Shropshire Growth Hub case study

About the business

Martin & Jones Marketing is an Oswestry-based marketing agency and consultancy which has gone from strength to strength since it was launched seven years ago.

It was founded by experienced marketer Ruth Martin and offers a full range of marketing and PR services, with an emphasis on working collaboratively with clients to deliver campaigns that help businesses and organisations thrive.

Ruth had worked in marketing for some 20 years before deciding to set up her own business, which now occupies offices in the heart of the town and employs a team of experienced professionals.

How the Shropshire Growth Hub helped

Ruth admits that she knew nothing about running a business when she launched Martin & Jones Marketing.

“My first port of call was to get in touch with Shropshire Growth Hub to start learning those skills,” she said.

“I got to sit down with one of their advisers and they really took the time to get to know my business, where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do.

“They recommended that I start with their Start Up programme. They talked through finances, HR, operations, systems and procedures.”

Since those early days, Ruth has built up an ongoing relationship with the hub and its team of experts, and accessed a range of support including workshops, events, funding advice and business one-to-one sessions.

She says the hugely successful Peer to Peer programme, where business owners get together to learn from experts and each other, was particularly helpful.

“As we were growing and starting to take on staff I recognised I needed to learn a whole new range of skills. That was brilliant because I also got to spend time with other business owners who had already been through what I was going through or already had the experience that they could share with me.”

The impact

Ruth says the support of the Shropshire Growth Hub has been invaluable in the success of her business – and she was so impressed with the work it does that she is now one of the hub’s advisers herself.

 “Knowing that the support was there has made it a lot easier to take on more people and to be able to take on a building. We have always had that back up and it has given me the confidence to grow.”

And she is thrilled that she is now able to give something back to the hub by acting as an adviser herself.

In that role she helps support business owners by delivering programmes such as Business Boost, business one-to-ones, outreach at the hub’s events around the county and specialist support.

“It is an absolute privilege to be able to now provide the service that I received and offer my experience back into my local economy, supporting business owners who want to grow. If we all work together, we can make Shropshire amazing.”