Wendy Meester, business manager of Out of House Publishing Solutions Ltd, explains why Jo Bottrill should win the Leader of the Year category of the Guardian Small Business Showcase competition:
Out of House is a publishing outsourcing business based in Gloucestershire, created and led by Jo Bottrill. We have a team of 10 employees who, together with an expanding network of freelance specialists, oversee the production of several hundred books a year.
Since its incorporation in 2008, the company has grown steadily each year, increasing to 40% growth over the last 12 months. Jo is a friendly, open-minded and approachable leader, who encourages shared responsibility and is always happy to lend a helping hand, no matter what the task. He is always looking ahead and planning future developments, while remaining thoroughly on top of all the day-to-day minutiae that keep the company ticking over.
Staff wellbeing is paramount and Jo gives employees the space to grow, while being accommodating of people’s personal circumstances. He advocates flexible working practices, particularly in terms of location and hours, and has set up an excellent remote desktop environment to enable this.
The team are offered frequent training opportunities, and are actively encouraged to attend industry events that they are interested in. Jo believes the development of individuals is essential to the company’s continued growth and success. He has built an ethical and people-centred business from scratch, balancing success with developing a supportive, open and honest company culture, where every employee is valued and respected.
All entries which meet the competition criteria are published and our judging panel select a shortlist of the top three for each category. Winners are announced at an awards ceremony in summer 2016.
