Bucking the trend – interview with UBC MD Philip Grace
June 19th, 2008 | by Samantha Middleton
Milton Keynes-based business centre operator, United Business Centres is standing proud in the eye of the current economic storm.
Founded in 1999 by Managing Director Philip Grace, UBC has made steady progress over the last seven years, until now. In a dramatic turnaround in the most unlikely of economic conditions, the company has transformed it future prospects by quadrupling its number of sites within the first quarter of 2008. With an aggressive schedule of openings planned, the company is on track to achieve its ambitious target of 45 business centres across the UK by the end of the year. So what is their secret of success?
“When I first established UBC, I always envisaged a network of centres across the country. I set up the first business centre in my home town of Milton Keynes, as it’s always a good idea to start from a position of strength on your own territory,” said Philip Grace. “UBC is part of a portfolio of property companies and I have divided my time amongst them – until now. With my attention now 100% focused on UBC, things are beginning to really take off.”
From humble beginnings, Philip grew from a single business centre to five centres in prime locations across the UK. But he has always played for the long haul. Now would seem the most unlikely of times to begin a push for rapid expansion. Not so, according to Philip. “We are confident that we can grow when others are tightening their belts, mainly due to the flexibility of our office space packages. Even in times of economic strife, businesses need offices to work from.
“What UBC offers is the opportunity to minimise risk by offering flexible terms. We have also been successful partnering with our major suppliers, enabling us to offer cost-effective solutions to clients.”
Having a great product or service is, of course, one of the key ingredients of a successful business. But Philip is quick to point out that his people are at the heart of UBC’s success story. “Our philosophy at UBC is one of delivering an unrivalled level of service. This is only possible because our team of talented, passionate and dedicated people have a shared commitment to excellence.
“I believe that it is only by creating a shared vision for the business and getting buy-in from the whole team that we will continue to keep clients happy and stand out from the crowd. It certainly seems popular – with only one exception, all of our centre managers have been with us since day one, as have many of our clients.”
Alongside getting the right people, Philip cites technology as a fundamental enabler for growth. “Making full use of the continued advances in technology is crucial if we are to maintain our competitive edge,” he warns. “With increased synergy between IT and telephony, reduced costs of broadband and VoIP, we are able to provide a wide range of cost-effective services to our clients.”
Rapid expansion brings with it a number of challenges for any business, whatever the economic environment. UBC will have to metamorphose from a 45-person business to over 200 employees in twelve months. “People, processes and systems will be key to managing growth over the coming months,” said Philip. In the longer-term, guaranteeing value for money, consistent customer service and constantly learning will be the fundamental ingredients for success, he believes.
When asked what the year ahead holds in store for business, Philip had this to say: “Growth, and hopefully more right decisions than wrong for UBC.
For business generally it will not be a good time. Those able to think outside the box will be OK, larger companies will struggle. So many people have experienced only good times, they’ll stop and stare at bad times a bit like a startled rabbit in the head lights of a car, not knowing what to do. My advice? Trust in your own ability, trust in your own instinct, read the papers, listen to the news, but remember it’s never as bad as they say it is.”
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2 Responses to “Bucking the trend – interview with UBC MD Philip Grace”
By John Nash on Jun 19, 2008 | Reply
I have to admit to being sceptical when seeing the expansion proposals on the UBC website last year, but they are delivering what they promised in terms of openings so far.
It’s a brave move in my opinion, but while there are deals to be done with landlords at the moment it may well pay off over the next few years and I look forward to seeing the results - I’m sure you will keep us posted on here.
By James Jones on Jun 19, 2008 | Reply
Yes, when seeing the plans I thought it may not be possible to expand at the rate that Philip was suggesting, but he is proving the whole industry wrong at the minute - he should be commended and we wish him the very best of luck.