A multi-award-winning Teesside business is continuing to go from strength to strength, more than a year after securing six-figure growth funding from UKSE, the business support subsidiary of Tata Steel, to accelerate its expansion plans.

Outrank, based at Riverside Park, Middlesbrough, added to a string of accolades in September, including the honour of having the best Agency Culture in Europe and being placed 81st in a list of best places to work across the whole of the continent.

These are just the latest in a long line of successes for the firm, which has also been placed in the Top 10 Sunday Times Best Places to Work list and ranked second on the UK’s Great Places to Work list, alongside other awards recognising its positive workplace culture.

It also holds the current Tees Business Tees Tech Awards Tech Business of the Year title.

Stephen Robinson, founder and CEO of Outrank, said funding from UKSE enabled the firm to “put its foot to the metal” and experience significant year-on-year revenue growth, as it was able to take on more staff and move to bigger premises.

This helped the firm supercharge its ambitious growth plans and Stephen says that without the investment, it would have taken much longer to get the firm to where it is today.
“We reached a point where headcount and revenue were both growing quickly, while customer retention remained extremely strong,” says Stephen.

“We wanted to continue to grow, we had a platform we wanted to build and we wanted to take on some larger accounts – but we had to hold off on recruitment because space was a bit of an issue and we had reached a pinch point.

“We met Sarah Thorpe of UKSE to explore our options and immediately, we just got a really good vibe around a friendly funder, and it felt like a good cultural fit in terms of what we wanted to achieve and what they stood for.”

He added: “We were trying to grow our local presence and create jobs on Teesside and that fit with their aims.

“With UKSE, it feels like you have got a partner, rather than just a lender.”

Stephen says Sarah was genuinely interested in how funding could support Outrank’s growth plans and took the time to understand the business, where it had come from and where it was going.

“We went from being stifled by space to being able to use the funding and support from UKSE to be even more ambitious and increase headcount, as we moved from a 2,000 square foot space to 6,000 square foot offices,” he said.

“Before we moved, we were at a headcount of 30 and now we are at 55 and have won several awards recognising our workplace culture.”

Both Stephen and Simon Davies, the firm’s commercial consultant, say they enjoy their collaboration with Sarah, who checks in with them regularly.

Simon says: “With UKSE, it’s not like borrowing from other providers where they say ‘there is your money and here are your repayments’.

“It’s not onerous or daunting and they provide continuous support and are always in touch asking ‘how’s the business going’ – and Sarah couldn’t have been more supportive – I know she roots for us.

“UKSE genuinely want to see local businesses doing well – they’re not just concerned about getting their money back, they also give you their support and their backing.”
He adds signing the funding agreement with UKSE represented the “right partnership at the right time”.

“We could see so much growth potential and this gave us the options we needed to take that growth forward,” he said.

“We have evolved from our digital agency roots into a technology-enabled SME growth platform, combining specialist consultancy across paid media, social, email, websites and SEO with proprietary technology and customer acquisition assets.

“Most importantly though, we’ve got the best culture and the best people who build up high-quality relationships with clients, which has helped us maintain a 96% client retention rate.”

He says maintaining such a strong retention rate “gives you confidence that you’re doing something right,” adding: “Getting support from UKSE has really worked for us – we have embraced the support and it has driven the business forward a little bit faster.

“If you are a growing business, it’s worth having those conversations with UKSE about your growth plans.”

Sarah Thorpe, UKSE’s regional manager for the North, says: “It has been an absolute pleasure to witness the growth Outrank have experienced.

“When I first met Stephen and Simon, it was clear that Outrank was really going places – but having the finance has helped them to get there faster, creating more jobs for people on Teesside and contributing extremely positively to the local economy.

“At UKSE, this is what we exist for – empowering and giving confidence to businesses like Outrank to enable them to go forward and supporting local communities to thrive.”

She adds: “We can’t wait to see where Outrank goes next and we look forward to continuing to support them in the future.”