Quickfire Digital Spotlight

Nathan Lomax started providing marketing and web services whilst still at school. Some ten years later, he is now one of three founders of Quickfire Digital: a web development and design agency. Quickfire Digital is emerging from the pandemic busier than ever, with an optimistic view of the future.

Quickfire Digital was founded in 2017, by Nathan, Fred, and Martin. In early 2020 they decided the time was right to look at redefining the business and to strategically focus on certain elements of their proposal. “We started as a full-service digital marketing agency and became focused on web development, SEO, and IT support. We were looking at a couple of options of redefining to allow us to create a unique offer to our clients just as COVID hit the UK economy,“ says Nathan. “We had already decided to focus on E-commerce which has turned out to be a fantastic move as many businesses moved their offer online to be able to trade within COVID constraints. We are in a strong position to support clients with their digital transformation and their move into e-commerce.”

Despite this, it has not been an easy period and their success over the past five months has been due to long hours, hard work, and the willingness to pivot their business plan to suit the new market place. When the news first hit back in March, Nathan’s first reaction was the same as most people – panic. “We knew we had to close the office, move to home working, and look after our team of 17. Our reaction was to work harder. With hindsight, and knowing how long this period has lasted and will last for, we would have taken a step back to think more strategically from the start to work smarter not just harder. Pivoting the business plan was a great decision and we are moving forward in a strong position,” reflects Nathan, who is pleased with how the team and company have managed the challenges COVID presented.

Quickfire Digital Spotlight

Nathan has always been involved in supporting the local business community by mentoring young entrepreneurs and students. When lock-down commenced, that ethos continued.  Partnering with various agencies, they offered free webinars to help businesses think about online marketing and e-commerce options. Through providing free support and advice, and their strong relationships with marketing agencies and existing clients, work began to increase and Quickfire Digital’s reputation as e-commerce specialists grew.

“We furloughed around 30% of the team. We are now gradually bringing people back, some part-time at this stage. We have re-opened our office and are giving the team the option of coming in or working from home, being as flexible as possible”, says Nathan. As an employer, they recognise that different people are at different stages of being able to return to the office, for example, those with children or health concerns. “Some people have loved working from home and have the space to do it whilst others have missed the office and are keen to get back. We are aware that maintaining our culture is vital to our success as a team and after five months, that is starting to get challenging so it’s great to start moving people back into the office again,” explains Nathan.

As well as the furlough scheme, Quickfire Digital also took advantage of the Business Interruption Loan Scheme. This will provide a financial safety net should it be needed over the next twelve months.

The decision to pivot their business plan to e-commerce has proved a success. Nathan believes that the leadership team has come through this stronger, with more awareness of the need to take time to reflect, plan strategically, and to keep aware of the finer details to control expenditure and costs.

Nathan says, “We have always prided ourselves on our ability to grow, evolve and adapt. We know that to be successful you need to be prepared to pivot and change to meet the demand in the market place. Not only have we done that during the pandemic, but we are supporting our clients to do the same by changing how they interact with their clients and improve their online presence to ensure they can thrive.”