Lifelong friends and owners of global training provider Nine Dots Development are celebrating their tenth year in business after hitting the £2million sales mark for the first time.
Set up by Jordan Burke and James Davison, who have been friends since they met at nursery aged one, central Derby-based Nine Dots delivers apprenticeships, fast-track leadership courses and bespoke development programmes to companies worldwide, including BAE Systems, Fred Perry, Scania and Associated Press.
Jordan and James credit their hard-working team for successfully harnessing the growing demand for leadership and management training, HR training and apprenticeships. The company’s growth has helped many businesses create happier and more productive teams.
The Nine Dots team of 25 staff and 50-strong consultant network are passionate about helping companies upskill their employees so they can become effective managers and leaders.
Rated ‘Good’ by education watchdog Ofsted and accredited by the CMI (Chartered Management Institute) and ILM (Institute for Leadership and Management), Nine Dots aims to make workplaces better for everyone through its high quality training.
James said: “Our courses have been transformative for thousands of people. If we look back to why we started, this feels like an incredible achievement. In our first year we turned over £73,000 and in the early years we were seeing 75 per cent annual growth. We’re so proud of our growth and it’s testament to the hard work of every single member of the Nine Dots family.”
Nine Dots was formed after James experienced first hand how damaging a lack of management training can be. Having started his career firstly for a food delivery chain and then as a talented software engineer, he found himself promoted while not being provided with support and training in how to manage a team.
“That experience I had as a young employee turned me from a productive and happy worker to someone who was disillusioned and wanted to leave,” said James.
“So many people perform well at a job and get promoted, only to find that management is a completely different skill.
“It’s actually not one that a lot of people have naturally. There’s a lot of bad management around because people manage in a way that suits them and doesn’t necessarily work for the business. At Nine Dots we aim to change that.”
While James was struggling, Jordan was employed in a commercial role within the training sector and spotted gaps in the market.
The two had “countless conversations” about what could be done to improve the training landscape, and the lightbulb moment came when James recounted the struggles he was experiencing with his promotion. Without the training he needed, he was left to navigate his new role alone and when raising concerns did nothing to help, it affected his work performance along with his personal wellbeing.
In 2016 James and Jordan merged their skills to form Nine Dots – and they have not looked back since.
The company has worked with companies across the world including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Iraq, the US, Australia and Japan. In the UK, it has also seen significant growth in its apprenticeship provision since the Government’s introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in 2017.
Its industry-leading leadership development programmes cover all aspects of motivation, delegation, coaching, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, strategic thinking, conflict management and performance management.
Jordan said: “We were determined that Nine Dots would help people and businesses to reach their full potential. We wanted to deliver training that turned work days which can feel like swimming through treacle for people without the right support, to productive days driving commercial and personal success. We have seen first- hand what a lack of training can cause and also, happily, what the right training can achieve.
“We are beyond proud of our growth and look forward to seeing what the next ten years will bring.”
James added: “High quality leadership training is more important than ever and we will continue to pursue our aim of creating happy, thriving workforces where managers and leaders are given the tools they need to be successful in their roles.”
For more information, please contact Lucy Stephens at Penguin PR on 0771 983 9446 or [email protected]
