Tracey Smith-Atkins has an accountancy background. She originally joined South Wales-based Green Willow Funerals as a director in 2021 but just one year later she was the CEO and managing 27 people. Although she was not from a funeral background, ‘a business head was just what the company needed at the time.’ 

Three years later, Tracey says ‘It is the most rewarding job and industry I have ever been a part of. I genuinely feel privileged to be working with this company.’ Part of this feeling of pride comes from the fact that any profit made by Green Willow Funerals is donated in the form of Gift Aid to Cardiff YMCA which funds local community projects. 

Although there are plenty of positives within Green Willow Funerals, when Tracey joined she was conscious of how the company could be run better, how costs could be saved, and how the business could better plan for the future. 

This is when she found the Help to Grow: Management Course.  

As is the case for most accountants, Tracey is used to studying. When Cardiff Metropolitan University contacted her about the possibility of joining the Help to Grow: Management Course. The potential gains from the course immediately resonated with Tracey, ‘I thought that this could be a fantastic way to help this business at this time when it needs it most.” 

Alongside her General Manager, Paul Dowding, Tracey joined the course with a plan to revisit Green Willow Funerals' strategy and help the business grow. The new strategy would include plans to re-evaluate the effectiveness of the marketing strategy and develop ways to further engage employees.

The learnings from the course

Marketing 

Tracey explains that because of the nature of her business, marketing is designed to be a consideration should the organisation's services be needed. Nonetheless, ‘The Help to Grow: Management Course gave us a push to look at our dated website and consider how we can make it more self-service while still showing our values.’ 

Green Willow has now implemented a new website that not only looks modern but clearly signposts the work of the organisation to give profits to local communities as part of The 1910 Trust. 

In terms of saving money, Tracey says, ‘We’ve started to apply more focus to value for money marketing strategies and looking at return on investment, as opposed to throwing money at PPC and SEO campaigns. In essence, we have started to think about why customers choose to use us and how that should impact marketing. ‘ 

Strategy 

The course gave Tracey plenty to think about when it came to strategy, ‘I quickly recognised that the business hadn’t focused on strategy for a long time. Changes that had been proposed hadn’t been backed up with a business case, and as a result they were forgotten. 

‘The Help to Grow: Management Course gave me the tools to frame a strategic paper. Now that we’ve done this, we have managed to set our path for the next four years. This path will be tracked alongside a thorough analysis of competitors.’ 

Employee Engagement 

Employee engagement has also been revamped. Tracey said: ‘A table of employee engagement strategies in the course made me consider the employee benefits we offer. These weren’t necessarily financially based, but what makes our company special to people. By doing this, I was able to realise the scope of what we offer.’ 

‘We have now developed a visual diagram showing the team benefits – most of which were already in place but were not being communicated well. These are placed on the staff noticeboards we have recently installed.

The company also hired a HR Manager who can design and implement more robust benefit packages. ‘It's a fundamental part of any business and certainly for me, the rigour that comes from the HR manager and that attention to detail around policies, procedures, and control, is vital.’ 

On top of that, Tracey is encouraging learning, prompting employees to undertake ILM level 5 Management courses for management and team leadership training. There is also training on offer to give staff the opportunity to try different roles across the business. This helps with staff retention and progression, allowing staff to have a better idea of what a role involves when a vacancy arises. 

Results

Profits increased by 250%.

Launched a new website.

Green Willows Funerals has seen many changes since Tracey and Paul attended the Help to Grow: Management Course, and they are paying off. Profits have increased from £46,000 in 2022 to £161,000 in 2023 (financial year: April-March). Gift aid distributions have also increased from £23,000 to £115,000 over the same period.  

This impressive growth looks set to continue, Tracey comments, ‘There is more to do in 2024 including developing ways to showcase complementary products for our families and highlighting the full range of services and products we can offer, which has not been clearly communicated historically.’ 

‘Without a doubt, the course has transformed how I lead the business as well as the future of Green Willows. It's a no-brainer. Every small business leader has something to learn from the Help to Grow: Management Course.’ 

Find out what you can learn with the Help to Grow: Management Course here.  

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