Manor Barn Organics is a family-run enterprise as which Tracey runs alongside her husband, Paul. She says: “Making the products and experimenting with scents was a real adventure, but as time passed I felt that I had to introduce some structure to my ways of working if we were to grow.

“I have a lot of experience in management processes in a corporate context, but it was quite different trying to apply those models to my own small, start-up business.”

Thinking big: the five-year plan

Tracey discovered the Evolve Digital programme at Lancaster University Management School and felt it could be the key to helping her plan ahead and introduce processes to increase productivity and efficiency.

She says: “I hadn’t done a university-based programme since I finished my management degree thirty years ago, so I was a little apprehensive. I was also concerned about whether Manor Barn Organics would be too small for me to be able to apply the principles we learned.

“The programme itself was quite a surprise, though. Rather than focus on the nuts and bolts of IT systems, which I thought we might, we went much deeper - into our business strategy, leadership styles and medium and long-term aspirations.

“I went from having no strategy to sketching out a one and five-year plan. I also mapped out my production processes, which enabled me to see where there were ‘hot spots’ - complications or bottle-necks that I could iron out.”

Participating in Evolve Digital has given Tracey a vision for where she’d like to take the business. She continues: “The programme has helped me to see the potential that new technology offers. For example, introducing an automated batch-tracking system so I can follow production from raw materials to final product.”

New confidence for the future

I was very much in need of a confidence boost when the programme began. I wondered whether my business had a future. However, thanks to Evolve Digital, we now have a road map and a much greater sense of purpose and direction. I have a framework for making decisions and don’t simply rely on my gut instincts.

“And, although we are a very small enterprise, the sessions on leadership also helped me to see myself as someone who can lead Manor Barn Organics into the future.

“Paul thinks the renewed inspiration I’ve gained from Evolve Digital is fantastic and we’re excited to embark on this exciting new phase of our business.”