At a time when putting people first was the priority for the nation’s health, Andrew knew he had to take the same approach to business and launch 360 Bid, as it was then known.

And that vision of what a work-winning consultancy could and should be has seen the contract bid specialist successfully build on a decade working as a submissions engineer and head of bids for large corporations and consultancies.

“My first priority was to build something based on mutual respect, fairness and honesty.

“The world of work winning is notoriously associated with burnout. I often say to our clients we are professionals but people first, so they can better understand our vision and values.

“My second priority was longevity; I have no aspiration to build quick and sell. Quite the opposite, I want to build something that lasts, something that perhaps one day I can bring my sons or daughter into. Although having just started Primary 1, Primary 5 and first year of high school I’m sure their priorities are a little different!

“And finally, I wanted the business to focus on the broader spectrum of work-winning activities. Yes, there will always be bids/proposals to do, that is ultimately output. I was more focussed on the wrap-around aspects that are common sense, but not always common practice.

“We love to talk to people (a lot) to understand what makes them and their businesses tick so that we can use that knowledge to tailor an approach that works for them. A lot of the time, they need us to help get them ready to bid by constructing the building blocks that will help them get there.”

That approach has seen the team successfully deliver 95 focused projects for their core 25 clients, across various sectors, helping them realise their potential.

Coming up to the end of year three the business has been instrumental in delivering £600 million of growth for clients and has received consistently high customer satisfaction scores 96-99% across the board.

Andrew said: “We don’t use ‘win rates’ to blow our own trumpets, it’s not about us. It’s about our clients, what they need and what will help them grow and flourish. The customer satisfaction metrics speak for themselves, our clients wouldn’t be happy if we weren’t winning.”

The workload is almost equally balanced with 56% based on consultancy and monthly engagement, and 44% devoted to bidding. The projects range from technology-driven complex data organisation and reporting packages to simple storyboarding, and everything in between.

He added: “We’re willing to turn our hands to anything to give clients what they really need. And if we can’t do it ourselves, we always know a person who can.”

The business doesn’t limit itself to working for industry household names either. It helps SMEs to PLCs, either directly or through things like the Expert Help support for businesses in the East Renfrewshire area.

The company rebranded in 2022 to Three Sixty – Business Growth Ltd, following a review of what they actually deliver.

“It just made sense to us. We wanted to change our name to take the focus off the ‘bid’ and more onto the outputs we achieve for our clients, hence the business growth moniker,” Andrew said.

Having seen steady growth over the last three years the team plan on employing more new staff, growing organically to suit the needs of their core client base.

Andrew added: “The last three years have shown us that we don’t have to follow the herd and our clients tell us that this works well for them.

“We don’t work on a volume basis, so growth for us needs to be carefully considered and timed well. We aspire to grow our directly employed team, and the way we work with our clients on a monthly basis is really helping us get closer to this goal.”

Thinking back to those early days during the pandemic, Andrew is glad he took the risk of setting out on his own.

he said: “It has been one hell of a ride so far, we have had a few missteps over the years, that is natural, but I really am looking forward to seeing what the next three years, and beyond, bring. But one thing is for certain – that vision to put people first has been good for us individually - and for our clients too.”