By the side of... O Agency

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By the side of... O Agency

"Every client should feel like our only client." That's the main value that drives O Agency, according to Kari Owers, founder and managing director.

Her company has flourished from it's roots in public relations to grow into the fully integrated communications agency that it is today. From Fenwick to Flymo, the team at O works with clients across a broad range of industries, including some of the UK's most well-known consumer and corporate brands.

Haines Watts has been alongside the award-winning O Agency since its early days as a start-up. Donna Bulmer, Managing Partner, explains, "I've worked with Kari and O for almost 15 years, supporting them through their really exciting growth journey."

"Haines Watts has been there from both a business perspective and a personal perspective," says Donna. "We've very much been there to support the business owners - Kari and Rob - that sit behind this fantastic business."

"Everyone on the team at Haines Watts is very similar to us. As a business, they have the same values, are incredibly friendly, and there's always an open door no matter who we speak to. I look forward to the meetings."

Kari Owers

Founder and Managing Director

O Agency

“I think what differentiates us in our sector is definitely our people,” Kari says. As the owner of the business, Kari puts her team at the forefront of everything she does. "I love to build a place for people to come to work who want to come to work, who enjoy being with their colleagues - culture is really, really important to me and I get a real kick out of that as the owner of the company," she explains.

Kari's people-focused outlook and ability to harness the best up and coming talent in the region has helped to drive growth in the business over the last 16 years.

And throughout that time, Haines Watts has been by O's side, helping them to look beyond the numbers. As Donna Bulmer, Managing Partner of Haines Watts in the North East explains, "We've supported the agency through their various stages of growth, helping them to implement financial systems and most importantly, identifying the key KPIs that have really allowed them to get to where they are today."

From the 2008 recession, through to the pandemic, Kari and her husband and business partner, Rob, have navigated their way through the highs and lows that come with owning a business. All the while recruiting new, talented additions to the O team. "Thanks to Haines Watts we've been profitable year-on-year and that gave us a really solid bedrock to ride out the pandemic and come out of it still being able to invest," says Kari.

"We've always been a business focused more on profitability than the top line. But sometimes as an entrepreneur, you want to grow the big numbers," says Kari. "Haines Watts really helped us focus on what matters as a company and allowed us to be able to reinvest every single year by maintaining a profitable business model."

Now, having bounced back from the pandemic, the team at O have their eyes set on further growth. With a host of significant new clients and a continued drive to recruit more talented people, Kari says, "The future looks really exciting for O."