Meet the Account Managers Helping SMEs & Ambitious Businesses to Scale – Adam Plumb, Account Manager for Rugby, Nuneaton & Bedworth, and North Warwickshire

Adam Plumb helps businesses across Rugby, Nuneaton and Bedworth, and North Warwickshire and has been with CW Growth Hub for almost six years. He joined the team as a Business Navigator, a role which primarily advises small and micro businesses, before stepping into his current role 18 months later.

In this article, Adam provides a detailed look at his role, how he supports SMEs with their growth plans, and how he helps them to tackle and overcome challenges that come with scaling.

“Before joining the Growth Hub, I worked across sectors like construction, healthcare, and automotive, in roles covering recruitment, business development, and process improvement. That mix of experiences has helped me to understand how to get under the skin of a business quickly, discover where the pressure points are, and pinpoint the right type of support.

At any one time, I’m working with around fifty active clients, from ambitious start-ups to well-established businesses. Over the course of a year, which adds up to around 200–250 businesses that I connect with at different levels, and far more when light touch support is included in those numbers. The support I provide varies from business to business. Sometimes it’s a one-off introduction that unlocks a big opportunity for the client, other times it’s a longer relationship where I work alongside a business for years, in their corner every step of the way as they scale.

A great example of the impact of building long-term relationships is a client in the fulfilment and logistics sector I have worked with since 2021.  During that time, I’ve helped them secure new premises, link up with local councillors, connect to national Growth Hubs, access Innovate UK funding, and tap into skills and training programmes. By 2024, they’d grown from £2m turnover to more than £11m – with ambitious growth projections continuing into 2025 and beyond. That kind of journey shows what’s possible when businesses have the right support at the right time.

Businesses regularly come to me with questions about funding and grants. Skills, training, and recruitment are also high on the agenda, and one of the biggest concerns I hear is how to scale without putting too much strain on resources. That’s exactly where account management makes the difference. Independent evaluations show that companies working with CW Growth Hub account managers gain confidence, build resilience, and achieve stronger results than those navigating growth on their own.

When I’m advising scaling businesses, my top tips usually come down to two things:

1. Use the incredible support network here in Coventry and Warwickshire. There are experts in every sector, and mentoring from people who’ve been there and done it is invaluable.

2. Manage your cashflow and scale at a realistic pace. Expanding too quickly can pile on pressure and undo hard work. Growth should build capacity, not overwhelm it.

Of course, businesses right now are navigating big challenges – from rising costs and economic uncertainty to digital transformation and talent shortages. My advice? Build financial resilience, embrace digital tools step by step, and make your workplace attractive to the next generation of talent through flexibility and learning opportunities.

No two days look the same in my role, but that’s what makes it exciting. Every business is different, and so are their challenges. My job is to cut through the noise, simplify the support landscape, and make sure businesses in Rugby, Nuneaton and Bedworth, and North Warwickshire get the tools, connections, and confidence they need to grow.