Stellar Year Sees Mmc Scale New Heights

A specialist research and marketing agency has increased its headcount and unveiled ambitious plans for the future after reporting its best year to date.

Sunderland Software Centre-based MMC, which specialises in conducting in-depth market research and developing commercial marketing strategies, has taken on three members of staff following a spate of new client wins.

Founded by marketeer turned entrepreneur Natasha McDonough back in 2015, Natasha spent 20 years working in the industry before setting up on her own, honing her skills by working on a wide-range of marketing projects for companies across the globe.

She has since grown the company year-on-year, relocating to larger premises twice and establishing an experienced team of research and marketing professionals. This has provided MMC with the resources required to service new clients and increase its service offering, which now includes quantitative and qualitative market research, content marketing and bespoke lead generation campaigns.

“It has been a great year for MMC and we’re absolutely delighted to have welcomed our new recruits Amy Armstrong, David Broderick and Dr Kirsty Laing,” Natasha said. “Each of them is extremely skilled in their own right and have already made such a huge difference to the business.

“We wouldn’t have been able to scale at such speed without them. People now know that, when they work with MMC, they’re buying into a team of multiple specialists and with our combined experience and skills, we have a proven track record they know they can trust.”

The continued expansion of the team and introduction of new services has seen MMC secure a whole host of new clients over the past 12 months with Nexus, Digital Catapult NETV and Durham City Incubator (DCI) among the companies to procure its services.

One of the main drivers of this growth has been word of mouth recommendations and as Natasha looks to the future, she is confident the solid reputation MMC has established will continue to help the company grow, with ambitious plans in place to double the company’s headcount and revenues over the next three years.

She added: “Word of mouth has been a key driver for us and is testament to all of the hard work we’ve put in over the last few years. For example, one client recently recommended MMC to three of its partners because they had such a great experience working with us.

“Over the next three years, we are hoping for more of the same and aiming to be in a position where we’ll have doubled both revenue and headcount. It’s a very exciting period for us and we’re all excited to see what the future holds!”

MMC has received support from the business investment team at Sunderland City Council since setting up at the Software Centre back in 2015 and Natasha is full of praise for the support she has received.

Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “As someone who has honed her skills across the globe and then decided to relocate to Sunderland to raise her family and grow her business, we couldn’t be any more proud of Natasha and are delighted that we’ve been able to support her on her journey.

“MMC is a fantastic company that not only takes great pride in helping businesses scale up but also in helping its staff grow. Its commitment to providing the best possible work-life balance for its employees and putting wellness at the heart of everything it does is extremely refreshing and hopefully will inspire other businesses to look at how they can instil health and wellness within their organisational cultures.”

Natasha added: “Sunderland City Council has been absolutely fantastic ever since I founded MMC. In just four years, I’ve gone from working at a table in the shared business lounge to the office we’re in today, and are hoping to move into a larger office within the building again within the next three years, as we continue growing.

“We’ve also been able to tap into support from Sunderland Software City, another resident of the centre, and have received introductions from the Council to other firms in the building which has led to us working directly with half a dozen clients, we couldn’t ask any more of them.”

MMC was recently ranked among the North East’s ‘Best Companies to Work for’ in an annual report compiled by The Journal. The company was hailed for its commitment to providing staff with a flexible environment that puts wellness and family first, including Natasha having an insistence on staff attending their children’s school events or hitting the gym or yoga mat in working hours should they wish.