Prior to starting Quill Consulting, Geoff Baxter OBE worked in executive roles for a number of public and third sector organisations. He had just moved into a new role when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020. Owing to pressures caused by the pandemic on his new employer, the role was cut and Geoff was made redundant.
While hunting for a new job, Geoff found charity executive jobs to be thin on the ground where he lives in Cumbria. However, several of the organisations he approached were looking for strategic planning support on a freelance basis. Realising that there was demand for his skills and expertise, he decided to explore starting his own business.
Through advice provided by the Job Centre, Geoff found out about the New Enterprise Allowance. Funded by DWP and administered by Cumbria Business Growth Hub, NEA supported people on Jobseeker’s Allowance to start their own businesses.
He made contact with the Growth Hub and, after an initial assessment, attended two workshops, one on financial planning and another on marketing, and worked one-to-one with Growth Hub business adviser, Justine Douglas. Geoff was also provided with financial support while setting up his news business.
“The support from Justine was really valuable, she made the process clear and was available to go through any issues as they arose to ensure that everything was in place to launch the business. When developing my business plan, Justine also helped me to focus on working through some of the key challenges that would be critical to its success.”
Geoff’s business, Quill Consulting Services, was registered on 1st October 2021. Its remit is to advise public and third sector organisations in the areas of strategic planning, operational modelling, marketing and engagement. Geoff combines consultancy with coaching and training to help organisations identify gaps and opportunities for growth.
Since launching, Geoff has worked with three Councils looking to make cost savings on community services. He has also worked with two charities, providing one with a five year strategy and fund raising plan and the other with a community engagement plan to get more people interested in donating and volunteering.
Geoff explains that the main challenges to overcome in his first year of operating were first of all, to ensure a strong client pipeline. And then decide on whether to take on a high number of clients on short-term contracts or a lower number of clients on a long-term contracts. In the end, he opted for the latter as, despite being more difficult to acquire, these contracts provide more security.
For Geoff, the satisfaction of running his own consultancy comes from seeing the charities he works with flourish and the top level strategies he develops positively affect peoples’ lives. There are also personal benefits including having the freedom to do the work that he enjoys and being able to work from home and work flexibly around spending time with his family.
Looking to the future, Geoff plans to keep the business small to allow him to focus on his clients. He will continue working with his two charity clients and then bring on a third client when the time is right.