Ocean70 is a full service marketing and design agency owned and run by Alex Stewart. Recently relocated in state-of-the-art offices near Falkirk, it designs print, identity and online communications as well as offering marketing consultancy for its clients to successfully sell their products and services.

In late 2009, Ocean70 became the first client to benefit from a 2KT+ (Transferring Knowledge to Industry) project, which is a government-run initiative to help stimulate innovation and growth within Scottish SMEs using academic expertise from the college and university sectors.

A chance meeting with Liam Conway, 2KT+ Business Development Executive at Stevenson College Edinburgh, offered Alex the assistance he was looking for to take the business forward. The business was not as strong as Alex wanted it to be at that stage. Growth and profitability were key motivators for becoming involved with 2KT+.

The process was simple. A follow-up meeting with Liam led to a number of further meetings and discussions which enabled Alex to see how Stevenson College Edinburgh could directly assist him with his business and aspirations.

The next stage was for Liam to facilitate a 2KT+ project which was run by Stevenson's Training and Consultancy Manager, Jane Hollin, who has extensive business experience in both the private and education sectors. Her brief was to work with Alex to design and implement a business strategy for Ocean70.

Alex and Jane meet on a fortnightly basis and will continue to do so until the project ends later this year. The meetings are a blend of direct advice along with constructive discussions about related learning experiences and how similar situations could apply to Ocean70.  

Alex commented: "Now I am constantly thinking about how to work better for the organisation. Working with Stevenson College Edinburgh has given me the ability to look at the business from the outside rather from working within it".

The result has been a business strategy to help Ocean70 progress, which has two significant outcomes:

• The first is a financial plan, focussing on the pricing structure of Ocean70's products and the need to reinforce the quality of the products offered.
• The second is a marketing plan that is well on its way to being completed.

This project has conveniently coincided with Ocean70's 10th birthday. This is a perfect culmination of the project, not least because of the new business won and huge improvements in customer service for clients at Ocean70, all of which are a direct result of the 2KT+ project. 

Interestingly Alex Stewart had little experience of the college sector before embarking on this project. However, the academic reputation of the colleges and universities involved in 2KT+ was something that appealed very much to him. Alex trusted the sector to "know what it was talking about". The fact that Jane Hollin has tangible business experience helped to reinforce his positive feelings and make Ocean70's project the success it became.

Ocean70 is now moving forward at quite a pace. The staff were receptive and the company has moved into larger, smarter new offices, more in line with the clients they have and plan to attract. 

Alex Stewart would recommend a 2KT project to other companies and added:

  "I would definitely work with the further education sector again in the future and the knowledge I have learned from Stevenson College Edinburgh's experienced staff has been invaluable."