GET THE RIGHT EDUCATION; GROW YOUR BUSINESS

At Inform, we’re big believers in education. You’re never too busy, or too experienced to learn something new. And taking on new skills is one way that we keep our services fresh and at the cutting edge of what’s available.

So, with this thought in mind, I recently went back to education and completed the Aston Programme for Small Business Growth course at Aston University. The aim of the programme was to get a group of like-minded business owners in a room together and to build confidence in our leadership skills, planning for the growth of our businesses and to help us build a unique network of contacts.

And, of course, I was there to help grow and strengthen Inform Accounting and improve the way we deliver our services to you, our clients.

So, how did it go? Did going back to school deliver some good results for Inform?

Understanding small business challenges

For me, one of the biggest bonuses of the course was getting a better understanding of the common challenges faced by small businesses.

By talking with other business owners, I gained a greater knowledge of the big stumbling blocks you can come up against when trying to grow your business. And it was pretty clear that some common challenges tend to crop up again and again, regardless of the industry sector.

Equally, it was also apparent that there are certain specific challenges that are unique to certain kinds of business – and that’s something that will inform (no pun intended) how we deliver services in those sectors in the future.

Gaining more confidence in our service

I met some great people on the course, and it’s been really beneficial to open up and share our thoughts on ‘doing business’ in our respective sectors.

Hearing so many different business stories has certainly strengthened my ability in building strategic business plans. And I think we all went away with more confidence in relation to the services we deliver and the support we offer to our clients.

The importance on ongoing education

All in all, going back to education and completing the programme has really delivered some great insights. It’s underlined the value of taking time to reflect and look at Inform Accounting as a business from the outside – and to think about ways to improve things.

Educating yourself about your own business has terrific benefits. It gives you a chance to evaluate your current strategy and to look for the opportunities for improvement. And it builds real confidence to make changes and to take the time to build strategic business plans – plans that focus on growth and long-term success for the company.

Inform are always looking to help small businesses find the right strategic path. And we offer a range of business advice services that will help you spot the opportunities, plan for them and make them a reality.

You can find out more about growing your business on our business growth advice page, or if you would like to discuss your business with us please get in touch.