Thrive is Five - part I

I started Thrive Consulting exactly five years ago on 22nd January 2020, which has prompted some reflection, both about the business and the context or market in which we operate. I thought I’d share this personal perspective on the off chance that it might be interesting to someone…

It turns out there was far too much for one post, so in this first part, I’ve covered Thrive specifically. The second part considers the wider market.

Whilst 5 years is a good milestone for a start-up company,  given the nature of our mission, it’s difficult to feel like it deserves celebration with the current state of climate and society. 

There are of course things to celebrate however and it’s important to acknowledge them along the way.

How we started?

I didn’t have a fully worked-up business plan, but did have a clear view of what I felt we could achieve (helping companies to navigate and implement sustainability into their business models), where my particular skillset could help (creating and communicating business cases), an apparent gap in the market and a couple of small-scale instructions, namely materiality assessments and stakeholder engagement projects, so got going.

I knew that I wanted to set up and grow a business that was going to help companies to address their sustainability, in the widest sense of the word, but certainly didn’t have the details mapped out. I kept our overheads low, hustled for projects where I knew we could truly help and only wrote our first business plan 6 months in. 

With a background in business development, predominantly in waste management and energy services and laterally working within the sustainability division of a global workplace services provider, I could relate to commercial and operational business needs as well as their increasing requirement to build sustainability into their business models.  

Our ‘why’ 

I could see that the positive intentions set by virtuous businesses were generally superseded by the lack of a strong commercial case which quickly closed down any prospect of change.  

This crystallised our mission:‘To equip businesses and investors to drive changes to address environmental and societal challenges, and in doing so, deliver long-term growth and commercial resilience.” which still underpins everything we do at Thrive - helping our clients to navigate and clarify what sustainability means for them, whilst linking commercial value and positive impact.

Early, organic growth

We stayed lean, but grew the core team to three and starting building an ecosystem of specialist consultants and partners, so that we can service different sectors and sizes with the right expertise.

We have worked with some brilliant talent along the way so far, bringing brains, innovative thinking and energy and pragmatism. 

Claire Kennedy joined shortly after I set up - bringing focus, humour, empathy and enthusiasm for data management to provide the perfect complement to my strengths. Between us we have over 40 years of experience IN business, and our clients like that.

We also have the brilliant brain of Dom Gurvic who brings clarity to any big data through modelling, analysis and visualisation.

What impact have we really had in 5 years?

I ask myself this question often. 

I get frustrated with the pace of change and lack of urgency when the climate crisis is in full swing and let’s face it, the majority of Board rooms are still predominantly male and white, however we do see positive change in the organisations with which we have worked, and that does have a positive impact on the outside world. 

We have directly helped over 20 companies and investors to build the business case for change and embed sustainability plans across their organisations or portfolios as well as educating business leaders and managers within these organisations along the way.

Our greatest impact is long-term, but what keeps us in business is that our work with clients brings immediate benefits, from opening up growth opportunities to accessing financing.

So far, we have worked with FTSE 250, aim-listed and mid-market private companies as well as private equity and venture capital firms to create value and resilience by getting them really clear on their sustainability ambitions and plans. We use research and commercial understanding to articulate and formalise their approach to sustainability, putting frameworks and systems in place to help with implementation and helping them report progress.

What’s next?

As geopolitical turmoil deepens, regulation increases, and we live through the effects of climate change, I feel our role of helping companies to navigate sustainability is more important than ever. 

What does good look like?

In a nutshell, ‘accelerated action on climate and societal inequality’.

On a drier but important note, our topline business aims and client promises are:

• to remain relevant,

• value-focussed,

• and efficient. 

Focus on value

We pride ourselves on our no-BS approach to consulting, acting as our clients’ trusted advisor when it comes to sustainability. 

Our clients always deal with senior-level consultants and whilst we enjoy humour, we don’t mince our words.   We keep on top of the changes so our clients can feel confident in their approach.

We will remain consultancy-based but are evolving our model and toolkit to meet market needs, making processes as efficient as possible.  

We will continue with our popular ‘outsourced ESG advisor’ retainer-style contracts, giving clients quick access to answers they may need on an ad-hoc basis, along with regulatory and sustainability-related updates for their sector. 

We recognise the significant financial challenges that companies are facing, with all costs being scrutinised and are mindful of efficiency and delivering real value for spend. 

Sadly, there is still an element of resistance to financial investment in this area and a lack of appetite for doing things differently…until the penny drops that "There is no business to be done on a dead planet."

And as we hurtle closer to that point, the sense of urgency rises.

On a related point, we see time and time again, that our work pays for itself, bringing investment, finance and access to markets for our clients. 

Our superpower

Our clients tell us that our superpower is the ability to truly get beneath the skin of what drives success in their organisations, making sure that their sustainability strategy resonates with their business strategy. 

By putting things in terms that leadership teams will understand and care about, we get traction and support to make change (for the better) happen.

In short, I’m feeling excited and super motivated for the next five years (and beyond) to see what we can achieve with Thrive, our clients and partners. 

So, bring on 2025 and beyond!