The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 46: Dec/Jan 2019 | Page 47

TRAINING COMPANY KEEPS IT IN THE FAMILY WITH NEW ASSOCIATE COACH Presentation and public speaking training company, Open Dawes Training, is not only growing the training team, but is delighted with who it has managed to tempt out of retirement. Chris Dawes, Founder and Managing Director, was looking for an experienced public speaker and trainer, with a long track- record in business, and managed to attract the perfect new recruit – his father. David Dawes has now joined the team at Open Dawes Training – which is a nice turn of events, as earlier in his career it was Chris who worked for David. “All our courses are CPD accredited and I was looking for someone I could trust and who I knew would deliver our training to our very high standards,” said Chris. “David was the obvious choice. I just wasn’t sure if I could tempt him out of the ‘good life’ now he has retired, even though he is only 64, so it is a huge vote of confidence that he believes in what we have created here. It feels like a huge coup to get him on board!” Chris’s background is in sales, and for 13 years he worked for Dad David’s company. It was here he honed his skills in sales, business, and public speaking and presenting. This eventually led him to set up Chris Dawes Comms for his media work, and later Open Dawes Training Ltd to help others open doors by gaining confidence and improving their skills in public speaking and presenting. Chris added, “David’s appointment means we have done more than just added extra resources to cope with the increased commitments, but truly added value to the organisation and its offerings.” David said, “I’ve always been a performer and I love to stand up in front of a room full of people and help them to understand how to be successful in sales and in presenting. Throughout my career I have been delivering sales presentations and seminars, and providing training for salespeople, many times alongside Chris, in my previous business until I sold it.” David hails from the Midlands and his first career was in acting. He then went into catering before deciding on a new challenge and joining the RAF. After leaving the Air Force, David went into IT sales and had a very successful career, during which he set up his own software and IT businesses, based in the Swindon and Bristol areas. David’s appointment as an associate is another stage in Open Dawes Training’s expansion plans. The company recently relocated to new Swindon offices. Plans are also in hand to add further training, such as in sales, to complement the public speaking and presentation training. Chris is also a sought-after motorsports commentator, business and live event host, voiceover artist, and runs Chris Dawes Comms as a division of Open Dawes Training. Open Dawes Training runs CPD accredited public speaking and presentation training in groups and for individuals, either inhouse or at Open Dawes’s head office training centre in Swindon. It is one of an elite group of small businesses in the Small Business Sunday network run by former BBC’s Dragons’ Den dragon, Theo Paphitis. For more information visit: www.opendawestraining.co.uk, call 01793 238259 or email: [email protected]. It looks like a Virtual Assistant should be on the PCH Christmas list By Paul Holmes, PCH Business Support 2019 has been a big step forward for PCH and I’ve loved it! Over the year I’ve developed clearer messaging, narrowed focus and the introduction of a subscription support service for smaller businesses. This has brought about dramatic change as well as building upon relationships already in place. This year I’ve been strategically working with a range of business organisations, especially Gloucestershire Growth Hubs, and this has proven to be a great way to showcase how I work and support clients for growth. As a result, my client base has been building steadily, I’ve been helping organisations grow and getting fantastic feedback and there are new exciting projects in the offing. With the holiday season approaching, I am becoming conscious of capacity – As an associate director for Inspire, working closely with four Growth Hub locations across Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire and a range of clients across the furthest edges of Wiltshire, Somerset, Oxford and Gloucestershire, time, geography and resource limitations means one of my plans for 2020 is to work smarter. I remember an old mentor saying “Often in life you won’t get the luxury of being completely ready for the next step before you decide to embrace it – it will embrace you and you simply have to cope.” This is a great thing and a mark of how far PCH has matured in the last 12 months and it is not lost on me that it is something I help clients plan for all the time. Bringing others into the business means having to write down and share what and how you do things. Recently I was working with the MD of a client company, to create a growth and development plan as we had identified that 2/3rd of their day job should really be delegated. I have introduced them to a Virtual Assistant, to add some initial support, processes documented and take some of the burden – especially as they have new premises and a big launch in early 2020 to get excited about. It can be a big step to take this leap, however it’s necessary to move forward. Not surprisingly the VA turned the tables on me and asked if I might consider some similar help? Initially I declined, however as my workload has increased, it’s now on my to-do list for 2020. If you are overwhelmed with work in your business and need some help to define a development plan so you can focus on the value added and strategic activities – then give me a call – I’ll work with you and your team. To find out more about my monthly support packages and other services visit: www.pchbusinesssupport.co.uk email: [email protected] or call: 07715008521 Thank you to everyone who has supported me in 2019! Here’s to 2020. THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2019 47