Proudly Supporting Cultivate
Cultivate is a membership cooperative linking food and community, aiming to address many of the issues associated with the modern food system, and working towards sustainable local food solutions.
Cultivate was formed in 2014, out of a Cwm Harry funded project focused on developing 3 community gardens and supporting food projects with schools and communities in Powys. Currently focussing on activities in Newtown, they are working to strengthen and support the food systems across Mid Wales and Powys.
Their Business Needs
Cultivate was going through a transition and wanted to expand the organisation. There was a lot of shared administration between project managers, and they quickly realised the need for a dedicated resource with additional expertise. SmartPA joined at the start of this change in 2022 so Cultivate and their growth manager could focus on geographical expansion, further developing the community side of the business and growing the internal team.
Why they trusted SmartPA?
Cultivate looked at the local market but realised it wasn’t going to deliver what was required in terms of expertise, so they began looking at options for using a virtual PA and quickly found SmartPA.
SmartPA was an easy option due to the flexibility in scaling up or down which has given ideal support for their projects which can last between 3-4 months. This worked particularly well as SmartPA could carry out day-to-day administration but also step in further for extra coverage on larger projects that needed more input.
The Solution
The journey started with basic administration support and SmartPA assisting with ensuring the business had all relevant paperwork to be compliant, reviewing, and drafting policies and procedures, modernising the employee handbook, setting up standing orders for the new board, modernising by moving across to Google forms in line of becoming more digital, and integrating the move over to Xero which now manages all payroll, timesheets, and billing.
The Results
"If you want to expand your business, then get your basics sorted first so you can accelerate quickly and efficiently. SmartPA can take care of your basics."
When asked what has been the best aspects of working with SmartPA, our clients said: "On a personal level when Cultivate found out our SmartPA support was based in South Africa, we loved the idea that we could work closely together although being on other sides of the world. The experiences our PAs show and share with us have sparked a new aspiration in our lives."
"On a professional level, having support when and as needed has been truly beneficial and this has been the most important aspect of using SmartPA. We have been able to quickly bring on extra resource and additional expertise to the organisation which has been fundamental to our growth over the past 12 months. It’s simply value adding."
SmartPA's Impact
"Cultivate are now a fully grant funded organisation and compared to 12 months ago are in a much better position due to SmartPA’s impact. The company has succeeded in deliverables and projects and now have full accreditation."
SmartPA stepped in at the start of Cultivate’s transition and played a pivotal role in elevating productivity across the organisation whilst focusing on growth.
How SmartPA can support you
From individual virtual assistants to multi-skilled virtual teams, no matter the size of your business, objective or challenge, SmartPA has the perfect solution to help your business increase efficiency, drive productivity, and maximise profitability. Find out how SmartPA can support you.