A one-year pilot supports ambitious companies to create jobs, win contracts and secure investment
YTKO has successfully delivered the Haringey High Growth Business Programme (HGBP), a pioneering pilot commissioned by the London Borough of Haringey to unlock the potential of the borough’s most ambitious enterprises.
Haringey is home to around 13,000 businesses, 91% of which employ fewer than 10 people – a profile that reflects the wider UK economy. Recognising the importance of helping small firms scale and create new jobs, the Council invested in a one-year pilot designed to identify and support 25 high growth and growth-potential companies. YTKO was awarded the contract in April 2024 to deliver this intensive support on a modest budget, substantially under six figures.
Transformational results in just one year
Despite its modest scale and short timeframe, the HGBP delivered outstanding outcomes, exceeding expectations and rivalling the results of far larger initiatives. Over the course of the year, the 25 participating businesses achieved:
- 30 new jobs created and 9 safeguarded, with a further 40 forecast in the six months post-programme close.
- 105 new contracts won by supported firms.
- 19 businesses investing in new processes to increase productivity.
- 14 businesses developing innovations – from new products to expansion into new markets, including exports.
- 4 businesses becoming investment-ready, with one securing debt finance, another raising oversubscribed equity, and two more commencing investment rounds.
- All participants improving their Growth Maturity Index scores, with an average 65% uplift and six moving up one or two maturity levels.
- Positive mental health and confidence impacts, with clients describing the experience as “transformational”, “business therapy” and “unique in its impact”.
These outcomes demonstrate that with the right blend of expertise, due diligence and hands-on delivery, high growth programmes can have a profound and lasting effect on local economies.
A proven approach to high growth support
Drawing on over four decades of commercial experience, YTKO designed an innovative, highly tailored programme. The approach was underpinned by:
- A highly credible delivery team with first-hand experience of running and growing businesses to £10m+, significant P&L responsibility, and board-level leadership as investors, Chairs and NEDs. This credibility was vital in engaging ambitious, time-poor and often sceptical business leaders.
- Deep functional expertise across the three pillars of growth – markets, finance and people – ensuring support addressed the most common causes of failure while unlocking drivers of sustainable success.
- Robust due diligence to ensure limited public funds were focused on businesses with real growth potential.
- Measurable impact through use of YTKO’s Growth Maturity Index, which provided tailored reports for every client and provided quantifiable measurement of the impact of the support.
- Client-centric wraparound support delivered entirely 1:1, with access to the full team and aftercare to ensure lasting change.
Client voices
The most compelling testament to the programme’s success comes from the businesses themselves.
“YTKO’s work has provided much greater visibility on cost structures following a dramatic period of change within my industry, requiring us to pivot the business. The work with Mark and Bev has been vital to the success of this transition – and it looks as though the new contract which they helped us with will go forward with more favourable pricing! Thank you from everyone at FEL” Jenny Holloway, CEO Fashion Enter
“We recently started working with YTKO and are thrilled with the support Bev, Liz and the YTKO team have provided so far. Great ideas, excellent business experience which they are able to translate into actionable ideas, and strategic insights which have been invaluable in helping us step back and gain a comprehensive overview of our business. We’ve already noticed a positive impact on our business, so are really looking forward for more“ Justin Samuels, MD, Vital Hospitality
Read more client case studies and testimonials
Setting new benchmarks for growth support programmes
For Haringey Council, the pilot demonstrates the value of investing in targeted high growth support, ensuring that limited funds can create maximum impact. The HGBP not only delivered measurable economic outcomes but also built stronger, more resilient businesses capable of contributing to the borough’s long-term prosperity.
For YTKO, the programme reinforced the effectiveness of its proven high growth methodology, honed over decades of supporting SMEs and scaling its own ventures. Across the UK, YTKO has helped create over 17,000 new jobs and secured more than £100m in finance for ambitious businesses – and the Haringey pilot shows how this expertise can be tailored to deliver local transformation.
Scaleable and Replicable
With its strong outcomes and clear value for money, the Haringey High Growth Business Programme offers a scalable model for other local authorities across the UK seeking to drive economic growth, job creation and innovation. Download the executive summary from the programme.
As one client put it, the programme was nothing short of “business therapy” – a unique opportunity to step back, reassess, and take bold action with the right guidance and expertise.
YTKO looks forward to working with more councils and business leaders to replicate this success and continue unlocking the potential of the UK’s high growth companies.
See more at www.ytko.com/haringey