Service: Full-Day Workshops
Sector: Higher Education
Overview
Our relationship with the University of Strathclyde has developed over time, built on trust, consistency, and the ability to deliver meaningful impact across multiple programmes. Having first connected through Meryl Levington, now Director of Innovation and Industry Engagement, we have since delivered a series of workshops across different areas of the university.
Now on our fourth engagement, the continued partnership reflects a shared commitment to supporting businesses, academics, and entrepreneurs in developing stronger, more sustainable approaches to sales and growth.
The Challenge
Working across both Strathclyde Business School and the Strathclyde Inspire alumni programme, the focus was twofold.
Firstly, to support academics in strengthening their engagement with industry, helping bridge the gap between research and commercial application.
Secondly, to equip a diverse cohort of SMEs, start-ups, and scale-ups with the tools to build more effective and sustainable sales strategies.
Across both groups, common themes emerged:
- A need for clearer, more structured sales processes
- Better alignment between sales and marketing activity
- Greater confidence in exploring new markets and opportunities
- A stronger understanding of long-term value, not just short-term wins
The Approach
We delivered full-day workshops tailored to each audience, ensuring the content remained relevant across a wide range of sectors while still grounded in practical application.
For the Help to Grow: Management programme, one of the most successful of its kind in the UK, sessions focused on supporting over 50 SME leaders in refining their sales strategies and aligning them with broader business goals.
Alongside this, we worked with the Strathclyde Inspire programme and academic teams, helping participants:
- Develop scalable and sustainable sales approaches
- Align sales and marketing strategies for greater impact
- Increase brand visibility and explore new markets
- Better understand and maximise client lifetime value
The sessions were designed to challenge thinking, encourage discussion, and provide practical frameworks that could be implemented immediately.
The Results & Impact
The continued success of the partnership is reflected not only in outcomes, but in the fact that Strathclyde continues to invite Just Williams back to deliver across multiple programmes.
- Delivered workshops to over 50 businesses across a wide range of sectors
- Supported academic teams in strengthening industry engagement
- Helped participants re-evaluate and refine their sales strategies
- Contributed to stronger, more structured approaches to growth across SMEs
More broadly, the work supports Strathclyde’s role in championing SMEs, widely recognised as the lifeblood of the economy, by equipping them with the tools and confidence to grow sustainably.
Client Feedback
“Jessica delivered a fantastic session on scalable, sustainable sales to a closed cohort of our SMEs, at Strathclyde Business School. Her high energy, deep knowledge, and infectious enthusiasm, combined with thought-provoking and challenging questions, left our participants re-evaluating their entire sales strategy. It was a truly impactful and engaging experience.
We look forward to welcoming Jessica back to Strathclyde in March!”
Jacqueline Thomson
This partnership highlights the value of consistent, high-quality delivery combined with a deep understanding of both academic and commercial environments. By supporting individuals at every stage, from academics to established SMEs, the University of Strathclyde continues to strengthen its innovation ecosystem, with Just Williams playing a key role in that journey.