Marches companies urged to sign up for development programme
BUSINESS owners in the Marches LEP area are being urged to sign up for an innovative, fully-funded programme that aims to unlock the economic and job creation potential in their companies.
The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme is being delivered by Aston Business School, in partnership with the Goldman Sachs Foundation. It is targeted specifically at those organisations with clear ambitions to expand, giving SME owners and senior decision makers in Social Enterprises the practical tools and resources to grow.
The Marches LEP, which covers Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, is urging companies to take advantage of the scheme.
Dr Geoffrey Davies, LEP chairman, said: “It is so easy for hardworking business owners to get bogged down in the day to day running of their growing enterprises, but as the results of this programme demonstrate, a handful of days invested in engaging with leading commercial experts can pay dividends and unlock real growth opportunities.”
Currently recruiting for the programme’s fifth cohort, of those businesses to have already completed the four month intensive programme, 92% were more confident of their ability to grow their own business whilst 77% had increased their employee headcount compared to 12 months previously.
Richard Garnett, owner and managing director of Marches-based eziserv, which specialises in the clean and safe transfer and dispensing of industrial and retail products, attended the programme between February and August 2012.
He said: “Having the opportunity to operate outside of the business for two or three days a month and engage with the views and perspectives of the Aston tutors, commercially experienced mentors and other business principals on the programme was invaluable. It amounted to having the very best possible board of non-executive directors in place focussed on growing your business.
“Completing the programme equipped me with the confidence to completely restructure my business and in doing so, increased turnover and profit in the current year by over 25%. I strongly recommend that any small business owner who is interested in serious growth of their business to apply to enrol on this programme.”
Further information on the preview events and application materials for the programme can be obtained by email from 10ksb@aston.ac.uk , by phoning 0121 204 3225 or through the following link: www.10ksb.aston.ac.uk
Applications close tomorrow.
