The award-winning CEO of a thriving tech firm is taking her entire workforce on a five-star holiday to Ibiza for smashing their growth targets.
Carrie Rose founded Sheffield-headquartered Rise at Seven alongside Stephen Kenwright in 2019 and promised her staff she鈥檇 take them on holiday if they hit 拢1m turnover in their first year.
The startup ended up hitting 拢1.5m but because of Covid, the entrepreneur has not been able to honour her promise 鈥� until now.
Next month the company will be flying most of their 100-strong team 鈥� including their American staff 鈥� for a three-day all inclusive holiday to Ibiza.
However since making the promise the company has opened new offices in London, Manchester and New York and the workforce has grown so much that 29-year-old Rose has had to hire an entire plane to get them all on.
The cost of the trip, which includes sunset watches, has not been revealed – but it鈥檚 been met by the founders rather than from the company鈥檚 balance sheet.
Rose, who was included in the latest Forbes 30 Under 30 List, 聽explained how the holiday came about.
鈥淚n our first year of running the agency (in 2019), we had big ambitions,鈥� she said. 鈥淢ost startups make a loss in their first year but we had a small target of 拢300k.
鈥淲ithin a few months we were achieving these numbers. We hit 拢500k, then 拢600k and then 拢700k and I said to the team 鈥榠f we can hit 拢1m in our first year I give my word, we鈥檙e going on holiday鈥�.鈥�
Before long the agency was doing work for the likes of Klarna, Pretty Little Thing, Odeon, GAME and Playstation.
Rose said: 鈥淲e hit 拢1.5m (turnover). I鈥檒l be honest, I didn鈥檛 think we would hit it. At this time we had eight members of staff. We all celebrated and started researching where to go. And then the Covid pandemic hit.鈥�
That was in 2020 and hopes of a holiday were well and truly grounded.
鈥淚 thought we would be locked down for a few weeks and get back to the planning,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淭wo-and-a-half years later we still weren鈥檛 able to go and by this time, we were at 100 staff.鈥�
However, having given her word, the team will be jetting off for their long-awaited holiday on September 16.
Around 70 of the agency鈥檚 100 staff will be going and 聽Rose said it鈥檚 the least she can do.
鈥淲e have grown fast,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have delivered some of the best work the industry has seen and won Best Large Agency Worldwide because of it.
鈥淭here is no doubt the Rise at Seven team has worked hard. They wanted to win so the time has come to head off to Ibiza. They deserve it and it wouldn鈥檛 be possible without our incredible clients.鈥�