Cuddledry wins national Remote Employer Award, in association with BT
At an award ceremony tonight at Cliveden House it was announced Cuddledry Ltd has won the UK's national Remote Employer Award - marking a true shift in how today's successful companies choose to work. Remote Employment and BT Business held the national hunt to find companies who could demonstrate how remote working has contributed to their business success, and fast-growth business Cuddledry (you may recall them turning down investment from the dragons in the BBC's infamous Den) scooped the award for their ground-breaking strategy of having no office but a team of flexible workers - UK and overseas.
Hundreds of companies and entrepreneurs entered the awards and competition for the Remote Employer Award was fierce, culminating in a shortlist of eight top remote employers up for the final award. Cuddledry scooped the award for demonstrating how a business can achieve outstanding growth whilst keeping overheads low through the use of remote working.
The Somerset-based company - best known for its innovative apron-style baby towel which makes life easier for new parents - has been able to employ a highly professional team, since it is not constrained by location when seeking the best staff. Cuddledry even has a team member in Hong Kong - since she was perfect for the job and technology links everyone as if they were in the same room. The company attributes much of the fact that profits are a year ahead of projections to its remote working strategy, and is set to turnover more than £600k this year - having launched just two and half years ago.
Cuddledry's founders are based in Somerset and is now the market leader in baby bath towels. Cuddledry manufactures and supplies award winning, top quality, organic bath and swimtime towels and accessories for babies and children up to 3 years of age. Polly Marsh and Helen Wooldridge who started Cuddledry have strong views on home working and want to see it being adopted more widely;
'We believe home working now has a clear place in serious business practice, and that this is increasing in significance all the time. Technology and clear business strategy permit home businesses to achieve even greater success than some office-based enterprises, with greater profits resulting from lower overheads and higher productivity', says Polly, who has recently been featured on BBC2's Working Lunch speaking about the value of flexible working, 'We are absolutely delighted to win this award - we take great pride in the way we work, and are keen to encourage more businesses to consider remote working'.
'When we came up with the idea for the Cuddledry baby bathing apron, we knew we were onto a winner. But we also knew that the best ideas do not always come at the best time in life, and we both had very young families and needed to retain a balance of time with them and with our work. So we worked from the start from home and using hours to suit our lifestyles. As the business grew we needed to expand the team, and seriously considered taking on a warehouse and office space. But we quickly realised that not only would the overheads have a huge impact on our profits, and that our productivity would drop due to travel time (just 20 mins each way cuts work time dramatically), and we would be constrained by location when we came to recruit,' comments Helen, 'We realised that the way we were working already was ideal, and created a model whereby all our team operate in the same way. As a result we have been able to recruit highly qualified people for every role, regardless of location, and they are all hugely motivated because they have responsible jobs they run to suit their lives.'
The duo feel that their approach has meant growth has not slowed despite recession, it keeps the carbon footprint of the company to a minimum, and means the team is very motivated. Technology means they are in touch constantly, so the 'virtual' team is cohesive and focussed on success.
As a result one in every twenty babies in the UK is now snuggled in a Cuddledry apron-style baby bath towel each night after their bath - and countless new parents have a much easier time with their little ones!
For more information the Remote Employer Awards website.
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