MBP have always said that their Official Partner Programme is built around personal relationships and that the element of fun plays its part in building out true connections. No one has taken that premise quite as literally as the teams at Motivates and RoamingExpert though who even popped over to Bruges to exemplify just that.
It can be said that true partnerships take time, collective effort and a defined, strategic approach. It can also be said that people can often overcomplicate the ideas of partnership in business and sometimes, it simply comes down to getting on with those you work with and enjoying their company.
For both Motivates and RoamingExpert, these are factors that both companies place a great deal of emphasis on and the foundation of their strong working relationship shows exactly that. We caught up with Motivates CEO, Mark Boyce, and RoamingExpert Managing Director, Mark Pattman, to explore the story of a partnership that started over a glass of wine, was formalised with a two-day trip to Bruges but stands for so much more than that.
“The team at Motivates have always identified with the ‘good business with good people’ approach that runs through the programme at MBP,” recalls Mark Boyce. “Our whole business is built around people, the relationships we hold with our clients and the way in which we work on a day-to-day basis keeps those principles at the forefront of our minds.
“The team at MBP introduced us to Mark and his team at RoamingExpert and there was an alignment we saw immediately as they sit in the business solutions space like us, but more so than that, we enjoyed having the conversation around how we are both working to grow our respective businesses.”
Mark Pattman picks up the story, reflecting back on MBP’s Official Partner Event earlier this year where a throwaway comment turned into something a little more serious.
“We had met through the team at MBP with Adam Hobbs, Motivates’ Managing Director, to look at their staffing situation on the telecommunications front and to learn a bit more about the Motivates business in terms of reward and recognition.
“Straight away we had identified that there were ways that we could work together but it wasn’t until the event at Fiume in Battersea that things moved on. I’m not quite sure how it came up but we got onto the subject of films and In Bruges came up in conversation. As always, everything seems like a great idea with a glass of wine in hand so we joked about heading over to Bruges to formally sign our contract and bring onboard Motivates as a client.”
“I’m not sure the guys thought much more of it after the event but before you know it, I’d set up the Whatsapp group and everything escalated from there. So in no time at all the travel to Bruges was booked for August and the contract was ready for signing!”
We’ve been reliably informed that the trip consisted of back-to-back corporate meetings, strategic reviews and that not a single drop of alcohol was consumed between those present - although the photos may prove otherwise. The only disappointment was the absence of the famed ‘Boycey’ Hawaiian shirt but luckily Mark, Adam and Pete Flower ensured that they kept up their appearance accordingly.
While the trip provides a great reflection of the fun and enjoyment that runs through the MBP Partner Programme, it achieves much more than that as Mark Boyce details.
“Growing your business is hard, everyone works too hard and has too little time. At Motivates, alongside our clients, our sincerity around wanting to help people help themselves is genuine. The trip to Bruges was fantastic and while the weather, food and drink were great, it was the conversations that we held as a group that we enjoyed most.
“Taking time out of the diary to talk through challenges you are facing as a business, how you manage growth and how you strive to scale whilst keeping delivery and service as productive as possible can be a great thing to do and they were common themes between us all around the table.”
This is a feeling that Mark Pattman shares and one that he feels is indicative of many of the conversations he has held with fellow MBP partners to date.
“Like many founders, I spend so much time working in the business that the chance to press pause and work on the business is not something I find that I can do that regularly. Opportunities like the one we had in Bruges are few and far between and it was great to chat through with Boycey and Adam [Hobbs] some of their own experiences about growing Motivates as a business and where that could help us at RoamingExpert too.”
“That’s probably one of the areas that I hadn’t initially thought about regarding the MBP programme. We love helping the businesses that we have onboarded through the programme, including the likes of Uniserve, Blaser Mills Law and Motivates, but there’s a genuine feeling of wanting to help each other across the programme and that’s what we value most at RoamingExpert.”
Since the trip, the pair of businesses have continued to enjoy regular catch-ups, looking at how they can continue to support one another’s growth through their own networks as well as utilising each other’s services. The real question that remains though - was Bruges a one off or is this going to be an annual event? Mark Pattman gives us his thoughts.
“I think Boycey used to take my jokes with a pinch of salt but I’m not sure he will again! Will we go again? Bruges was great but I think we might even make it a bit of a roadshow in 2024. The annual European MBP networking event - that’s got a bit of a ring to it, hasn’t it?!”
