In February 2023, Rachel Skeoch founded Truenorth Marketing, with the aim of championing regional engineering and manufacturing SMEs and helping them to grow. She explains why she chose to focus on that niche in particular, and what support has helped her the most during her first year in business.

Truenorth isn’t a generalist marketing consultancy, you very much have a focus. Can you tell me about that?

That’s right, we are very specialised.

We work with engineering consultancies, technology-led organisations, manufacturers – a whole range of businesses, but what they all have in common is that they’re involved in engineering and manufacturing in the North East. Our aim is to help them to scale and grow through more effective marketing.

Why did you choose this area to focus on?

I love the North East as a region and especially the manufacturing and engineering industry – my grandad was a sheet metal worker and it’s a very familiar space for me. So focusing on this niche made complete sense.

Before setting up Truenorth, I worked in in-house marketing roles, including at Hyperdrive Innovation which was a well-known regional company that was sold to an American firm in 2021. My previous roles meant I had experience in engineering and manufacturing and that I fully understand how marketing fits into the bigger picture of an SME.

I was aware there was a gap in the market for marketing support for SMEs – the smaller scale businesses that need help with marketing but can’t necessarily afford to hire someone full time, or to work with a big marketing agency.

What has the first year in business been like?

Luckily we’ve had more highs than lows.

Being a finalist in the Wear Businesswomen Awards in the Best New Business category and being nominated for the Northern Power Women Awards has been really exciting, and I’ve also been accepted into the Women’s Engineering Society. This industry has traditionally been very male dominated and I think there’s still a lot of work to do, so it’s great to be a part of it.

The business is growing and we’ve hired two members of staff as well – a marketing assistant and an office manager. And working with our clients and going on their growth journey with them has been a highlight.

It’s been a full-on few months!

What do you know now that you didn’t know when you started the business?

Everything has changed. I’ve gone from being a marketing professional to being a business owner and it’s meant a big shift in mentality. You don’t just work in the business, you have to make a conscious effort to work on the business as well.

You have to find your feet and learn about all the things that come with running a business, like navigating cash flow and having the right kinds of contracts and terms in place.

What support has been the most useful in your first year?

The North East Growth Hub has definitely been brilliant. Karen was my adviser and she helped a lot in the early days by signposting me to other business owners I could talk to and to programmes like Supply Chain North East in partnership with the North East Automotive Alliance, which has been brilliant.

I’ve also recently completed a programme with BIPC North East which has really helped me with things like financial reporting and legal paperwork.

What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs?

It’s a rollercoaster, so you need to be very patient with yourself and take your time.

Don’t be too proud to ask for help and don’t underestimate the power of your network – not just your immediate network but the people they can put you in touch with as well.

If you have a passion for something and you’re determined I think you can make a success of it – as long as you take the time to do your research first and put the foundations of your business in place so you’re not building on sand. After that’s done, go for it!

Book an appointment with one of the North East Growth Hub’s advisers, including Karen, here. And you can find more tools and resources to help you start your own business in our Startups toolkit.