The Entrepreneurs' Forum has unveiled the latest members of its Scale-up Leader's Academy, which is designed to help high-growth businesses achieve their potential faster.
A group of 10 entrepreneurs from across the North East have signed up to the six-month-long programme that will help them to accelerate growth and create further employment within their businesses.
Among them is Lisa Eaton from brand, digital and design agency Unwritten Creative in Newcastle, Alex Ingham from Teesside-based workwear company MI Supplies, Patrick Stephens from The Shred Centre, which has three outlets in the region, along with Julie Blackie and Alice Hall from fashion business, Pink Boutique.
They are joined by Michelle Harrison from interiors business Lignum Bespoke, Paul Wilson from Newcastle-based engineering firm EDM Zone, Neil McGregor from Newcastle-based N McGregor Property Services, Steven Rawlinson from Newcastle recruiter Samuel Knight International and Chis McPhillips from Teesside-based Whitewash Laboratories.
“The Scale-up Leader’s Academy delivers practical advice, which is compelling and straightforward,” says Gillian Marshall, chief executive of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum. “Exploring what it means to scale-up, it will prepare Academy members for the challenges of business growth and help them build an actionable plan to achieve their goals.”
Running from January to June the Academy features an intense thirty-hour programme, consisting of inspirational and role-model led events, practical workshops, scale-up coaching, peer-to-peer support, and action-based learning.
Helping leaders to build successful scale-up strategies, the Academy focuses on establishing a high-growth mind-set and overcoming challenges linked to people, strategy, execution and cash.
The Academy helps entrepreneurs to create a new One Page Strategic Plan’ for their businesses, with the support of a team of scale-up professionals.
In each session the business owners leave with at least two actions, reporting back to the group at the next meeting to highlight progress, challenges and achievements with their peers.
In the early stages of the Academy, members are matched with entrepreneurial mentors who have a track record of working with growing businesses and who will support them throughout their journey.
“By bringing together experienced entrepreneurs, business leaders, specialists and coaches, the Scaleup Academy helps businesses grow faster in a supportive environment where members can share their experiences,” Gillian explained.
Scale-up coach Ian Kinnery is joined by a panel of entrepreneurs to guide and support Academy members including Entrepreneurs’ Forum chairman James Robson and former chairman Nigel Mills from the Lakes Distillery, as well as Gedanken’s Dr David Cliff and Pamela Petty from Entreprenising.
The Scale-up Leader’s Academy is now in its second year and has already been recognised for its ability to help prepare entrepreneurs and their businesses for the scale-up journey having been highlighted as one of the UK’s success stories of 2017 in the ScaleUp Institute’s annual report.
The inaugural year supported a strong cohort of businesses including Mark Lisgo, director of County Durham-based Imperator Group. He said: “We have very ambitious plans going forward, which include both organic and acquisitive growth.
“The Scale-up Leader’s Academy has proved to be an invaluable resource for us in terms of planning for, and dealing with, such growth.
“There is no standard blueprint for how to scaleup a company, but the Forum’s Scale-up Leader’s Academy provides a number of extremely useful tools and processes in a relaxed and informal setting.”
Gillian continues, “Scale-ups are an essential part of the UK’s future economic prosperity, but until recently have been somewhat neglected areas of the business community. “Considerable focus has been put into encouraging start-ups, which is important, but a key element of creating a sustainable economy is helping these new businesses become established and on the path to fast growth. “The Scale-up Leaders Academy is a valuable resource for ambitious entrepreneurs who want to develop a sustainable growth strategy. We are looking forward to supporting this year’s group achieve their targets.”
