Fast growing digital agency expands into new premises

A Sheffield-based digital agency has grown its workforce and moved to new offices in the city following investment from Finance Yorkshire.

Hydra Creative specialises in website design, video, SEO and CRM services to help companies reach and engage their target audiences.

The company, founded in 2009, has moved to new offices on Chesterfield Road after expanding its workforce to 18 people and outgrowing its previous premises in Nether Edge.

Hydra Creative is owned and run by client services director Gemma Daniels alongside her husband, creative director and founder Ryan Daniels.

The business received investment totalling £60,000 from Finance Yorkshire’s Business Loan fund between 2014 and 2016. The funding was used to hire new staff and invest in training and development across the business.

Hydra Creative recorded a turnover of £550,000 in the year to March 2018, which is expected to rise to around £750,000 in the 2018-19 year.

Gemma said: “We are a full-service digital agency but we also build full software systems that help businesses to run efficiently by connecting information about accounts, clients and staff. That side of the business has really exploded.

“As companies grow, they often need to move from paper-based reporting to something slick and intuitive. That’s where we come in.”

Gemma added: “Finance Yorkshire’s support came at a pivotal time for us. We wanted to accelerate the development of the business by taking on new staff and providing training and development for our existing team. We also took time to learn what we needed to do as directors to take the business to the next level.

“That has now paid off as we have expanded to a size that has forced us to move into bigger premises. We’re excited about what the future holds.”

Alex McWhirter, chief executive of Finance Yorkshire said: “Hydra Creative has developed an excellent reputation for its digital marketing services. Our investment enabled the company to create new jobs and take its growth to the next level as part of the fast-growing and vibrant creative services sector in South Yorkshire.”

Since its inception in 2010, Finance Yorkshire has invested in more than 500 companies, enabling those businesses to increase their turnover by a total of £474 million and attract a further £362 million from private sector sources.

Finance Yorkshire investment has helped those SMEs to create and safeguard more than 16,000 jobs in the region.

For more information, please visit www.finance-yorkshire.com or call 0300 030 6060.