Andrew Firth: The Man Who Knows Why

Andrew Firth is focused, enthusiastic, and fair. Oh, and did I mention adventurous?

Away from the office, he is a busy man who likes hiking and taking part in challenging charity events. As we talk about our different exploits, he trumps me every time. He trekked to Machau Pichu. I took the bus, albeit on quite treacherous terrain. He even walks 4 miles to work every day from Headingley.

That determination is not just reserved for his athletic achievements; he runs the successful Leeds-based digital agency, Ascensor.
“We help businesses grow by converting more leads or sales online. This is our ‘Why’.

“It could be a business that wants more leads, like a B2B company that doesn’t sell online. For them, a conversion is a lead. We use data to measure everything to make sure we are derisking online decisions,” he tells me.

No other company in Leeds of our size has those standards. If you are going to provide a service to businesses that will invariably process and control their data, they should be concerned about who is doing that

If I have understood it correctly, it is all about getting the right people to a website and then understanding what those people are doing that leads to a conversions or sale.

Firth tells me I’m right.

“It’s about getting a better understanding and reach for people and traffic... It doesn’t matter how good you are as a software developer; you will always be surprised once people start using a particular piece of software.

“Our job is to find out what they are going to do on the website and monitor the behaviour. We split test different ideas. It could be a simple thing, like getting someone to act by pressing a button. Don’t make the button red; it’s a colour people tend to avoid. Even just by making a ‘buy’ or ‘send enquiry’ button green, you can make a massive impact.

“It is all about making sure the right information is available where the person needs it to make a decision.”

Every day is a school day, I say.

Firth is also a passionate and proud man. He tells me in detail about the importance of the accreditations Ascensor has gained: ISO 27001 and ISO 9001.

“For a business like Ascensor to have those is a fantastic testament to the team. No other company in Leeds of our size has those standards. If you are going to provide a service to businesses that will invariably process and control their data, they should be concerned about who is doing that. So, for us, it is a no-brainer, and working for reaccreditation every year is something we take very seriously. Information security and data breaches are exponentially on the rise every year. Businesses should look to their providers who can demonstrate these accreditations.”

Ascensor has been growing phenomenally over the past few years, obviously putting into the theory into practice.

Firth read for an engineering degree specialising in product design management and worked in his placement year at a firm in Leeds, a bespoke manufacturer of plastic components, where he continued to work after graduating.

Firth’s job was to manage the CNC computerised machines, and he soon progressed, ending up managing the whole machine shop within five years; management liked what he was doing, paying for Firth’s MBA. Seeing a gap in part of the company’s strategy, the young Firth realised more could be done through marketing. “They weren’t really into marketing; I think they felt they didn’t need it as business came to them.”

When a friend approached Firth, asking him to join in setting up a design and print company, it didn’t take long for Firth to think about it.

“I was young and thought, Why not? I had done my MBA, and I was going in as the top guy with a team of designers. It was also in 2001, the dawn of the internet; the dot-com bubble had just burst, and we started building e-commerce sites and marketing without looking back.

Fast forward a few years to 2006, and Firth set up an e-commerce business with a colleague.

"I was leading a successful business, having grown it significantly over six or seven years, and felt I could be doing this for myself, and that is how Ascensor was born."

Firth tells me that Ascensor has been operating for 16.5 years, going strong.

However, like any growing business, sometimes you take two steps forward and two back, and since Brexit and COVID, it has been uncertain.

We like people to foster friendships in the workplace. When people have friends at work, they are more likely to stay within their role because work is more intrinsic to colleagues’ lives than it was before.

That said he tells me, “We have just had our best months in January and February in 16 years. Those statistics tell me that the country is not accepting the recession. Businesses want stability, and 16 years speaks volumes in terms of stability.”

“It does feel like 2024 has come around, and businesses are thinking we are still here, so let’s crack on, and of course a lot of what we do is digital transformation, turning paper-based activities into technology, all of which can save companies money.”

Firth believes the country is coming out of a hibernation period, and companies are waking up realising they are still going and getting on with growth plans.
He tells me that a couple of Ascensor’s big wins have been from UK businesses targeting international markets.

“We have a lot of e-commerce clients, and a lot of them have stopped listing abroad because shipping fees were and still are unpredictable. The impact of import duty caused by Brexit meant a lot of smaller businesses stopped and dropped off the globalisation bandwagon. It is encouraging to see it returning.”

Asking him what he puts Ascensor’s success down to, he enthusiastically tells me it is about understanding culture. There is a churn in the agency world, and Firth cites several initiatives that he has introduced as a way of investing in his teams.

March for March means that whoever does the most steps, if it is over 10,000 a day, gets to win an extra day’s holiday, and the two runners up get Amazon vouchers.

“We like people to foster friendships in the workplace. When people have friends at work, they are more likely to stay within their role because work is more intrinsic to colleagues’ lives than it was before.

“One thing that attracts people to us is the culture and environment. Our offices are lovely, just located off the M621, with great access to M1 and M62 and 40 odd parking spaces.

“I am proud of being masters of our own destiny. A week before being instructed by the government during COVID, the company instigated a working from home (WFH), remote policy.”

That leads me to ask about the debate around getting people back to the workplace. “We brought people back in as early as we could when it was safe to do that.

“As far as WFH, it doesn’t work for me. As a business working on complex problems, building software, and marketing in collaborative ways for customers, we get the best results when we are together as a team. Last April, we made the decision to bring everyone back into the office for at least three days a week.

“It was something I felt we had to do, and we have not lost anyone because of it. We can see the benefits, as we are wasting less time. If a mistake is made on a project, you have to get everyone together on a Zoom or team call. If you are working on something and you believe you are right and you are not, you could go a long way down that problem before anyone figures it out.

“Everyone is realising that for mental health, there has to be some separation between your working day and your evening.”

It is clear to see, Firth’s leadership style is a fair one and he likes to have fun; he is a man who doesn’t hold grudges.

“When something is said, it is said. However, I don’t expect to say things multiple times. A mistake is only a mistake if you make it twice; otherwise, it is a learning experience. You can’t undo the past; you can only learn for the future.

“It is important that you have authenticity and lead by example. If something needs to be discussed, it is discussed. You don’t have things that are not spoken about because that leads to an unhealthy undercurrent.”

Ascensor also invests time in apprenticeships, which for the sector works well because, as Firth points out, traditional schooling is so far behind what they do. “As soon as a curriculum is written and exams are produced, it is out of date. An apprenticeship in digital marketing is a really good way for someone interested in social media or advertising to come on board.

“Although when it comes to software developers, it is not all about qualifications. If someone can do the job and can demonstrate it as a developer, the chances are they can command significantly higher salaries than an apprentice scheme would be able to offer them.”

As a business working on complex problems, building software, and marketing in collaborative ways for customers we get the best results when we are together as a team.

There is a lot more to discuss but time is moving on, and I am conscious that if it were me, I would want to finish up and start my daily walking commute home sooner rather than later.

But for this MD, he is off to watch his beloved Leeds United play against Stoke City, a game they won. Perhaps his club, which is second in the Championship League, will follow Ascensor’s growth and success and end up back up in the Premier League.