Business Growth Specialist Brook grow their own…

Brook Corporate Developments was founded in 2008 and deliver bespoke business consultancy and training for SMEs. They provide a range of services from strategic planning and management training through to international trade, health and safety, and the implementation of ISO systems.

Working predominantly with local owner managed businesses around Sheffield and Leeds, the company has been a Business Village tenant since 2013. One of the big advantages they’ve found from being based in The Business Village is the flexibility to grow internally by moving to bigger offices located in a brand new building constructed during 2020.

Speaking about a recent move into the new building, Dom Brook, Director, said “We moved to The Business Village as part of our growth strategy and have since grown in The Business Village. We now have two units with an interconnecting door and a glassed area which has a boardroom we use for training.”

The Business Village also has a strong community aspect, meaning that the company is part of an internal business network. Over the years, some tenants have become clients, receiving strategic support on sales, marketing and leadership, whereas others have become suppliers. This has generated additional benefits such as the quick resolution of IT issues due to having an on-site provider for their IT infrastructure.

Whilst having suppliers just down the hall is a bonus, Dom is keen to stress the importance of quality and states that they’re not choosing to work with other tenants just because they’re part of a community. However, he believes that there are lots of quality businesses based in The Business Village which tick all the boxes, along with having the convenience of being on an internal network.

Another key aspect of being in The Business Village is the location in relation to their clients. With The Business Village being situated right in the middle between Sheffield and Leeds, and just a few minutes from the motorway, it’s convenient when going to visit clients. The location and free parking also make it beneficial for clients visiting them.

“The free parking is massive for us because we’ve got both our staff and visitors using it and, if we needed something of a similar size in Barnsley, there’s not free parking.”

Despite having their own meeting room when clients visit their offices, they also make use of The Bistro for informal meetings or book meeting rooms in other buildings for larger groups. Dom feels that the high quality of the facilities and branding found in the meeting rooms make them a great space to take external visitors.

An additional benefit of their location in The Business Village which Dom emphasises is their relationship with the staff team and the local Barnsley business support network.

“We’ve just been awarded a digital grant through Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council to take all our client engagements digital, which is imperative to our growth. We wouldn’t have been able to afford it without a grant, meaning that our business would have been held back.”

Their relationship with The Business Village also means the company can align their offering to support the agenda and direction of The Business Village, meaning they can grow together. Future developments include the delivery of contracts around carbon neutral, net zero and sustainability.

“It’s very good for our growth being based here because we get to find out about contracts that are coming through via The Business Village team.”

“We’re a growing business and use this base as our platform to grow. We wouldn’t locate our central head office anywhere else as it ticks all the boxes for us. The level of support we receive is great. Kevin and the team are always getting us involved in promotional stuff which you wouldn’t get anywhere else, and it helps to get our name out there.”

“We find it really beneficial being based here and wouldn’t have been based here for the last 8 years if we hadn’t found it useful.”

Find out more and see how you and your business could benefit from a conversation with Dom at Brook Corporate Developments here