A BUSINESS which began in a spare bedroom in Northwich has won a prestigious UK-wide award for its caring and nurturing approach.
Aqueous Digital has been chosen as the Best Family Business by judges for this year’s UK Business Awards.
A commitment to looking after each other remains one of the digital marketing firm’s guiding principles more than a decade after it was founded.
“Among the things I told them was that family doesn’t just mean those you’re related to,” said managing director Jonathan Guy.
“Rather it’s people who work together to achieve a common goal. For me, that neatly sums up Aqueous.”
Jonathan set up the company in June 2011 together with his wife, Emma.
Two of their children, Marcus and Gabriella, also work there.
“Way back in 2005, I had a bright idea that I wanted to run my own business,” Jonathan said, recalling working on ideas in a spare bedroom at their home in Rudheath.
“At the time, we were both working for another business, so we put in on the back burner for a while, but in 2010 we both took voluntary redundancy.
“We thought, let’s try and create the kind of businesses we would want to work in.”
Alongside providing SEO and digital marketing services, Aqueous assists clients with reputation management from its base in Sutton Weaver – but Emma stressed that the company’s roots are firmly planted in Northwich.
“We’ve got six of seven members of staff who live in Northwich,” she said.
Emma also owns wellness practice Acupuncture That Works in Northwich and says she brings health and wellbeing to Aqueous employees.
She said: “It’s about supporting, nurturing and helping our employees grow, as well as making sure there isn’t any anxieties there.”
The Best Family Business award isn’t the first title the company has won, and each accolade is an ‘affirmation’ of the amazing work the whole team – or ‘big family’ – carries out.
Further endorsement of Aqueous’ philosophy has arrived in the form of two other award nominations.
Jonathan is a regional finalist in the Family Business Entrepreneur of the Year category at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.
Meanwhile Emma is a contender in the health and wellbeing category of the Enterprise Vision Awards.
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