One thing that has become very apparent after setting up GEST Consultancy is that doing a good job for someone can lead to the golden ticket for businesses… the word-of-mouth recommendation.
Both frdoing-things-right-for-clients-and-customersom a school or supplier perspective - people talk. Especially in the ed-tech sector where conversations are crucial to building up a contacts list or school referrals. That product and business knowledge then enables GEST to make the right connections to get things done.
There is obviously plenty of strategic planning involved in the ed-tech industry but it is also a fluid and fast-moving world where the ability to adapt and adjust to the market is very important.
Community Brands
Our first ever GEST client was a company called Community Brands UK. They are the UK entity of an American owned company, which has brought together some really big household names in the UK ed-tech space. They have an office in Leicester – my home town – so it was very exciting to start working with them and getting to know their team.
Community Brands UK still work very autonomously with the brands under the CBUK umbrella - despite being owned by a US company. I really enjoyed getting to know them and working with network I’d known at CBUK for a while.
They understood what GEST could do for them and I worked for them in the UK at the early part of 2021 and then again in and around the GESS Dubai event in the UAE in October (see below), November and December.
Danny at the GESS event in Dubai where he was working with Community Brands
At that point, they were still quite exploratory in terms of what they wanted to do and so they took some time to redefine their offering, whilst I got on with other projects and we kept in touch as advocates for each other.
Since then, Community Brands have made some more acquisitions and have a couple of products that sit really nicely internationally. The latest acquisition, Parentapps, provides schools apps and website, along a remodelled education data analytics solution providing real insight for schools around the world.
Microsoft
They have a really good relationship with Microsoft, with the system built using their technology, so they have some great connections and now they have new products ready for market in the international market, starting with the Middle East.
So, I was delighted when I was asked to jump on a call with a partner of our consultancy, Butterfly, to see if we could come up with a package to help a client of theirs - and that client turned out to be Community Brands!
It was nice to hear they were happy to see me too and now we have just started working together again leading up to GESS Dubai in November and hopefully beyond.
Butterfly
It’s our job to make sure their products are seen and hopefully bought by the right people. Taking on that challenge in conjunction with Butterfly means it will be a multi-faceted approach that should work really well. It’s a project that is also reliant on the brains of four consultants (two from GEST and two more from Butterfly) - not just my own!
It’s certainly satisfying when former clients agree to work with you again on new projects and proof that we must be doing something right in a very busy and competitive industry.
Find out more: About GEST services and costs
Find out more: About Community Brands