Marcus Richards
Scott and I created Davenports in 2000 in Oxford, and have grown our brand to include a strong team. We can safely call Bury our forever home now, and with that we have created many community driven initiatives.
We have a slogan here at Davenports, ‘We’re serious about your business’. Although true, through my leadership you could take out ‘serious’ and easily substitute it with ‘care’, ‘passionate’ or ‘honest’, as that is who I am as a person. My core values can be found in every fibre of the Davenports business.
Tell us about yourself?
With a background in retail, my husband and I set up our own small business. We found using external agencies stressful and decided to take the opportunity to take on the work ourselves and get it right first time.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Research! Ensure you do your research before taking on any new products/services. It pays dividends. Completing full due diligence on any new staff is also a key element and great advice for any new or established business.
What problem does your business solve?
We are a one-stop shop for all businesses. We take the burden from the owner’s shoulders and resolve any issues. We like to unmuddle and firefight!
What is the inspiration behind your business?
We have grown our business by taking on what we need for ourselves. ‘If you want a good job well done, then do it yourself’ is something we have always worked by.
What is your magic sauce?
We care. As a team, we all have old fashioned values in that we treat clients fairly and with manners and respect. We aim to exceed all customer expectations every time. We treat customers like family
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
We aim to double the size of the business and to treble the number of people we currently employ. We are also seeking new premises in which we can expand our company.
We have taken on apprentices for several years and this has paid off handsomely with training those who want to learn.
We have recently won an award for Apprentice Business of the Year with our local council, Bury. We take pride in what we have achieved and the recognition we are now receiving.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
Without a doubt, moving with the times. Businesses have to keep up with the times to get ahead of the competition. Being adaptable is critical to being able to keep that one step ahead. Davenport’s experience of the pandemic was a massive challenge much like other companies. However, our cloud-based infrastructure has allowed us to thrive as our company was able to remain fully operational.
How do people get involved/buy into your vision?
Davenport’s ethos is ‘we grow you, you grow us’. We look out for each other. To all BestStartup readers, we are offering a 10% discount on online sales with the coupon code ‘BESTSTARTUP’. This offer is only available for our website and is guaranteed for two years.
