Erika Marshall
5th May 2016 SUCCESS. It’s something that all businesses aspire to achieve – but every business has their own idea of what it means.
Whether it is turning over millions of pounds, making products that people love or creating jobs that people enjoy, success can mean something very different to individual businesses.
So how do we measure success at Nifco?
From joining the company, I always had big hopes for my career at Nifco. I knew what the business was capable of achieving. From my appointment to position of Deputy Managing Director back in 2004, I knew I wanted to turn the business around – to transform it from one that was failing, to one that was in the black. Back then, success meant survival.
As the years have gone on, what success looks like has changed – our definition of the word has moved forward with the company, which has grown to be an employer of more than 500 people, and is on track to turnover £75million. Our success, it would seem, has become undeniable. However, with all of that said, for me, success means so much more. Of course there is a huge pride in growing turnover, and in creating more jobs for people who live and love the great region I grew up in. But, without benchmarking, how can we know we are succeeding?
While the results we have seen have been strong, the journey to get there has not been easy. So after a year that has not been without its challenges, we were delighted to end April with another award to add to our trophy cabinet. Award-wins don’t only give a really good feeling they serve as a fantastic gauge as to how we are performing compared with our peers.
Last month, we won a regional business award – named as overall winner – and that is an incredible source of pride for me. While we can all achieve success in our own little silo, that can really be qualified when you benchmark against other businesses, and to come out on top really does prove to me and the team that, while we have had a bumpy ride this year, the destination is well worth it.
Nifco is on a transformative pathway, and though often it has been difficult, we really do feel a renewed positivity having proved we still have a cutting edge that makes us a regional success story.