The My Admin Support team: l-r Donna Hanlon, Sarah Gagin, Samantha Low and Zoe Brooks
My Admin Support has now been at HIC for four years, in which the business has gone from strength to strength.
The team provides virtual office support to SMEs, taking care of the day-to-day admin while the company staff get on with doing what they do best. Director Sarah Gagin said: “We do lots of general admin, like creating contracts for clients, updating spreadsheets and systems. And there’s lots more, like checking emails, managing diaries, travel arrangements, booking conferences and events management, CRM systems, social media and website support.”
Sarah set up the business in 2007 after she’d had her first child. A qualified internal auditor, she was looking to return part-time with her existing employer, but things didn’t work out and she decided to go her own way. From humble beginnings, the workload grew and grew, to the point where Sarah was sub-contracting work to stay on top of things.
The business then really took off and Sarah decided it was time to move and find office space somewhere. “We knew about this place because I was working with the Best of Market Harborough at that point, and they were looking at getting an office, so we got an office together to start with,” said Sarah. “They later moved out leaving the office to My Admin Support. Since then we’ve grown and I’ve now got four staff working for me.”
Being at the centre has played a real part in that success. “It’s given us a really good presence, and I think that’s what makes us stand out. A lot of the feedback I get shows that people come to us because we have a proper office and they class us as a proper business.
“It’s also a nice place for me to meet clients. It’s lovely for me to bring them in and show them around so they can see where we work. And obviously, the fact that we’ve got companies on the doorstep and we get recommendations from Liza and the team helps.”
Sarah has just taken the step of becoming VAT-registered and has had initial meetings with our very own Stuart Hartley for advice on how to expand further. She’s also considering moving into one of the centre’s larger offices.
“In six months I feel we should be solid and looking for the next step forward,” she concluded. We wish Sarah even more success and are confident that HIC can continue to help her business grow.
Harborough Innovation Centre is owned and supported by Harborough District Council (HDC). As the building owner, HDC also funds the Centre’s business support provision, providing the basis for expert business advice, mentoring and workshops.