Where quality goes before profit

Quality, innovation and continually raising standards of care count for more with Andrew Allan than growth for growth's sake. And it is this approach that has got Active Assistance, his family-run specialist live-in care provider, to the final of the Coutts Prize for Family Business.

Now in their second year, the bank's awards, backed by Financial Mail, recognise the best-run family businesses in England and Wales.
There are three award categories based on turnovers of £1m to £5m; £5m to £25m; and more than £25m.
Finalists in each category will be drawn from all sectors of industry in three regions - northern England; southern England and Wales; and London and Greater London.
Active Assistance, from Sevenoaks, Kent, is the southern England and Wales finalist, providing specialist care for people with serious spinal cord injuries. The company employs 164 people, including 150 personal assistants, and has a turnover of £4m.
Managing director Andrew Allan, 42, took over a decade after the business was founded by his father, Bill, in 1992. But he insists that it is a united family approach - his father is chairman, while his wife, Nicola, is company secretary - that has helped it to flourish.
He says: 'There are so many pitfalls that can affect family firms. In defining and agreeing our family business plan, we have clear leadership and a shared vision for the company that has allowed us to develop it.'
Andrew says well-run family businesses can have added value in the eyes of the consumer. 'As a family business, you have a profile in the community,' he says.
'Our clients know that they can have direct contact with the family and that they can talk to me. It is about putting quality and service ahead of profit and growth. If you focus on quality, you will get growth.'
Demonstrable achievements such as setting new standards in the provision of live-in services for adults and children, and the decision to support one charity involved in lobbying and another involved in rehabilitation for people with spinal injuries, further impressed the evaluation panel.
Perry Littleboy, director of marketing and business development at Coutts, says: 'Having worked with family businesses for more than 300 years, Coutts understands the enormous contribution they make to the economy and to society and the specific challenges they face.
'In selecting the finalists, we looked for a clear demonstration of a combination of high standards of family governance and corporate governance, a competitive market position and consistent financial growth and a record of charitable giving or involvement in the local community.'
Active Assistance will compete against northern England finalist Swann Systems, a provider of automotive-components, and London and Greater London finalist Visioncare Eye Clinic in the £1m to £5m turnover category at the national finals in London on June 6.
Finalists in the £5m to £25m category include funeral director AW Lynn, (northern England), corporate finance firm BCMS (southern England and Wales) and The Goring Hotel (London and Greater London).
In the more than £25 million category, the finalists are motor retailer Meteor Group (northern England), construction and property development firm Wates Group (southern England and Wales) and WTA International Freight Management (London and Greater London).
A special prize category of heritage and innovation has been awarded to estate management company Clinton Devon Estates, which has been managing land in the county for more than 500 years.