The 10-month programme is designed to deliver relevant, accessible and practical learning for the leaders of ambitious growth businesses in Scotland by combining world class executive education with the power of peer learning to develop the discipline of growth.
Launched in 2015, over 60 growth-oriented business owners from all over Scotland have now completed this unique programme with great results.
In each of the four cohorts to date, coming into the programme companies averaged just over £2 million in sales with 25 people and at the end of the programme were projecting to double in size in terms of both turnover and number of employees within 3 years.
The Growth Advantage Programme is led by Professor Eleanor Shaw (ranked in the global list of the 100 leading professors in the field of entrepreneurship) and delivered by Scotland’s top entrepreneurship faculty at the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship. The programme is directed by peer learning expert John Anderson, former chief executive of The Entrepreneurial Exchange.
The programme is structured around six intensive sessions between September and June comprising a one-day orientation session, followed by four two-day workshops covering the advantages that successful growth companies are known to have – market, operations, leadership and resource – and a final reflection and celebration day.
Participants contribute £5,000 each to the cost of the course, with the rest provided by the university’s strategic partners.
John Anderson, programme director, said: “The learning philosophy behind the Growth Advantage Programme is firmly built on research findings on entrepreneurial learning styles and combines the strengths of peer learning with world class executive education.
“We want to help owners take a step back from the daily demands of their business to focus on the best tactics for growing it. The substantial impact of the programme – average annualised growth in employment and sales across each cohort exceeding the OECD high growth threshold of 20 per cent – was credited by participants to having greater clarity of the business, sharpening their value proposition, extracting more value from current operations, focusing on core values, measuring activities and changes in structures and people.
“The benefits of the programme were not simply realised in terms of business performance but also by the impact on the individuals who cited having greater confidence, more energy, more growth orientation and growing networks as a result of taking part.
“GAP alumni continue to support each other as they grow their businesses and they are still taking advantage of the many opportunities of additional support available from Strathclyde – accessing talent and innovation services including the incredibly powerful Knowledge Exchange Partnerships.”
Craig Clark, founder of Glasgow-based Clyde Space, the world-leading innovator and supplier of CubeSats and small satellite systems, felt that “the introduction and use of toolkits has enabled a structured approach to positioning and growth and the ability to effectively communicate strategy and vision to a wider team which is especially important with offices in Glasgow and Harwell in the UK and in Sweden”.
David Frame, Managing Director of specialist protective case manufacturer Barum & Dewar, said: “For many business owners finding time to commit to personal development programs is a real challenge. Balancing the demands of a business alongside family, friends and the myriad of external factors often leaves entrepreneurial minded leaders feeling stretched, alone and simply unable to find time for their own development.
“The Growth Advantage Programme is essential and not only offers first class executive teaching but provides the all-important comfort blanket too…peer to peer learning. This is no self-indulgent executive jolly but a demanding and equally rewarding programme which has at its heart the growth of your business. Split over a 10-month period should ensure that time can be found and schedules put in place. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone with responsibility for growing a business. If not to yourself, you owe it to your business.”
His comments were echoed by Lesley Millar owner of Hamilton-based Jigsaw Travel, the bespoke business and luxury leisure travel agency: “The programme gave me the opportunity to do a complete diagnostic on my business to implement a plan for growth ensuring that Jigsaw Travel are at the cutting edge of the travel industry.
“If you are a business owner who wants to take ownership of their own development, could benefit from practical support to help you scale up and are not afraid to step out your comfort zone, I would highly recommend.
“Most of all you will benefit from interacting with peers who will listen, interact and share their ideas, challenges and strategies. Its game-changing inspirational stuff!”
Fellow participant Colin Wilson, managing director of Totally Natural Solutions, the innovative hop products company, said: “Having just completed the course I can vouch that without doubt it’s a fantastic program for all those in the eye of the storm of scaling up a business.
“It works on so many levels- emotional support, strategic thinking, innovative business models, networks and best of all open honest feedback from peers that show you you’re not alone in meeting the challenges of scaling a business. Add to that a great bunch of tutors in a fantastic city what’s not to like.
“It’s been a great development for me personally and indirectly for those working with me.”
Jacqui McLaughlin, CEO of Reactec, the award-winning UK market leader in the provision of monitoring devices of Hand Arm Vibration risk backed by Archangels, said: “I found the Growth Advantage Programme to be extremely informative, well-delivered and the quality of the learning was excellent.
“As a business leader, stepping away from an organisation where you are a critical part can be difficult, but GAP was an excellent balance of content and time in between modules that allows you to put that learning into immediate use.”
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