Ellen Hedley, Vida Creative
Ellen Hedley, Co-founder and Marketing Director at branding and creative agency, Vida Creative, joined the Scale-up Leaders’ Academy (SULA) in 2024 to support the next phase of business growth.
Having reached a level of stability and comfort, Ellen felt she needed to kickstart her confidence to move forward with a structured growth plan. The programme also offered valuable time out of the business to think more strategically about the future of Vida Creative and look at how the business was operating from a different perspective.
“In every session I was learning small things that have had a huge impact for us. It highlighted that we needed more clarity on our objectives to make sure the whole team is rowing in the same direction. We’ve introduced more structure around accountability which means we are operating more efficiently.”
From her experience on SULA, Ellen has seen a marked change in her own performance and that of the business: “Before I joined SULA I was scared of scaling the business. I’m now more ambitious about the goals for Vida Creative, clearer about my expectations and confident that we can pursue bigger opportunities. And we have just reported our best ever quarter so I know that the changes I have implemented are already having an impact on business performance.
Reflecting on her SULA journey, Ellen encapsulated the programme’s influence with one word: clarity.
“At Vida we are now much more focussed on who we are (and who we don’t want to be), who we work with and how we do things. Approaching scaling up using the SULA methodology will help us to grow our business in a measured way, minimising the chaos that’s often associated with expansion.”
Ellen’s participation in SULA has not only strengthened her leadership but set Vida on a path of sustained growth and success. Despite having only graduated from the SULA programme in summer 2024, the early results are promising, with Vida Creative already seeing significant positive changes across the business.
If you're ready to elevate your business and leadership skills to the next level, join the Scale-up Leaders’ Academy. Apply now and take the first step toward unlocking your full potential.
