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Beermat Entrepreneur, Mike Southon, marks success of High Growth Business Programmes
09.10.09
The Beatles will be used to illustrate entrepreneurial creativity and challenges
The Beermat Entrepreneur, Mike Southon, will be the guest speaker at a blockbuster event to mark the formal launch of two major programmes for entrepreneurs in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly worth nearly £9 million, which are managed by Oxford Innovation. The event to be held on 14 October at The Vean, Caerhays Castle Estate near St Austell will feature a presentation using the Beatles to illustrate the creative process and challenges inherent in growing a successful business.
Mr Southon, known as ‘the Beermat Entrepreneur’ after his bestselling guide to growing a business from its birth as an idea on the back of a beermat, will share his tips on starting and building successful businesses with an audience of representatives from start-up and growing companies across the region.
In his presentation, ‘Something about the Beatles’, Mr Southon, a highly successful serial entrepreneur, will use the Beatles as an example of how to be creative and entrepreneurial, and explain how to overcome the challenges involved in growing a business.
In May, the South West RDA (Regional Development Agency) appointed Oxford Innovation to manage the Coaching for Growth and High Growth Start-up programmes, which are receiving ERDF Convergence investment to support the development of high growth potential businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly over the next three years.
Since then, Oxford Innovation’s team of advisory and coaching staff has been providing focused support to potential entrepreneurs, the founders of high growth potential start-ups and established businesses with unrealised potential.
Dr Treve Willis, Oxford Innovation’s Project Director for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: “We are delighted with the early success of the programmes. Our team of 23 experienced business advisors and coaches has been working with entrepreneurs in the early stages of starting up businesses as well as with senior managers in established businesses who would like specialist advice to realise their ambitions and take their companies through the next phase of growth. We look forward to welcoming our clients and other entrepreneurs who are interested in finding out more about the benefits of these programmes to this inspirational networking event.”
The Starting a High Growth Business programme assists potential entrepreneurs to start up businesses and helps start-up firms to grow. The Oxford Innovation team provides practical, hands-on help with matters ranging from creating a business plan, identifying new markets and developing new products and services to raising funding. There is a particular focus on entrepreneurs and start-ups in Camborne, Pool, Redruth, St Austell and the Clay Country.
The Coaching for High Growth programme assists small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to realise their growth potential and improve their performance. Managers of SMEs can access practical coaching and mentoring assistance delivered by coaches who have worked at board level in SMEs on a free and confidential basis.
Clients that are set to benefit from the programmes include Somar International, whose energy saving technologies deliver efficiency savings in lighting, motor control and refridgeration, and Frugi, which makes stylish organic cotton clothing for mothers and babies.
David Bone, Managing Director of Somar International, said: “Somar International has enjoyed impressive growth in recent years and we are now looking forward to taking advantage of the coaching support on offer to help us achieve growth as we surface from the current economic recession.”
Lucy Jewson, Co-Founder of Frugi, said: “We are really excited to be working with Oxford Innovation. It is absolutely invaluable to us to have a knowledgeable third party to spend proper amounts of time with us to get to know our business inside out and analyse the areas where we could use some extra help. They have already arranged to bring in experts to help turn around certain aspects of our business that were effectively blocking our growth ambitions.”
Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: “This event will mark the launch of two key business support products that have received ERDF Convergence investment which is intended to support high value businesses in their ambitions to become globally competitive.”
Stephen Bohane, Head of Business Development in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly for the South West RDA, said: “These products are all about creating the high growth businesses of tomorrow by giving them the support and encouragement they need to realise their aspirations and generate high quality jobs.”
Oxford Innovation is a leader in the provision of business support services and mentoring to start-ups and growing companies. It manages a network of innovation centres that provide a supportive environment for high growth start-ups and investment networks that help companies to raise funding. Oxford Innovation’s advisors have delivered specialist advice in business practices to thousands of businesses and entrepreneurs across the UK and run highly successful regional Innovation Advisory Service and Leadership Development programmes.
Oxford Innovation’s offices at The Old Chapel, Green Bottom, near Truro serve as a central contact point for companies wishing to access advice and assistance.
The Coaching for High Growth and Starting a High Growth Business programmes are part financed by the European Union with £8,084,430 from the Convergence European Regional Development Fund, and £898,270 from the South West RDA.
The objective is to create new high value added businesses and help existing companies to expand, thereby generating new high value added jobs for the region.
To register for the event, email: info@growcornwall.co.uk or call Emma Yates on 07775 556066
For further information:
Margaret Henry
PR Director, Oxford Innovation
01865 811199
m.henry@oxin.co.uk
Editor's notes:
About Coaching for High Growth and Starting a High Growth Business
The Coaching for High Growth and Starting a High Growth Business programmes encompass two investments which form part of the Convergence programme seeking to develop high value growth business success in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Coaching for High Growth offers intensive coaching and assistance for up to 30 days to managers of high growth potential SMEs to support the realisation of their potential. The team of business advisors and experienced coaches have a range of board level business and sector experience gained from working in SMEs and facing similar challenges to those now faced by participants on the Coaching programme. The team can help managers who are looking for a new perspective on a business or would like help with specific issues such as growing businesses through a step change, refining business models, identifying new markets, sourcing new technologies, extending geographical reach and building teams.
Starting a High Growth Business assists individuals to start up businesses and helps entrepreneurs in start-up firms to develop their businesses. Advice is provided on issues ranging from developing a business plan and securing funding to identifying new markets, building a team and developing new products and services.
The programmes are managed by Oxford Innovation as part of the Convergence programme which aims to build a stronger economy for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
For more information: www.growcornwall.co.uk
About Oxford Innovation
Oxford Innovation has over 15 years experience of delivering business support and mentoring to thousands of companies of all sizes from start-ups and spin-outs to SMEs and large corporations. Advice is offered on all stages of business development from business planning, protection of intellectual property and securing funding to resource identification, manufacturing and sales and marketing.
Oxford Innovation operates a network of innovation centres that provide flexible office and laboratory space to technology, knowledge-based and creative companies throughout the UK.
Oxford Innovation also manages three highly successful investment networks that link investors with entrepreneurs seeking funding from £20,000 to £2 million. For more information: www.oxin.co.uk
Oxford Innovation is part of SQW Group. Other divisions include SQW Consulting, which provides consultancy services in sustainable economic and social development to public sector organisations; SQW Energy, which provides energy market design and carbon management services and SQW Asia, which operates from Hong Kong providing economic and management consultancy services to Asia and international markets. For more information: www.sqwgroup.com
About Mike Southon
Mike Southon is co-author of several best-selling business books, including The Beermat Entrepreneur and Sales on a Beermat. He is a Visiting Fellow in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at London South Bank University.
Mike Southon built and sold his own company in the 1980s and worked on 17 different start-ups in the 1990s, of which two later went public. He is now the UK’s leading entrepreneur mentor and, in addition to writing a weekly column for the Financial Times, makes frequent appearances on television and radio.
About the South West Regional Development Agency
The South West RDA leads the development of a sustainable economy, investing to unlock the region’s business potential. It is helping companies respond to the economic crisis and chart a course for recovery. The RDA is developing or expanding initiatives which include: establishing a Business Loan Fund; coordinating the response to large companies in difficulty and preparing for economic recovery. For more information: www.southwestrda.org.uk
About the Convergence Programme
In Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly the Convergence programmes are made up of European Regional Development Fund (£347 million) and European Social Fund (£153 million) Convergence Programmes will run until 2013 and follow the successful Objective One Programme and prior to that Objective 5b. For more information: www.convergencecornwall.com Convergence helpline telephone: 0800 0280120.
