Posted on Wednesday 18th September 2024
Pictured are Darren (left) and Cliff outside Carefully Considered Cars, Pool House Road, Wombourne.
A newly set up Staffordshire car sales company which aims to be firmly embedded in the local community is driving business growth after being supported by a county council programme.
After serving for 50 years between them in the police, Cliff Tomkinson and Darren Williams have launched their business venture in Wombourne – Carefully Considered Cars. Their ethos is to provide a friendly and reliable sales business with integrity at its heart.
To enable them to share their vision and promote the business, Cliff and Darren turned to Staffordshire County Council’s Get Started and Grow support programme, delivered by specialist advisors The NextGen. They specifically needed expert guidance on growing the business through social media.
Darren said:
We want to build an environment of trust in our business and ensure we are far removed from any stereotypes of a used car sale company. Honesty and integrity is instilled in us through our 50 years’ combined public service. The preparation of our cars – both mechanically and aesthetically is hugely important, as is our personal customer support. We’ll always make sure the car is right for the customer.
Social media content and a good quality website are essential in how we reach and communicate with people. We want to provide relevant and up-to-date information regularly and the Get Started and Grow programme has given us the confidence and ability to do that.”
Cliff added:
Between us within policing we have seen and experienced some daunting things – but then were faced with the challenges of social media!
For months we struggled and were almost ready to throw in the towel until we came across the Get Started and Grow programme to support new and local businesses.
Through the programme we were able to receive 1-2-1 mentoring support and follow-up contact, setting us on a path where we were much more prepared and focused.
Six months later we are currently thriving in a market that is struggling. Slowly we are embracing a whole new world and now looking to use recently purchased equipment to help us create better video content for our reels. It’s all thanks to the support we’ve received.”
The NextGen’s Kathryn Hyde said:
Small businesses often struggle with social media. There's plenty of advice on how to improve your social media marketing, but it changes so quickly that it's hard for business owners to keep up while managing everything else.
When business owners feel confident in their social media strategy, they're more likely to invest time and effort, understanding that building an audience is a long-term investment that will help their business grow."
Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills Philip White said:
Our Get Started and Grow programme is making a difference to new businesses – providing free expert advice in areas where they have less expertise to give them added confidence. It’s great to see positive results and we’re pleased Cliff and Darren’s venture is establishing itself and thriving.
We have a strong record for start-up survival in the county. It’s hugely encouraging that Staffordshire is providing the right environment for start-up businesses to thrive, and vitally to operate successfully through the difficult first few years.
At the county council it is a priority to us to provide support to these enterprises in a targeted and relevant way, ensuring they have the guidance they need to succeed and grow.”
For more information about the support available, people should visit the Get Started and Grow webpage.
The Get Started and Grow Scheme is available to all businesses up to five years old, including pre-starts. The following support can be accessed to help businesses to grow and flourish – HR, accounting, legal, social media, logos and branding and website development. The scheme is available for all Staffordshire based companies, excluding Stoke-on-Trent.
People can find out more about Carefully Considered Cars by visiting its website.