Fraktul, a Perth-based marketing business which provides award-winning support to a range of
Invest in Perth caught up with Stephen to find out more about Fraktul and how being based in Perth has helped the business to flourish.
Helping the clients to fly further
How would Stephen describe what he and the team at Fraktul can do for clients? “We
Fraktul does this by providing marketing support for
Clients are diverse and include award-winning independent water retailer Castle Water, The Bathroom Company, Live Active, Developing the Young Workforce Perth & Kinross (DYWPK), PGC Group and Binn Group, Scotland’s largest independent waste-management contractor.
Although Fraktul has great relationships with local and national businesses, it is a truly international firm. A significant proportion of the company’s work for the last three years has been for US-based businesses in the financial sector, supporting User Interface and User Experience design for websites serving over 5 million users.
An award-winning track record
For many businesses, winning awards is a sure-fire way to promote their business and assure clients that what they do is the best in their industry. Fraktul has a hugely successful track record in helping clients to win their awards: “Eight out of 10 clients that we support with their award applications become finalists,” says Stephen. “Of those, 50% go on to win the award.”
Nurturing the next generation
Stephen, who has a background in civil engineering, learned his profession through ONC, HNC, Degree and professional qualifications to become a Chartered Engineer and a Chartered Marketer. Understandably, he believes passionately in life-long learning. Fraktul regularly offers internships and work experience for young people, as well as providing frequent CPD for the team to stay ahead of changing technologies and market shifts.
Stephen says, “I’ve always believed that work experience should be informative and relevant, providing high-quality learning for the student as well as allowing them to make a positive contribution to the organisation. The world of work will be challenging for our young people and we want to help them become career-ready. Good-quality work experience takes time and effort to provide, but we think that it’s important to invest in young people. It’s great to have learners with us, and we always look forward to seeing where they go from here.”
Why is Perth a great place to do business?
“We chose to live in Perth for its quality of life,” Stephen recalls. “We arrived in the city 12 years ago with no job, no house, and we were expecting our second child imminently! We had considered other places such as Dundee and Stirling, but Perth felt comfortable. We liked the clean air, the educational opportunities and that it’s geared up for families.”
Ten years later, the business – and the family – are settled and thriving in Perth. Does Perth still deliver what they need? “Yes,” says Stephen. “It’s a fantastic location. We can be in the major cities very quickly, as it’s well-connected in terms of rail and road. Or we can be in the mountains or on a beach in under an hour. We’ve got good infrastructure, we’re well connected as a city and we’re helping that get better.
“It’s a small city, so we can walk to so many places including a first-class climbing wall, curling and other sporting facilities, shops and restaurants. The community is highly active, and the Scouting movement – in which the family is involved – is well represented here. We very much believe it’s been the right place to bring up our family.”
What kind of support have they received?
“This is a good place to do business in terms of the support available. We have had a significant amount of support from Perth UHI and Perth & Kinross Council. Another significant boost was the Accelerator programme run by Elevator, on which I was a ‘founder’, a participant, and a mentor. It was genuinely transformational for our business, and I rate it as highly as my MBA learning.”
Secret of their success
What does Fraktul do that’s different or special? Stephen believes their success is down to their broad capability and mix of skills along with a unique client focus. “We have a strong can-do attitude and we’re good at spotting opportunities. We look for alternative, creative solutions if a more standard solution doesn’t work.
“We have attracted a lot of good solid clients who have chosen to work with us and we have repaid them with value and growth. We’re here to add value to their businesses, whether by providing all the services a marketing department would provide, or by adding specialist input such as strategic and analytical support or technical solutions including customer relationship management (CRM) systems.” The team is highly collaborative and enjoys cross-working with other agencies and companies, as well as sourcing suppliers to get the right deal for clients and enable the right solution. This approach enables Fraktul to work with a rich mix and wide variety of businesses.
The future at Fraktul
Fraktul has come a long way since being formed and has supported significant levels of growth for a wide range of businesses. “It’s an exciting time,” says Stephen. “We’ve been working hard to develop our business and the success that we have supported is being noticed. This year we’re focused on customer service and how we can bring what we do to more customers.”
It’s clear that a genuine commitment to customers is a key part of the Fraktul DNA. With that kind of track record, it’s likely the next decade will bring even more success, both to Fraktul and to the many businesses it helps to fly.
Find out more at fraktul.com