is vital. Recruitment is an area that Strand PR focuses on, knowing that having the best people, with the right skillset, allows the company to continue delivering the best service for clients.

But in the current climate, it is becoming harder to find the right people with the right skills. Across the UK there is a growth in demand for staff, but poor candidate availability.

“It isn’t just here at Strand; a key challenge facing most businesses across the county is the skills shortage. As a growing business, we are always looking at our next hire.

“Being closely involved with the Chamber team on delivering the Herts Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) will undoubtedly reveal things we didn’t know and opportunities to capitalise on.

“This is such an important piece of work, not just for us, but for all businesses in the county. We have to identify where the gaps are and work with the training providers to ensure the right skills are being taught.

“If we fail to do that, companies are going to face continued struggles to recruit. If their growth is stunted, it doesn’t just affect them, it affects the whole economy of Hertfordshire.”