Rhys Saunders is Managing Director of Lick Me I'm Delicious - event inventors for corporate events, exhibitions and brand activations. They deliver willy-wonka style inventions and experiences to some of the most renowned and reputable brands in the world -Google, Adobe, Salesforce, Coca-Cola, YouTube, TikTok, Disney, Barclays, American Express and many more. (Think bubbles you can eat & 3D miniatures of your face in chocolate.)
But Rhys’s day-to-day was less than magical as he struggled to find a software system that would allow him to run the business’s core processes.
Out-of-the-box software, though it promised great results, was not fit for purpose, while bespoke options were prohibitively expensive.
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Challenges
Solution
'I'd looked into lots of possible solutions,’ Rhys shared. ‘I'd had calls with SalesForce and looked into Hubspot. I’d found lots of specific events software, but it was designed for venues or photo booths and didn’t fit our needs. I even looked into getting a custom build, but the prices were extortionate - the lowest price I found was £40k just for a prototype. At that point, you need an in-house developer. That would be fantastic, but it's total fiction. We're just not big enough to have an in-house IT guy.'
By the time he met Dan from Rapid Indigo, Rhys was making do with a catering booking software that didn't really fit their needs, backed up by complex spreadsheets he'd put together himself to fill the gaps.
Frustratingly, this was standing in the way of scaling their business. Rhys's business coach encouraged him to lean into sales and marketing, but Rhys knew they weren't ready.
'We were experts at the delivery side of the business and they were trying to push us towards sales. We could see the potential for growth, but we knew there were flaws in our process. If we're going to double the number of events we do, we'd better be able to deliver them as well.’
From the first meeting with Rapid Indigo, Rhys felt he was in safe hands.
‘Dan’s very personable. I got on with him on a personal level, and that helped a lot. It became a mutual partnership - I could see he wasn't just trying to sell me something.'
Together, Dan and Rhys dug into the details of what the business needed. Dan identified a low-code software solution, AirTable, that would allow them to create a fit-for-purpose system tailored to their needs, without the price tag of a custom development.
When Rhys saw the prototype for the new system, he was thrilled.
‘Dan came back to me with a proof concept and showed what it could do and how it could look in the future. It was so much better than my spreadsheet. I jumped in with both feet.’
Alongside the build, Rapid Indigo helped prepare the team for a new way of working.
'The way we integrated the new system into the business was really clever. Change is hard, but Dan supported us with the process: giving it a name, introducing the benefits to the team in the lead-up. That helped get everyone on board. It's bedded in as second nature now.'
The new system, nicknamed Lenny, handles the operations side of the business, helping Lick Me I’m Delicious to deliver a seamless event experience. Since then, they've continued to add new parts to their system. This includes a bespoke CRM to handle the sales process and a mobile app that allows them to securely share information with team members on the ground at events. Both of these are fully integrated with Lenny, creating one end-to-end process that handles bookings all the way from first contact to delivery.
Already, Lick Me I’m Delicious has increased the number of events they run by 15%. And they’re not only able to sell more - they’re also providing a better service to their customers.
'Our goal throughout this process was 'Make Events Easier', and it's worked! It takes 3 minutes to set up a quote now, probably less. And that’s freeing up our staff to focus on more important things. We have more time for account management, business development and marketing, and we’re able to have richer conversations with our clients.’
The process has unlocked unexpected benefits, empowering staff and enabling more effective planning and management.
'We’ve now got complete oversight of the business. Staff can see right away how we're performing against targets and where we'll be in 3-4 months' time. It allows them to take initiative. Forecasting and staying on track used to be solely up to me: now everyone in the business can see where we're at.’
Financial costs are down, too. The monthly subscription to AirTable is less than the cost of their previous software, which only handled quoting, whereas this new system supports multiple parts of the business for the same cost.
The Rapid Indigo team now work with Rhys to maintain and evolve the software as the business continues to grow. Rhys is clear that the greatest value is in the relationship with the Rapid Indigo team.
‘AirTable is right for us, but if you find the right person who will build the right solution for you, you’ve got gold. It can be hard to see where you’re at in your own business, and the value of that outside eye is unquantifiable.’
Rhys is thrilled that he is no longer limited by an inflexible out-of-the-box system.
'Previously, if our software couldn't do something, that was it, we were blocked. That's totally different now. One of our staff told me the other day that there's a start date field they don't use. Could we put the event date there instead? I changed it right away. And I'm not even an AirTable expert!’
Now, Lick Me I'm Delicious are in a position to scale up their sales.
'Our goal for 2024 is to become sales and marketing masters, with a view to doubling our bookings. We have the infrastructure, so we can actually do that now!'
