Government-funded university course helps 250 businesses prosper
The University of Leeds has helped 250 businesses to grow over the last three-and-a-half years through the Government-funded Help to Grow: Management course.
These enterprises have benefited from 50 hours of in-depth training as well as one-to-one coaching.
The course is 90% Government funded so individuals just pay the remaining £750 to secure a place on the 12-week course.
It offers insight on how to build capacity in the business, build the right relationships and put together a robust growth strategy.
Professor Julia Bennell, executive dean of Leeds University Business School, said: “Help to Grow is a hugely successful programme and it is wonderful to work with so many small businesses on their journey to growth and success.”
Susanne Marchant, head of enterprise programmes, added: “We are there to help business leaders grow in confidence and feel capable of dealing with the many challenges that may come their way.
“The mentors have a lot of valuable experience and are happy to pass that on and help businesses reach the next level.”
Amy Hogarth
Among the enterprises backed by the university was CAHM, which offers fragrance and wellbeing products and Defib Machines, which aims to make having a defibrillator on site completely affordable.
CAHM was established by former University of Leeds student Amy Hogarth. Her company’s products include candles, diffusers, hand and body washes and lotions.
These are now being sold in retail centres from the Orkney islands to Cornwall and Hogarth is currently in talks about having her business’s goods stocked in certain Booths stores as a pilot.
Commenting on Help to Grow, she said: “It has given me focus and a renewed motivation for what we are doing. It has made me realise that having the right mindset is crucial to success. It is 95% of everything.
“The other advantage of the programme is meeting other business owners who share similar day-to-day challenges and successes.
“To be able to talk to peers makes it a lot less of a lonely place. You feel like you are the only one facing certain problems, but you aren’t. Some of us have found the opportunity to work together and help each other.”
Leeds-based Defib Machines is run by friends Jonathan Gilbert and Joe Lawrence and turns over £2.2m a year.
Organisations which would struggle to pay for and maintain new equipment can rent one of the company’s defibrillators for £1 a day. The business has over 5,000 customers nationwide.
Lawrence said Help to Grow had helped him and Gilbert sustain the company’s growth.
He added: “We had individual mentors and that was extremely helpful. Mine was Steve Baker, of Baker & Co Accountants. He didn’t tell you what to do – he guided you. He wasn’t at all prescriptive.
“He was always constructive and helpful which meant although there were challenges on the course, there were never any disagreements. He taught me the value of ‘simple threads’ – that is, don’t complicate stuff.”
