Most start-up businesses find the first five years of operation tough going. The sad reality is many won’t make it past the first year, and others barely manage to hang on by their fingertips for years before hitting their stride. But through sheer determination, our ActiveWin team has celebrated three years of continuous success. And that is no mean fete.
Opening our doors in 2013 with a team of three, the business has blossomed to almost 80 and expanded to three floors in the Steam Packet House building, in the heart of Manchester’s city centre. On the heels of this milestone, the crew cracked the top 20 in Prolific North’s prestigious Top 50 Digital Agencies, placing 19th (climbing ten spots from the previous year). To celebrate, the whole group boarded a very noisy plane to Portugal for a few days of fun in the sun.
When asked what he thought makes the difference at ActiveWin, the boss said, “We continue to recruit exceptional new talent and invest significant time and resource in training them. So each department operates at peak levels at all times. We work incredibly hard, but we know how to play hard as well. Trips like this let everyone know the business values them, and it’s a great
chance for team building. It’s important to me that everyone gets to know each other, especially as we continue to grow. That’s really what these excursions are all about. And who doesn’t love a pirate ship.”
Yes, you read that right. A proper ‘aaaaarg’ one, too. We climbed aboard the Santa Bernarda Pirate Ship, getting our sea legs just in time to hop 
on to tinier pirate boats that drifted into the Caves of Lagos for truly breath-taking views. A few brave souls stripped down to their skivvies and took a dip in the chilly Atlantic before heading back to the luxurious Jupiter Algarve Hotel for a nightcap or two.
The following day was all about business with presentations in the morning, followed by our annual awkward-fest, aka the ActiveWin talent show. The Marcom team crushed the competition with a synchronised swimming/Baywatch/Jaws/YMCA routine (don’t ask). We then piled into a convoy of Safari Jeeps to Foia in the Monchique Mountain – the highest point in the Algarve- to watch the sunset with a champagne toast before partying the night away. There was the obligatory (and cringe-inducing) group Macarena dance at the end of the evening.
Director of ActiveWins affiliate program, Natalie Merrison said “What can I say, Portugal was just 
fantastic. People get to see the results of their hard work, and it’s been such a phenomenal year.”
Mark Baker, Marketing Director, added “ActiveWin has the perfect balance of highly experienced digital professionals and talented graduates from the top-notch universities in Manchester. We never stop training and learning. And we’re rewarded with superb trips like this. It’s just a great place to work.”
Will Pearce, Operations Director, who provides CRM services concluded “It’s been a crazy 12 months, but the icing on the cake for us was having Bucky Bingo voted as Best Boutique Bingo site at the Bingoport Awards by online players across the UK. That’s pretty incredible, and we’re proud of it.”
There’s not much more to say other than we work for a quietly cool company with plenty of opportunities for growth. If you are looking for a killer career in digital marketing, visit our jobs page for available roles. Maybe we will see you on next year’s trip. Oh, and start brushing up on your Macarena moves.
