Adapting in the Face of Adversity
w/Monument Promotions
We caught up with Matt Nicholson from Monument Promotions to see how things have been
developing since he opened up his second office. Matt and the team have now expanded into two cities - Swindon and Manchester - and have been busy adapting to the new strand of the business, working with energy-saving client, ‘Don’t Waste Money’.
So what are your plans for expansion post-lockdown
in which we engage with the public, but I also think that the
when things start moving again?
conversations we have on the doorstep will need to change as well. For example, I think we will be openly discussing
Over the next quarter, we’re going to be focussing on
the impact of the pandemic on the Charity sector with our
establishing the energy-residential side of the business, so
customers; the context within which we are working will
developing our relationship with ‘Don’t Waste Money’. We’re
definitely become part of the proposition and that’s really
also looking forward to re-establishing our relationship with
important to us. It’s about being honest and responding to
our charity partners once again and once all our team have
each member of the public in a subjective way; the pandemic
returned from being furloughed, we will be looking at opening
will have affected everybody individually, so it’s important to
up two new offices in Cheltenham. Rather than opening up
acknowledge that.
in lots of new different locations, we will instead be focusing on opening up new divisions of the business in the cities
In terms of recruitment, have you found that there has
we’re currently based in. The divisions will be: Charity Events,
been a wider pool of people looking for work?
Energy Residential, Events Residential in both Cheltenham and Swindon.
Totally! The recruitment pool has opened up in a huge way for us. There are going to be a lot of highly skilled people
Are there any changes you’ve made to the business
from a wide variety of backgrounds that will be looking for
during this period of re-evaluation that you will carry
new avenues of work. I’m really looking forward to working
forward?
with these people and the fresh energy this will bring. Over the coming months, I will be looking to scout individuals
Absolutely. It’s been great in the sense that it’s given us the
in the organisation who might be capable of heading
opportunity to expand into a new area of sales and we’ve
the Energy side of the business once I move back into
now split the business into two parts: Charity and Energy.
Charity work, so there’s definitely an opportunity for rapid
I will be running one strand of the organisation and will
progression over the next few months. A big part of my role
appoint somebody else to run the other, and each location
is searching for those people who will replace me as I expand
from now on will split off into these two divisions. I think that
the organisation, so I’m always on the lookout for new talent.
the last quarter has provided us with the opportunity to really consider the type of business we want to run. It certainly
On a personal level, what have you taken away from this
gets you thinking about the bigger picture and your position
time? Has your interpretation of what it means to be an
within the industry as a whole; that shift in perspective has
‘Entrepreneur’ changed at all?
been really beneficial for me, personally. It’s funny, as the world has slowed down, things have really picked up for us;
I think I’ve come to realise that a lot of it comes down to
we’ve been going at 100mph, learning a new product and
adaptability. That’s certainly something that we will be
adapting to a brand new way of working.
instilling in our teams from now on. I’ve learned that, however stable the economy feels, it’s about being ready for anything
Do you think that you will change the way that you
and not afraid of change. The skills that we teach our
engage with your Charity Partners once they return to
guys aren’t set in stone; we very much encourage them to
the industry?
integrate these skills into a way of life, an attitude towards the industry as opposed to trying to follow an exact formula
I think there will be a huge demand for Charities to catch up
for success. I’ve realised the importance of building strength
on missed income, and we will absolutely be ready to jump
into my team; by this I mean instilling in them a belief that
on board as soon as the opportunity arises. Obviously the
success isn’t just about context, it’s about self-belief and
first thing to think about is PPE and reformatting the way
mindset.
047
