Based in Ellesmere Port and founded by Mike Dunn from Chester, Northwest start-up EXCEL TM GROUP has been awarded the name of ‘Construction and building services Startup of the year’ at the 2023 North West StartUp Awards held on Thursday 25th May 2023, in Liverpool UK.
The company was set up before the pandemic by Mike in January 2020 with nothing but a broken chair and a laptop he borrowed from a mate with no idea how celebrated the company would become.
Alongside his wife Sain, the pair have built the team to include over 20 staff and an expanding portfolio of clients, aiming to disprove the stigma telemarketing holds throughout the UK.
“If I’m being completely honest, it hasn’t sunk in and half of me feels like it still didn’t happen. Excel have been up for so many different awards and each time, we have been the “nearly” guys. I suppose I got to the point where I believed a telemarketing agency wouldn’t be as attractive as other companies, lets be honest – over the years the word telemarketing has been met with negativity and even raised a few eyebrows.” Mike said.
“Since our launch in January 2020, Excel have overcome multiple obstacles from Covid to clients that didn’t match our values. The one thing we have always maintained is our quality approach and desire to be the most efficient at what we do. This has led us to be nominated for over 9 different awards but until this year never walked away with one, this could have made us stop trying but what would be the point?
On Thursday 25th May this changed, Excel finally lost its nearly title and walked away with North West – Construction and Build Services Start Up 2023. For 3 years I had visioned me jumping up and down and screaming but when the words “Excel TM Group” were called out, I didn’t know how to act. When I looked back at the moment we won, I just kind of flopped. To finally hear it and be with all of the team, was simply a moment I will never forget!
This year has been nothing short of incredible for us all at Excel, we were named in the top 100 elite SME businesses coming in at number 60 and we were named as the Best Construction Industry Lead Generation service provider 2023 by SME News! All in all, Excel have proven time and time again that regardless of how tough things get and how many times you get knocked down, never forget why you started and believe in what you are doing!”
The StartUp Awards were established in 2022 to highlight the success of StartUps across nine UK nations and regions, and to celebrate the achievements of entrepreneurs in all sectors of the economy.
The North West final was held at Camp and Furnace in Liverpool and saw 28 different awards given out to new businesses in categories such as Education and Training StartUp of the Year, Green StartUp of the Year and Technology Services StartUp of the Year.
Helen Bierton, Chief Banking Officer at Starling Bank says:
“Congratulations to all our StartUp Award winners in the North West. The standard of entries across all the categories has been exceptional this year. It’s been great to see so many new businesses firmly establish themselves in their respective sectors. From professional business services such as management consultants, to construction and building, fashion, beauty, and hospitality, it’s wonderful to see the North West prosper.”
Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, creator of the awards, said the events have celebrated the best new firms in the UK and recognised the amazing entrepreneurial talent across the nation. He said: “In the second year of the North West Startup Awards, we have seen yet again the incredible contribution of new businesses to job creation, innovation, and prosperity across the whole of this entrepreneurial nation. It’s been an honour and a pleasure to read the stories of those individuals from across the North West who have spotted the opportunity and taken the risk to launch their own venture, especially at a time when the economy is still fragile after the Covid pandemic.
