• The Business plan
• Marketing and Sales Planning
• Financial Planning
• Complying with the law
• Employing for the first time
• Innovation
• Support Schemes
  • Business Coaching for Growth
  • Exporting
    • International Trade Chamber
    • UK Trade and Investment
    • East Midlands International Trade Assoc. (emita)
  • Food and Drink Innovation Network (iNet)
  • Healthcare & Bioscience iNet
  • Innovation Advice & Guidance
  • Lincoln Business Improvement Group
  • Manufacturing Advisory Service
  • Mentors Me
  • Nottingham Business Venture
  • Online Revolution
  • Social & Cooperative Enterprises
  • Spectrum Futures
  • Sustainable Construction iNet
  • Sustain Lincolnshire
  • Technology Strategy Board
  • Transport iNet
  • Rural Development Programme for England
• Resource Efficiency
• Business Sectors

Business Coaching for Growth

Business Coaching for Growth is a new business support programme for England which has been commissioned by the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS).The contract to deliver the Coaching for Growth Programme across England has been awarded to a Consortium consisting of Grant Thornton, Oxford Innovation, Pera and Winning Pitch.

The purpose of the programme is to provide intensive support to SMEs with the potential to achieve high growth. High growth is defined as the achievement of a 20% in turnover for 3 consecutive years. The key word is “potential”: the programme will seek to help businesses overcome the barriers to growth that might otherwise prevent them from achieving this potential. This will be achieved through two principle forms of support:

• Coaching Giving businesses the services of an expert coach for up to 10 days to work with senior management: this will be the main focus of the programme
• Connectivity Connecting businesses to other available support and to each other as part of a “community of growth”

Coaching support will be in four principle areas:

• Business Development Coaching (BDC) BIS define BDC as: “Working with senior management teams to develop and implement growth strategies. BDC Coaches will be focused on helping the business to develop the skills, expertise and techniques to overcome specific barriers to growth. This will cover a range of core business skills such as marketing, general management skills or strategy”.
• Help to Innovate (H2I) Coaching BIS define H2I coaching as “Help (including coaching) to develop strategies to commercially exploit IP and innovation. This should include advice on how to identify and protect intellectual property and copyright. However, it should not be limited solely to exploiting IP but should include ensuring customers are able to commercially exploit all types of innovation. This will include facilitating access to Technology Strategy Board grants funding and knowledge transfer programmes, including the Knowledge Transfer Networks”.
• Access to Finance (A2F) Coaching BIS define A2F coaching as “helping clients identify their financing needs and find the right source of funding for their business. Businesses seeking equity investment will receive tailored, specialist help to develop a successful investment pitch.
• Leadership and Management Development From April 2012 the existing Leadership and Management Advisory Service (LMAS) will be subsumed into the Business Coaching for Growth programme.

BIS intend that up to 10,000 businesses per year should participate in the programme and initially the programme will run for 3 years. Delivery will commence in early 2012 once a delivery organisation has been selected. The programme will be “sector agnostic” in that there will be no specific target sectors and apart from an overall aim that local participation rates should broadly be in proportion to business population there are no plans to favour particular areas.

Further information will be provided once a delivery agent has been appointed.