My mane is Jeremy Arnold, I’m founder and company director of Mudra. We provide foundational support for immigration law firms. We provide a business that essentially enables immigration law firms to focus on what they're really good at, which is immigration law. And then we've created a business that provides supporting structures that enables them to do that. So, for example, we've got clerking services, administrative services, business plan services, wellbeing services, pretty much anything that provides foundational support, that enables law firms to focus on billable work. Usually when there's not a pandemic on we are based in central London. We provide our services all across the UK.
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What were your goals and objectives?
Whenever my business grows a bit, I always know my limitations and then I'm looking to find people to support me. Also my industry has changed so much in the last 20 years. The company's constantly having to change and reinvent itself around, immigration rules and regulations, and immigration processes and systems. Constant evolution, where I started working with Aurora, that was a really pivotal part for me because I've wanted to create brand new services that were slightly outside of my immediate vision.
What was the main business challenge you tried to resolve?
I really needed support to be able to reinvent the company. I rebranded from: we were logistics and process company, providing logistical support in the form of clerks to immigration law firms. And the thing is, we found that was just too narrow. So then we had to widen out and provide more, bigger smorgasbord of services that we knew that our customers were or clients that they could benefit from. That was the biggest challenge, I think, reinventing what the actual business does and then rebranding that business. Coming up with brand new services that are of value and need in the marketplace I work in, and then putting all of those systems in place and getting staff trained up to be able to deliver all of those different services. And then, go out there and have people know about them and sell them.
Why did you decide to do business with Aurora?
I've known Sean who runs Aurora for a long time, and I needed somebody who could support me with that level of practical thinking. The whole team there are very good at being able to think logically and strategically very quickly. This is something that I can do also, but often I find that I might need to muse on something for a few days or a week before I'm kind of - that's right. But these guys are really like: "No, that doesn't work. That doesn't work. Have you thought about that? Actually, let's just put that into a spreadsheet and see if this practically works, or maybe this does, maybe that doesn't." That's one of the reasons I went to them for that high level of being able to think about things.
What were your key decision factors to opt for Aurora?
I've had 20 years in my business and all of the pasts of running this business for 20 years - you bring it with you. I know, I'm thinking about my business from the way it's been. And then sitting down with a team of people that can think newly inside from their perspective was radical and being able to think,"OK, what about this business or whatever or this service?"
Strengths
What did you like in dealing with Aurora?
One of the best things they did for us was they hosted a focus group. So, I've done that before over the phone with my clients, but not like everybody in a room. When we held this focus group, the team were there just like directly responding to the needs. My clients were invited 12 clients from different immigration law firms across London and everybody's like talking about the pain points they have in their businesses. So we're here live listening to - "oh, this is the problem. This is what they need support with." But what was great about having Aurora there is that they were able to, on the fly, think - "oh, how about doing this or have you considered doing it this way?" Whereas I know for myself, it might take me two weeks to think of that. Whereas this team is like, "let's crunch the numbers, let's have a look. They're offering this. This would cost you that. Let's say you did this move, and so there's a level of practicality that the Aurora has brought into that project. And then that led on the whole rebrand of the company, from the work we did there together.
What was unique/special about Aurora?
The whole Aurora team together, everybody's like a reflection of that energy and that level of thinking. It creates a real powerhouse. This is a very creative mindset, the way that they're working together, it's energized. There's a level of franticness, but it makes sense and it really produces results. For me to go to Aurora, they weren't like, "oh, let's see how he can coach you to develop services. We will develop them for you." At the same time, they're thinking about, "how can we do? How can the service be really profitable? It's the energy that the team of Aurora bring together is quite powerful.
A field of dynamic creativity is generated in their space, so that's what I would say is unique. There was an old version with an old brand and an old way of doing things, an old service that had been running for a long time. Then with the help of Aurora, we took it to a completely new business with everything in place ready to go. It was a full transition, basically to a brand new business. Also there was a level of motion, they're like - "come on". They were able to just get things going in a way that worked for me.
Any other things you want to say about project or supplier?
Josh, we work with a lot. Sean, I've known for ages, Jiwan - they all have this mindset like I've been telling you. Individually they're all great but it's the collective element, like I was talking about this frenetic, creative energy that collectively they generate. Well, I think they are all brilliant!
Areas to Improve
Did you miss anything in what Aurora provided to you?
Don't think so. If something wasn't working out, I'd just tell them and then because they like that, they'll just change it, or create something new. I'm not sitting at home moaning about something that's missing. If something's missing, I'm just calling them straight away. And then we just - alright, cool, no problem, let's change that. They're very dynamic. Making things work better
Recommendations to others
What would you recommend to other decision-makers and why?
I can only speak to somebody from my experience and my experience is: know what you're good at. Know you can competently put together. So my advice to someone, if they're in my situation, is just recognize that you probably don't have all the skills for everything. Then you sneak good people around you. That's where Aurora came in for me, because they provided a lot of the elements that I just know there're just not in my tool belt. I'm a big fan about finding really great people to work with and then bringing them on board for a bit. I like working in a team, and that's kind of what's nice with Aurora. Feels like you're part of the team. I took some people from my team when we went and we're sitting in the Aurora office with their people. Sometimes, we were doing some work together, but other elements of it, we were just vibing in the room together, creating team in a sense.
What are your learnings from resolving your business challenge?
It's the same as every time, like another level of running a business. You have to learn how you do that. Well, now, through going through the process with Aurora, I would be way more competent at reinventing a business and getting all the bits in the place that need to be put in place into all those different services or whatever that was in that rebrand was done. Because you go through it and it's like - oh, I need to do that bit first and that bit first. Starting it, doing a focus group. That's my learning really. Also to be able to know that some part of the process need to be thought about really rigorously. And knowing that I'm not the person that's going to be able to have rigorously think through a process. My brain doesn't work like that. So, I know that, but I do know that needs to get done. So, then I need a rigorous process person who can do some thinking for me. How does that work? How will that work? Does it even work to be like that?
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