[T]hree Carlisle-based businesses have begun a summer skill swap to share ideas, build their businesses and improve their offering to clients.
Website conversion software company Wishloop, web and app developer Sparrow Digital and digital marketing agency Fika & Co. have embarked on a month long collaboration project.
The three companies will be collaborating on a number of new projects from their base in Paton House, in Victoria Viaduct; a growing digital hub in the city.
Helen Statham, digital media executive at Fika & Co., started a month long secondment at Wishloop and was soon joined by Dan Jesse, founder of Sparrow Digital.
Undertaking a skills exchange of this kind is a first for all three companies, but is set to give each business a boost by improving good practice as well as developing new and improved services.
Stuart Frank, co-founder of Wishloop, identified an opportunity to collaborate earlier this year.
He said: “Over the last few months the Wishloop team has been busy creating more ways for our clients to convert their website visitors into paying customers and making it easier to generate valuable leads through our software.
“Social media often ends up as our lowest priority. It’s something we know we have to do, but don’t have the time to really build on.
“Knowing this was a service Fika & Co. offered we realised there was a potential to work together – but by working collaboratively with Helen we’re able to help another business achieve their objectives by sharing our own area of expertise.”
Dan Jesse, who is based in the same digital hub in the city centre, joined the collaboration project shortly after.
He said: “Although I’ve used Wishloop as a service for quite a while, after sharing the same freelance space for the last year Stuart and I have often chatted about developing certain aspects of his web offering.
“This project is the push we’ve both needed to start working together.”
Fika & Co., formerly web and app development company Fika Apps, underwent a rebrand earlier this year and now focuses on providing digital marketing services to clients across the UK.
Helen said: “You always hear people talking about collaboration between businesses but nothing ever seems to come of it.
“I’m really excited with the new direction we’re taking at Fika & Co. and it’s given me this brilliant opportunity to work with Stuart at Wishloop and Dan at Sparrow Digital.
“Swapping my social media expertise in exchange for improving my knowledge of lead generation and website conversions means we’re not only going to build each of our businesses but will develop a better offering for our own clients.
“If it’s successful I can see Sparrow Digital, Fika & Co. and Wishloop collaborating on lots of other projects in the future.”
