Lockdown surveyor charts course to success on third anniversary

Chartered surveyors Invise, which started from a spare bedroom with a few hundred pounds and an old laptop, is eyeing major growth as it celebrates its third birthday.

James Baker wrote his business plan for the Derby firm as a back-up plan while on furlough with his previous employer during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But when he returned to work, he quickly realised that his business plan might work.

So, with an initial float of just £450, an old laptop and zero clients, James arranged payment holidays on most of his household bills and launched Invise from the back bedroom of his family home.

After returning a healthy turnover of over £60,000 in his first year, Invise has grown rapidly in the two subsequent years, increasing turnover by around 95% and 60% respectively, as it hits its third birthday this month.

As a result, James has this year taken on fellow chartered surveyor Nathan Lovett as an associate director and business development expert Alex Kowalczuk as a consultant.

The firm is currently recruiting for a more junior-level candidate to join the team, which is now based in Connect Derby’s Sadler Bridge Studios.

James said: “Invise was something I came up with during covid when work ground to a halt.

“I wrote a three-year plan and had a really clear vision, with a proper strategy in place. I wanted to create a chartered surveying business that was different to the rest.

“I sat down and worked out what was really important to me personally. The things I arrived at – integrity, honesty and accountability – remain the company’s three core values, and I strongly believe they have been the key to our rapid growth and success.

“My recruitment process is not just about skills, it’s about the individual, their personality and their values.

“The large network of contacts I had built up over 20 years in the industry clearly latched onto this, and we’ve now built up a strong client base and a healthy forward pipeline of work.”