The Road to 10
Ten years.
It all started in 2011, and we didn’t even know what “it” was yet.
What our founders, Dale and Alison, did know, was that it was the start of something exciting, and it went something like this…
2011
Dale, our CEO, first encounters NetSuite whilst consulting for Fairtrade International. Seeing the power and ability of NetSuite, Dale knew that this ERP solution was different. Offering a true solution to businesses fed up with the pain of disconnected business systems that provide little more than headaches.
Dale and Alison soon signed a partnership agreement with NetSuite, and 3EN was birthed as Product Earth Solutions on October 21st, 2011.
2012
Dale’s prior experience in building and leading large teams had taught him that starting the right way was critical to business success. From this, the 3EN mantra of “Act like the business you want to be, not the business you are” was born. Going from two to four full-time employees, this mantra led us to begin utilising NetSuite in our own business from day one, implementing processes and systems to support our growth of tomorrow, not just today.
2013
This year brought about more growth, with an ever-growing client base and demand from that base to deliver bigger and bigger projects. We went from 4 full-time employees to 7 this year, establishing our first sales and marketing roles within 3EN, giving us the ability to invest further in our growth and expansion. Suddenly, the living room of Dale and Alison’s home was struggling to facilitate the growth of 3EN.
2014
Probably one of the most significant steps in our growth was getting our first dedicated office space. We invested heavily in ensuring our staff had an enjoyable and comfortable environment to work in. This year, we started working on what it means to work at 3EN; our ABC’s (Attitude, Behaviour, & Culture) became the priority. We began to develop a working culture that we are proud to play a vital role in who we are today.
2015
A massive year for 3EN’s growth, our client base was booming, adding organisations such as Fitbit and Musclepharm to our client list. We doubled in size and revenue, hitting just over £1m for the first time. To top this off, we opened our second offices, this time back to our roots, in Germany, where Fairtrade, our first ever client, was based.
2016
2016 brought about our first-ever award from NetSuite, being recognised as EMEA’s fastest-growing partner. We grew our client base by about 200% in 2016 and continued to increase our employee size. We grew so much that this was the year we moved to even bigger premises, taking over the entire three stories of an office in Holywood. 2016 was also the year we realised that something else needed a change to keep up with our growth… our brand.
2017
With a mixture of emotions, we kicked off 2017 by launching a complete rebrand from Product Earth Solutions, embracing our new identity as 3EN. Although we all loved being “PES”, 3EN was the way forward; with growing global traction, we needed a brand that could accommodate and communicate across a broader spectrum of markets. We have truly embraced being 3EN over the last four years. It feels like home now.
2018
2018 was a year for internal building. With our client base multiplying, we could now focus on delivering a more robust set of services to our client base. We created our RevOps team to support our already flourishing Services & Implementation team with a solid leadership core established. RevOps took Sales, Marketing, and our new Client Services teams and placed them all under one roof. This gave us the ability to offer tailored support and consulting to clients. This initiative propelled our success for the following year, where we saw our most extensive growth yet.
2019
Entering 2019, we knew this was going to be a big year. We had one of the most qualified teams of NetSuite professionals in EMEA, and with this experience and the support of our clients, we hit over £2m in revenue for the first time. This growth meant our employee growth topped 30 for the first time, and even more office space was required to support our growth further afield in the UK.
2020
We opened our London offices to support our further growth, and January to February gave us a solid start to the year. Unfortunately, 2020 presented a “hiccup” for us all. With the pandemic kicking off in March, things looked to be more complicated than we had envisioned. Thankfully with the business structure in place and NetSuite as our only system, we were able to react quickly, allowing all our employees to work from home permanently, even before the stay-at-home order kicked in. 2020 presented many difficulties, but we stuck to our guns and persevered with a “Grow Through” mentality. We upped PR and marketing and doubled down on our support for clients through this difficult time. The support and effort put in by our team throughout the pandemic were critical to the success we have experienced in 2021, and the fruit of this effort is very evident today.
2021
The result of all this work and effort brings us to today, our 10th birthday, and the journey is still exciting. 2021 is shaping up to be our best year ever, looking like 100% employee growth and our most successful year to date.
We could thank many people and individuals, but most vital to it all are the people who make 3EN who it is today. It’s not an exaggeration to say that we have some of the best professionals in this industry, not just in experience and ability, but also in their attitude and behaviour. Our culture at 3EN is what makes us different, and it isn’t possible without great people. Our client’s success is our goal, and it too is impossible without the teams we have across the entire organisation.
Secondly, our clients, for the support and trust you have put in us. The world is full of ERP solutions and partners, and there isn’t a day that goes by that we are not thankful for you choosing 3EN. From all of us at 3EN, we are hugely grateful for the collaboration and effort you bring to the table when we work together. Thank you!
Lastly, to our suppliers, the often-unsung heroes of business success. Working tirelessly in the background to support our vision and goals to provide for our employees and clients. Thank you for everything you do to ensure 3EN can function, deliver, and grow.
What an incredible journey, but we are confident that we are only just getting started.
Again, thank you to everyone who has worked tirelessly to make 3EN who we are today.
