Sood Agency builds resilience and lands biggest client

Joining a course at the University of Liverpool Management School, Paalan was able to learn about the fundamentals of running a business, including modules in finance and operations. ‘I’d found it difficult to find information on what I should be doing as a business leader. The Help to Grow: Management Course gave me the opportunity to address the knowledge gaps that I had.’ 

The ‘Effective Operations’ module was particularly useful for Paalan. ‘Nobody teaches you how to address this area. What was super helpful in the Help to Grow: Management Course was to see an effective structure and speak to my mentor afterward so I could apply it to my business.’ 

Creating more robust operations has enabled Sood Agency to maintain financial growth, and the organisation has also managed to attract its largest client to date. Paalan attributes the deal with his biggest client directly to what he learned from Help to Grow: Management.  

Future growth is also being managed in a more sustainable way. By using the business model canvas he learnt about on the course, Paalan has been able to more confidently assess when hires need to be made and what will impact future income.  

Paalan concludes that the teams and the organisation as a whole are much more efficient on the back of the Help to Grow: Management Course. 

The content was great, and by the end I felt I had everything I needed. I’m not an academic, I learn best from other people and the course allowed me to do that.’ 

Through hard work, the information acquired from the course, and a lot of networking, the Sood Agency now looks after 150 websites, including 5 custom-built sites launched in the first half of this year alone.  

On top of the value of the course content, Paalan highlights the network he met during the course as a huge benefit, ‘I can't talk to my staff about a lot of elements of the business because they may not understand, and I don’t want to worry them. Speaking to other business owners who have perhaps run into similar issues before and have solutions has been a huge positive for me.’ 

‘Unlike most networking opportunities, people aren’t trying to sell you things. These are genuinely good people who want to grow their business and you can create a real relationship with them. Ultimately that means you're not lonely and you're not going through these things on your own. That’s something I loved about Help to Grow: Management.’ 

Through his continued discussions with his peer network and his Help to Grow: Management mentor, Paalan can now get clarity on the issues he faces rather than tackle them alone.

Reflecting on the course, Paalan says: ‘I would definitely recommend the Help to Grow: Management Course. It's valuable for any business leader and especially if you are newer in your business journey like I was. There is tremendous value for those who haven’t had formal business training and the opportunities to make strong relationships with other business owners have been amazing.

Not only has Paalan made Sood Agency more resilient, but he has applied his learnings to a fresh business with his mother.

'When my mother gave me and my friends her chutney at a BBQ, I was hit with both a taste sensation and an epiphany: we’ve got to sell these! Equipped with an arsenal of chutneys, I returned to my marketing agency and got a logo whipped up and started planning this new business with her.’ 

I am incredibly excited to apply the knowledge I’ve gained to Mama Sood’s Chutney. It feels like I’ve come full circle.’ 

From having to downsize to launching a second company with confidence, Paalan has been on an eventful journey. With the learnings from the Help to Grow: Management Course to hand, it looks like more success is on the horizon.  

You can find out more about the course here.