Some business leaders love the limelight. I have a confession: I hate it!
However, I’ve come to realise that sometimes you need to come out of your comfort zone for the sake of your business and your brand.
In the cut and thrust of operations, it’s easy to be swept along every day by the desire to ensure everything‘s running smoothly; even rolling up our sleeves to get the work done. In fact, I couldn’t be happier than when I’m pulling together with the Goldstar team to fulfil every client promise.
However, I’d suggest it’s also essential as a leader to take time to reflect; and raise your head above the parapet to share those reflections when they merit it.
Reflecting on success is a critical part of shaping the future. In the same way that understanding where we could do better - and how we invest time and energy into serving our clients to best effect - serves as a real motivation for continued success.
So, what’s been front of mind lately? Since being named a Best Large Business finalist in this year’s The Trades Awards, I’ve been reflecting on what an exceptional year it has been for our team.
With such a strong construction service division, Goldstar has risen to every challenge in this sector, as contractors have felt the pinch under the burden of soaring material costs, high interest rates and cost-of-living commitments.
Against this backdrop, it makes us immensely proud to demonstrate how we have stood out and determinedly grown our business. Over the past 12 months we have:
- Expanded long-established contracts and maintained strong market share through an upturn in orders from several of our blue-chip customers.
- Secured 100+ new clients across the construction, energy, property, healthcare, entertainment, education and domestic sectors.
- Experienced exponential growth of our domestic business, including the supply of cleaning services to two local social care campuses.
- Successfully entered the aviation sector, including a new multi-service contract delivering janitorial, consumables, office cleaning, gardening, window cleaning, helicopter cleaning, and workshop cleaning.
- Increased turnover year-on-year and investment back into the business, in processes and systems to improve efficiencies, including state-of-the-art cleaning, gardening and gritting technology.
- Consistently achieved a high rate of staff retention and long service, exceeding the industry norm.
- Invested in our logistics fleet to add top-of-the-range vans to our means of efficiently serving our client base.
- Succeeded in sourcing a 100% local supply chain.
- Invested in recruitment, training and marketing to position Goldstar in support of the local economy.
- Broadened our Scottish housing developer client base across our patch.
- Consistently achieved a 90%+ client retention rate, with positive customer referrals also influencing our growth.
I really don’t feel comfortable blowing our trumpet, but industry recognition means so much to our fantastic team, and Rachel and I want to make sure they all receive the praise they deserve after such a challenging and outstanding year.
So while I’m on my soapbox, I’ll thank every one of the Goldstar family for all they do, every day. Serving our clients will always mean the world to us, and we appreciate each and every partnership.
Now, I’m off to lie in a darkened room!