Biggest isn’t always best- Full Support Healthcare’s CEO Sarah Fuller talks about how to make your size work to your advantage, going up against the big boys and what makes her company special.
Bigger is better? Well, sometimes perhaps, but not always in the world of business. I firmly believe that being a relatively small player like Full Support Healthcare in a highly competitive marketplace gives us some real advantages. Most of our competitors are huge global superbrands which some companies would find daunting, but we see it as a great challenge, and one we can win. All you need to do is work out their weaknesses and then exploit them.
It helps that we are confident in the strengths of our own abilities. Since it’s inception in 2002 Full Support Healthcare has grown rapidly and is now a leader in the UKdrapes & gowns market. We supply personal protective products to the UKhealthcare sector and the NHS sits at the very heart of our business. We believe strongly in the NHS as an invaluable British institution and we are proud that our service delivers real value to our NHS customers. Maximizing savings for our customers on a continual basis is central to our vision for the future of our business.
I see our relatively small size as a huge advantage. We are nimble, able to respond to the market and change direction quickly if we need to. Our larger competitors find change difficult and are slow to react, meaning we are able to take advantages of new opportunities in the marketplace much more speedily.
We are also not afraid to try new things. Listening to our customers and reacting to their feedback instantly is such an important part of the process for us, and for them. How often have we all said the same thing over and over again to a supplier and nothing changes? Companies do not listen to their customers at their peril. Working in the public sector, we know how frustrating it can be for our clients to effect change within their own organizations, why make it even more difficult for them?
When customers deal with our larger competitors there is often a lack of focus on them as individuals, they get a “one size fits all” service that doesn’t meet their needs and makes them feel like a “small fish in a big pond”. With us, they get a completely unique, personal service from real people who have taken the time to understand what is important to them.
As a small company we can focus on the issues that are important to our customers – those issues will always be changing and we have to keep our finger on the pulse. Our customers know that they are incredibly important to us and that we need to keep them happy for us to survive as a business. It’s nice for them to feel so appreciated!
We are, however, ambitious for growth but not at the expense of what makes us so good at what we do. It’s a huge challenge operating in such a competitive market, up against so many big players, but we thrive on that challenge. Our size means we cannot afford to rest on our laurels or become complacent – it keeps us hungry and alert to new threats and opportunities.
Above all, as we grow, we will not lose sight of the simple ingredients which have given us such success in taking on the big boys – the willingness to adapt, understanding our customers and providing that unique personal touch to our service, which customers just don’t get anywhere else.
So, is bigger, better? Not in my world………”
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