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The tricky first million

Posted on February 13, 2014 | Leave a comment

article by Diane Shawe M.Ed AVPT Ltd

It is often assumed that raising external, or third party, equity is a prerequisite to business success. In the majority of cases, this could not be further from the truth. Most businesses start with very limited funding, and as these businesses develop, they bootstrap their growth, using their own profits and assets to finance their needs. As a result, they get to keep their potentially valuable equity in the hands of the founder or the family, along with the choices and freedom that brings. Often the next step up from that is developing the owner managers skills to take them to the next 2-3 million.

For some companies, however, the size of the opportunity or the need for fixed or working capital exceeds the available resources. In these cases, raising external equity may be the only available option.

Diane caught up with up with Lotwina Farodoye, Growth Manager for Growth Accelerator at Grant Thornton’s Euston offices last week and put these questions to her:

So What is GrowthAccelerator?

Growth Accelerator is a unique service led by some of the country’s most successful growth specialists. A partnership between leading private sector business growth experts led by Grant Thornton, and backed by a £200 million investment from the Government, GrowthAccelerator gets to the heart of the barriers that are holding businesses back; helping identify the critical steps you need to take to achieve your next phase of growth – rapidly and sustainably.

How does Growth Accelerator Achieve this?

We’ll work with businesses to develop a growth plan which is completely bespoke to the needs of a business. It will involve a commitment of time but with the support tailored to your business priorities and the way you work, we won’t waste your time on issues you’ve already got covered.

So what does Growth Accelerator focus on?

We focus on three core areas: Access to Finance, Business Development or Growth through Innovation. All three are delivered through a combination of coaching, workshops and masterclasses.

What will GrowthAccelerator do for my business?

GrowthAccelerator will give you the framework to :

Build a successful growth strategy
Discover new routes to funding and investment
Unlock your capacity for innovation
Build on the power of your people
Unite and inspire your leadership team; and

How is GrowthAccelerator different from other services?

GrowthAccelerator offer matched funding up to £2,000 per senior manager in the business, who’s pursuing training that will help improve their performance and help the business grow. (This offer is available once the company is a participant on GrowthAccelerator) This is where approved company’s such as Academy of Vocational & Professional Training come in and deliver the bespoke training.

Who is Growth Accelerator right for?

GrowthAccelerator exclusively targets businesses with potential for high growth who want to enter their next growth phase and have the potential and determination to get there.

If that’s not where you are, then GrowthAccelerator isn’t right for you. But if it is right your business and you fully commit to the support owe give, your business will grow and grow faster.

Who is Eligible for Growth Accelerator ?

To be eligible for GrowthAccelerator, a business must be registered in the UK and based in England, have fewer than 250 employees and have a turnover of less than £40m.

What investment is required?

Your contribution will depend on the size of your business. With Government co-investing in the growth of your business and making a major contribution towards the cost, you pay only a one-off fee.

1 to 4 employees…………………………………. £600 + £700 VAT* = £1,300

5 to 49 employees…………………………………. £1,500 + £700 VAT* = £2,200

50 to 249 employees……………………………. £3,000 + £700 VAT* = £3,700

* VAT is based on 20% of the nominal value of the service – £3,500

if you want to find out more just contact diane on growthaccelerator@expresstrainingcourses.co.uk

The kind of Leaders people want to follow by Diane Shawe

Posted on July 2, 2012 | 2 comments

Get the skills you need to lead today

article by Diane Shawe M.Ed

Leadership can possibly be defined as the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organisations of which they are representatives. Leadership is not dependant on title or formal authority and is often feared by some management teams as a potential threat to their job if opened up to other members within the team.

All too often we think of leadership as a higher order of management, something we will develop and apply subsequently rather than earlier in our profession.

This applies to both leadership within our chosen occupational discipline and leadership of our profession. In the early stages of a career, most people naturally focus on the practical aspects of their career. They begin their careers applying the vocational disciplinary information and skills they acquired in college or university and focus on those aspects that will ensure a job, promotion and success early in their career. However Leadership is something that should be considered and fostered early and often throughout our entire professional career.

Leadership is a subject that has been studied, discussed, and debated across a wide variety of disciplines for centuries. There are numerous books, articles, and self-improvement courses on the subject – so many that the interested student on the subject of leadership might at first be discouraged.

The purpose of this article is not to be exhaustive but instead to signpost you to a practical on-line training course that will introduce to you a fundamental training that forms the foundation for both the theory and practice of leadership and to outline some of my own tips.

So what are my seven tips on The Kind of Leader Others Want to Follow

Well before I set out my tips, The key to becoming an effective leader is not to concentrate on making other people follow, but on making your own self the kind of person they want to follow. You will need to become someone others can trust to take them where they want to go. The seven following tips are also useful:

1. Find out if your ego is getting in the way.

The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people.

2. Become a active listener.

Rare is the effective leader who didn’t learn because they could not effectively listen. There is a lot to be said about becoming an effective follower in order to become and effective leader, but you cannot achieve this without listening.

3. Being negative just does not cut it.

Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. If you spend time using that influence to cause a destructive and negative result to an organisation then your potential leadership quality is flawed.

4. Work with excellence.

No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.

5. Rely on intellect and discipline, not emotion.

Leadership is often easy during the good times. It’s when everything seems to be against you– when you’re out of energy, and you don’t want to lead– that you earn your place as a leader when all around you is flagging.

6. Added value, added value and more added value.

Men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential are often revered long after they have gone. That is the highest calling of leadership– and its highest value.

7. Don’t hog your power.

Leaders are like a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp. People cannot live with air!