TRAINING
WORDS : SARAH WALKER
Phil Teasdale is putting Enterprise Made Simple on the world map .
THINKING GLOBAL
How training firm is bringing the skills of the world to Teesside
Two dreams have come true for Phil Teasdale of Enterprise Made Simple this year – a move to the company ’ s own multimedia training centre and the launch of his first book .
With the opening of its new purposebuilt executive education centre on Riverside Park in Middlesbrough , EMS has come a long way since it launched as a training provider for start-up businesses almost 14 years ago .
And now , thanks to state-of-the-art digital technology at the education centre , not to mention the new Eastern Airways flights from Heathrow to Teesside , EMS can provide training on business growth , sustainability and upskilling , not only to the rest of the UK but to the whole world .
However , with his feet firmly on the ground , the company ’ s founder and CEO Phil says : “ I have a huge passion for our local area and what I like is that we can bring the skills of the world to Teesside .
“ We ’ ve recently had people in Australia , America and India in the same room as people in Middlesbrough , Stockton and Hartlepool .
“ It ’ s great to give the business community in the Tees Valley a different view and I think it gives our learners a different experience , so we can get new ideas and share learning .”
Back in February , EMS ran its first international programme , Inspiration USA , introducing Teesside businesses to other business leaders in Boston .
And thanks to the wonders of modern technology , the businesses have been able to continue their relationships during the difficult lockdown period and beyond .
Phil says : “ We intend to do another trip to America in 2021 – Covid permitting .
“ We also have a number of insurance companies from London sending staff up to Middlesbrough for our training .
“ The Heathrow flights have opened the door to the rest of the country for us and we are also finding our biggest markets in Australia , New Zealand , India and the USA .”
The pandemic gave EMS the impetus to put all its training online , with the company using lockdown to make sure it was of the highest quality , with professional filming .
The organisation still provides training to new businesses on Teesside on a funded basis , making it completely free to new small business owners , but now also collaborates with specialist trainers from around the world . The new centre allows EMS to grow , with multiple training sessions taking place at the same time , while meeting rooms and a television studio can also be rented out .
“ It gives us flexibility and we are now developing new things we couldn ’ t have done if we were in managed offices ,” said Phil .
“ It also means we are completely in control of a Covid-secure environment .” The building also benefits from two café areas and Phil is planning “ food truck Fridays ”, where different businesses can share their products with the business community .
EMS is also planning some outdoor networking events and hopes to run its big business show towards the end of 2021 .
“ It ’ s been a busy year ,” reflected Phil , with understandable pride . “ My first book , called In Cahoots , is also being published .
“ I ’ ve always been self-employed and it contains real lessons that are implementable into people ’ s businesses , based on research and experience of working with business owners for the last 20-odd years , as well as my own experience of starting and running businesses since I left university at 23 .”
For more details about EMS , visit enterprisemadesimple . co . uk . Phil ’ s book is available on Amazon .
96 | Tees Business