The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 47: Feb/March 2020 | Page 35

Could working with a partner organisation help your business? By Paul Holmes, PCH Business Support In late 2018 I started working with Cirencester Growth Hub and a suggestion was made that the PCH offer may be too broad and a little unclear in its focus. This was the start of a fantastic relationship with the team at all the Gloucestershire growth hubs. Bearing that in mind, I refined my focus and it became: • Working with small businesses to help them grow • Working with overwhelmed business leaders to help them stop firefighting and become strategic. Last year that improved clarity produced sold out days at all three hubs in Gloucestershire, raising my company’s profile and later came an invitation to run similar business sessions in Oxfordshire Growth Hub in late 2019. This has now been continued into this year. The raised profile and strong reputation for helping businesses, led to an invitation to become an Associate Director of Inspire, working to support businesses across the South West. Strategically working with business organisations with their own network of customers, partners is a fantastic way to get constructive feedback, celebrate success and hone your business offer. Showcasing what the company does with companies who need the service, is a great way to demonstrate how I work in the ‘real world’ and how my expertise can be tailored to a specific business. This is just one comment from one of my strategic partners. “Paul has been working with Tewkesbury Growth Hub over the last year, providing incredibly popular 1-2-1 business support sessions to our clients. He has a great skill in helping clients take a focused approach to developing their business ideas, using his breadth of knowledge spanning all sectors. The sessions always receives excellent feedback from businesses and the sessions are regularly booked out with a waiting list for places” Katie Power Growth Hub Manager Tewkesbury For me working with more than 100 small businesses through the growth hubs has been amazing, the results of the 1-2-1 sessions have been inspiring. Intense opportunities to dig into a single business, evaluate the business model, overcome challenges and plan goals has been exhilarating! Most owners are buzzing with new ideas, confidence and possibilities as they leave, as well as having a clearer plan for their next steps. Increasing profitability, efficiency, turnover, stability and structure, is always so personally exciting to see. However, delivery can be complex as it varies from business to business, often with limited chance to prepare. It’s a very live test of capability, knowledge and experience, right there in the room with whatever a business owner throws at you. Developing strategic partnerships has been an amazing marketing tool, both for my business and also empowering for those business owners who take advantage of working with me in this way. The impact and growth for PCH has been great and it will continue in 2020, with more sessions already underway. Could your business benefit from working with strategic partners? or would you like to find out if one of my FREE review sessions could kick start your business in 2020? Feel free to get in touch. 07715008521 [email protected] For more info: www.pchbusinesssupport.co.uk Brochures Leaflets Posters Business cards Newsletters Merchandise Clothing Signage Exhibitions Banners (you name it, we design and print it) Marketing materials that make our customers look great! 01793 336 004 [email protected] www.studio-cs.co.uk THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2020 35