A fast-growing web design agency plans to expand and take on more staff with sales set to hit £1m for the first time. Darlington-based Webahead Internet was launched by digital entrepreneur Dale Jeffries, who’s from Newton Aycliffe, with just five staff six years ago.
After achieving a first-year turnover of £140,000, the firm now employs 22 people – made up of a sales team, administration staff, graphic designers and web developers – and boasts a client base of 5,000 customers across the UK.
Webahead – which is ranked third in the UK from 3,500 design agencies registered with the UK Web Design Association (UKWDA) – now expects sales in its current year, ending March 2019, to surpass the £1m mark.
And former Woodham Academy student Jeffries is eyeing further expansion with more staff and office space at its Faverdale premises in Darlington. “We started the company with five of us and not a penny in the bank and not one client on our books,” says 33-year-old Jeffries. “By the end of our first day we had seven customers, and we’ve grown from there. We now have 5,000 clients across the UK and Northern Ireland and they literally range from one-man-bands up to large public and private organisations, including schools, colleges and charities. There are some web companies out there who won’t consider you unless you have £3-4,000 to spend. We’re not bothered about that, we don’t turn away our bread-and-butter, which is tradesmen. We cater for everyone. We have customers who spend £150 a year with us, to those bigger clients spending up to £30,000.”
“We’re now aiming to grow and expand into more office space and create more managerial roles for our staff.”
Find out more about Webahead Internet at webaheadinternetltd.co.uk