BUNDLE: Help to grow management
Tools & Resources
As the adage goes, 'people join companies but leave managers', so it's critical to equip those employees in senior positions with the skills they need to lead efficiently and effectively. The good news is your business may be eligible for the government-funded Help to Grow: Management course, which provides training for senior managers of small and medium sized businesses in a range of disciplines from strategy and innovation to employee engagement and finance management. To help you decide if the programme is right for you, here is the essential information you need to know, as well as supporting advice and resources around some of the key training areas.
Facilitated by small business experts from leading university business schools across the UK, the Help to Grow: Management scheme is accredited by the Small Business Charter and open to senior managers working in SMEs.
The three-month practical programme includes both online and face-to-face training and short, focused sessions that allow people to complete the course alongside their day-to-day work.
The practical curriculum features:
- 8x online two-hour sessions
- 4x face-to-face case study workshops
- 10 hours of one-to-one mentor support
- Peer networking
- Access to the Alumni Network
The programme is 90% funded by the government The fee payable by participants is £750.
Courses are open for registration with a range of providers and start dates.
To join the Help to Grow: Management Course, your business must:
- Be a Small or Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) based in the UK
- From any business sector, employing between 5 and 249 people
- Have been operational for at least one year
- Not be a charity
To join the Help to Grow: Management Course, the applicant must:
- Be a senior decision maker, such as Chief Executive, Finance Director, Operations Director, etc (only one person per business can attend the programme)
- Commit to completing all sessions
Click below on some of key areas of leadership that the Help to Grow: Management programme covers and you'll find some advice and support from the UMi Sat Nav to help to get started.
1
Strategy and innovation
Introduction to succession planning
If you’re fortunate enough to have grown a business that is going to be around long after you’ve retired, then it’s important to think about succession planning. This is the process of identifying and growing talent to fill leadership and business-critical positions, and it’s used in both large and small companies. Here, we discuss what a succession plan should include and explain why it’s important to make one.
Find out more.
How to use innovation to grow your business
The most effective businesses are constantly innovating their products and processes to ensure they’re meeting market demand and running as effectively as possible. But for a lot of businesses, innovation can seem like an abstract concept that only the Googles and Teslas of the world can benefit from. But this couldn’t be any further from the truth. In this short guide, we’ll walk you through exactly what innovation is and a few ways you can start implementing it in your business today.
2
Digital adoption
Digital transformation - what it means and how it can benefit your business
There’s no doubt that digital transformation has the power to change the way businesses operate, but what exactly does it mean and what do business leaders need to consider? Here, Dan Cooper, founder of Lolly Co and digital transformation expert, shares his expertise with UMi.
Your essential digital glossary
In the world of digital, there is a dizzying array of names, terms and acronyms that you might come across. But if you can’t tell your PNG from your PDF, don’t worry. Simply download our essential digital glossary where we explain all the technical jargon.
3
Internationalisation and winning new markets
An introduction to exporting products
Finding new international markets for your products can help you increase revenue and business resilience. Here, we explain how exporting works and what rules you must follow when selling abroad.
Trading internationally
In today’s globalised economy, international trade is something many businesses are actively pursuing. Whether it be sourcing materials from abroad or selling your own products and services in foreign markets, trading overseas boasts many benefits. Here, we talk through the principles of importing and exporting and include some useful resources to help your business embrace global commerce.
Winning government contracts if you're an SME
Tendering for contracts from the public sector is not just for large multinationals or PLCs – it’s for businesses of all shapes and sizes. UK SMEs, in particular, have a great opportunity to win government contacts, not least because the government has pledged to spend £88bn procuring good and services from companies of this size. If you’re a small business, selling into the public sector brings many benefits. Here, Opportuni talks through the ins and outs of public sector tendering and explains what you can do to make your business bid ready.
4
Building a brand
How can you use brand to achieve rapid business growth?
Business people who understand that a truly powerful brand is about far more than just a logo, may be able to unlock rapid growth, believes Lesley Gulliver, Managing Director of strategic brand consultancy, The Engine Room. Here, she shares her tips for what to consider when developing your brand.
5
Developing a market strategy
Watch: perfecting your marketing action plan
Taking a strategic approach to marketing in your business is essential because it's key to winning new customers, increasing sales and driving brand recognition. This is where a marketing action plan can be really helpful. Aligned to the aims and objectives of your business more generally, your marketing action plan should explain how you are going to market your business over the long-term and through what channels, providing a rationale for every piece of content, every social media post and so on. Here, we talk to managing director of marketing agency MMC, Natasha McDonough, to find out how to create the perfect marketing plan.
Digital and email marketing
Digital marketing is the process of using digital channels to find and reach customers, understand what they want and service their needs. One popular channel to use is email marketing as this allows you to communicate with customers directly. Here, we discuss the benefits of digital and email marketing for your business and explain how you can use them to turbo charge your digital strategy.
How to write a marketing action plan
You’re starting out in business and the time has come to look at your marketing. But where do you start? What are the best channels to use? What are your competitors doing to reach their customers? These are all frequent questions that you will need to explore in more detail while pulling together your structure marketing action plan.
6
Vision, mission and values
How to create a great inclusive organisational culture
With most employees spending more with our colleagues than our families, building an inclusive culture that works for all within an organisation is everyone’s responsibility and to everyone’s benefit. Here, Sid Madge, Founder of Meee, shares five ways to create a great inclusive culture.
7
Organisational design
Planning for growth
When you’re in a position to start growing your business, you may think all the hard work is done. But just as important as getting your business to the growth stage is having a clear plan in place so that you expand and prosper as per your intentions. Here, we look at strategies for growing business revenue and to actions you need to take to achieve growth.
Training your staff
Training staff is a vital part of the onboarding process. Effectively training new employees will help them settle in the company and build their confidence from day one. But training isn’t just for new hires. Training is just as important for current staff as it is for new ones, regardless of how long they have been with the company.
8
Employee engagement and leading change
A guide to people management
Effective people management is critical to the success of your business. Your staff are one of your most important assets and maintaining a happy workplace can boost their morale and productivity. There are also certain legal obligations to be aware of, particularly in respect of disciplinary and grievance procedures. Here, we discuss how the best ways to manage and motivate your employees.
Watch: Managing behavioural change when starting and scaling a business
There's a lot to consider when starting out and scaling a business. In this webinar, Sarah and Laura from Duo Global Consulting talk through some of the strategies for growth, including the importance of managing behavioural change and the benefits it can bring to your bottom line.
9
Implementing growth plans
Guide to writing a great business plan
The business plan is the most important document you need to produce when you’re start a business. It is the first thing potential business partners, funders and banks will look at and the thing that will keep you on the right track. Fortunately, we’ve created this comprehensive guide to writing a business plan, which you can use alongside our Business Plan Template.
10
Finance and financial management
Your free cashflow forecast template
Keeping a close eye on how much money you’ve got coming in and going out is the foundation of all business management. This is your cash flow. But simple as it sounds, it can be difficult to keep track of revenues and expenses when your business is growing. This is why we’ve put together this definitive guide to help you manage your cash flow more effectively - and a FREE template to help you.
A brief guide to profit and loss forecasting
A profit and loss forecast is essential for measuring the financial activities of your business. In this guide, we’ll be looking at what profit and loss forecasting is and why it is important for taking your business further and achieving more.
Next steps...
If you are eligible for the Help to Grow: Management scheme, search for a course and register.
If you are not quite ready for the full course, check out the free 2 week self-guided version Help to Grow: Management Essentials. You can register your interest here.