Business growth sparks award win - News

Mr Sampson, who ran a guest house and worked as a Royal Mail manager before training as an electrician, has been supported in setting up, rebranding and expanding his businesses by a variety of Convergence business investments.

He first contacted Outset Cornwall after being made redundant in 2009. Outset receives ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) Convergence and offers advice on starting a business from scratch. He launched Newquay Home Electrics from his own home later that year 2009 and then Cornwall Solar Panels in December 2010. He took on his first employee in February this year; now has ten, skilled employees; has rebranded his original company to Cornwall Electricians – reflecting the growing coverage of his skilled employees - and moved into new workspace at Blackwater. He estimates next year’s turnover will be almost £1million.

During this time Mr Sampson has also used other business support including Oxford Innovation Coaching for High Growth Start Up and Partner to Succeed – an ERDF Convergence investment encouraging collaboration between businesses. He plans to recruit via Unlocking Cornish Potential (UCP) early in 2012. UCP receives ESF (European Social Fund) Convergence and places graduates with businesses in Cornwall offering support including expert mentoring.
He said, “Having run a guesthouse I always wanted to get back to being self employed. I am also a bit of an eco warrior and visited a friend in Fuerteventura a while ago and worked a day with him fitting solar panels – so many people are off grid out there.

“I came back and trained as an electrician but got a job just as the recession hit so had to find work away which wasn’t ideal because I was away from my family. Then Jobcentre Plus put me in touch with Outset Cornwall. Thanks to their help my businesses are successful.”

Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said, “Mr Sampson has been able to intelligently use several strands of Convergence support to ensure his new businesses keep growing, even in an unsteady global economic climate. He is now employing skilled workers and Cornwall Solar Panels is tapping into the growing demand for renewable energy.”
 
Andrew Finley, Oxford Innovation Programme Manager, added, "Tony is a great example of how support programmes, designed to deliver quite different types of intervention, can work together to take ambitious entrepreneurs through various stages of development. He has experienced transformational change through engagement with the Grow Cornwall programme and the team at Oxford Innovation look forward to helping him continue the impressive progress he has made thus far"
 
Mr Sampson is now taking part in Outset Cornwall’s Stage 4 post-start workshops, where the focus is on making it through the first critical two years, to develop a strong and growing business.