Our Growth Programme is coming to you!

This highly successful development programme has been designed specifically for established women entrepreneurs who possess the combination of ambition and potential to grow their business to the next level.

The innovative and practical Enterprising Women Growth Programmes are part of our wider support for women to accelerate entrepreneurship and success. The Growth Programme addresses the key barriers to growth, develops the person and the business in parallel, and unlocks the potential to increase profitability, competitiveness, job creation, and wealth.

There is a growing demand and a recognised need for high quality support to help women who want to accelerate and increase their business growth. We have been helping women succeed for a decade, receiving great feedback each time, and provide the development, focus, knowledge, confidence and skills that women need and want to accelerate their business.

And now, thanks to funding from ERDF, we'll be running it again for Cornwall residents in the Autumn of 2012! Clients will be broadly matched by their turnover and stage of the enterprise journey; so whether you're a new business (trading for less than 2 years) or a well-established enterprise, and are serious about growing your business and creating jobs and wealth in the county, please click here to download the application form.

Our last cohort of 16 Cornish women, turning over between £100,000 and £1.4m, have benefitted hugely from the course content, and working in a highly supportive peer learning group.

Participant Amanda Barlow of Spiezia Organics and owner of two Cornwall-based hotels said:

"The Growth Programme is enabled me to take time out to evaluate my business and my own role within it. The excellent presenters provided really great tips and ideas and getting out there and meeting other really inspiring local women in business has been wonderful. We have been able to exchange views and issues in a confidential environment which has been unbelievably helpful."

Rhona Gardiner of Newquay-based PR, social media and communications company Excess EneRGy, said

"The Growth Programme has helped me focus on what I need to do, particularly for the need for proper and in-depth financial understanding, planning cashflow and profit and loss forecasts."

And Mary Galbraith, MD and founder of Campervans.com, an online agency for overseas campervan and motor-home companies is equally enthusiastic.

"The programme has enabled me to focus on the business and structure its growth rather than just think about things but not put them into action. Being my own boss really does give me the flexibility to do what I want, when I want to, and being part of the Growth Programme has helped me take control, putting structured plans together to enable my company to grow. I am committed to my business and determined to take it to where it should be in the market place."

Growth programme

The programme is structured around helping participants develop a Strategic Action Plan for business growth. Individual action plans provide an invaluable tool going forward and help women to identify, prioritise and manage the actions needed to achieve key goals.

Our training workshops are delivered by a mix of experienced trainers, successful female practitioners and experts in various fields, so that the sessions are rich with real-life examples and experiences. These exceptional women are enthusiastic and inspiring role models for participants.

The Growth Programme consists of six days of intensive and interactive learning. They usually run at fortnightly intervals, at women-friendly times and locations, with mentoring and coaching provided in between, and homework on aspects of the Action Plan!

We take participants through all the key areas and challenges of business growth:

• overcoming personal barriers, developing management and leadership skills
• understanding the most likely routes and models for business growth
• providing an overview of strategic marketing and sales.
• the principles of finance and managing money, pricing, cashflow, investing in growth and accessing finance
• increasing sales through better segmentation, differentiation and understanding of prospect needs
• managing growth, recruiting, building and leading teams

Each day focuses in depth on the critical challenges of growing a business. Topics covered include building sales pipelines, marketing, negotiations, pricing, profitability, segmentation, competition, cash-flow, finance, confidence, personal and business goals, balance, leadership, recruitment, growing teams, strategic alliances and partnerships, managing growth, and presentation skills.

A workbook, full set of resources and additional material is provided for each delegate as the programme progresses. Participants can record their individual notes, questions, learning actions, ideas and "lightbulb" moments!

The power and support of working together in an all-female environment of like minds is fantastic, and many peer groups continue to meet informally long after the programme ends.

But don't just take our word for it, read what other women say about the benefits they gained in our evaluations and highlights reports on the right.