Inspiring Leadership for Growth, Change, Resilience, Leadership & Wellbeing: 8 Takeaways
It takes inspiring ideas to inspire business growth. Fortunately, there was no shortage of inspiration at Blackpool Unlimited’s latest business event featuring Professor Paul McGee, the Sunday Times bestselling author, and a panel of local experts from the Blackpool Growth Business Academy, Blackpool Net Zero Business Academy, and more.
“Reflection is great. But then you’ve got to move on and do something with it. Because some people are very good at the reflection but they don’t take the action. And some people are taking loads of action, but they're not doing the reflection.”
Paul McGee’s words were, in a nutshell, the theme for Blackpool Unlimited’s latest event. When you’re working all the hours and spinning all the plates, it’s not always easy to step back and get the wider view of your business. And sometimes, even if you can, it’s not easy to do something about it. This event was about finding ways to change that.
Joining Paul and host Richard Slater of Lancashire Business View for a panel event that took a Blackpool-centric approach to the challenges and opportunities of growing a business were:
- Nikki Hesford Blackpool Growth Business Academy
- Megan Tucker Blackpool Net Zero Business Academy
- Mick Cox, growth coach and scale-up specialist with Blackpool Growth Business Academy
- Mary Speakman, founder of Code Galaxy
- Steve Williams, MD of Force Technology
These were the key takeaways from the discussion.
1. Work on the business, not in the business
There’s an irony about running a business. Before you set it up, you have all the time in the world to plan it, but the moment you start trading, there’s precious little time to go back and look at the plan, let alone revise it and plan for what’s next.
Mick Cox has years of experience helping frazzled business owners through this stage. “Look at how you made those original decisions. Take a pause. Look at things in phases. Don't be working in the business, work on it.”
2. Opportunity is everywhere
“I think one of the really fabulous things about Blackpool is the support from local government for businesses that are hungry for growth,” said Force Technology’s Steve Williams. He pointed to the +£2 billion of investment projects currently taking shape in the town, from the Multiversity, to Silicon Sands, to the new courts development. “The investment support is there,” he added. “The infrastructure is there. It’s a great location with a tremendous labour force who are really willing to get stuck in. And it’s a very close knit community. When you get involved in things like the Blackpool Business Leaders’ Group, you access lots more opportunities. We've had ongoing support, mentoring and nurturing which has been really important.”
Nikki Hesford looked at the simple reality of the cost of running a business in Blackpool to find real opportunity: “Business premises are so much cheaper in Blackpool than elsewhere. Our residential properties are a lot cheaper. We've got access to labour that maybe costs a little less than if you're paying somebody in London. As an entrepreneur, I see opportunity everywhere in Blackpool.”
3. Throw off the comfort blanket
Nikki was clear that seizing opportunity starts with the right mindset:
“They always say the most expensive words in business are: ‘Well, this is how we've always done it’. We see that a lot. The businesses that are most successful are the ones that listen and embrace change.
Richard Slater agreed. “There’s nothing we like more than wearing the comfortable blanket of routine,” he said.
4. Raise your aspirations
Nikki sees a notable lack of confidence—and maybe a lack of aspiration—among some Blackpool businesses.
“There’s an element of being happy with what you've got and just making it through the week. I don’t see that to the same extent outside Blackpool. It’s about self-belief. But it’s also about understanding what’s out there. Some people see a million-pound company as an enormous organisation and something they could never achieve. But we’re working with local businesses who are achieving exactly that. It’s completely achievable.”
5. Cut costs by moving toward net zero
‘Inaction costs more than action’ has become a sort of unofficial tagline for the net-zero industry. It’s true, but it’s not always easy for businesses to identify the best way to move towards net zero, or the specific benefits doing so would bring their business.
Megan Tucker of Blackpool Net Zero Business Academy was on hand to help. “It’s a three-phase approach. First, we look at the bills and other data for any eligible business over 12 months. Then we create of a personalised decarbonisation action plan that gives you a snapshot of how much energy is being consumed in your business, what it’s costing you and what tariff rates you're on. And then we make recommendations for you to achieve savings and help you realise those savings.
“We’ve conducted around 40 audits in the Blackpool area and on average we’re helping businesses achieve 20% savings on energy, with three to four year payback periods on any capital investment.”
6. Action points, not talking points
For any Blackpool business considering asking for help and advice from Blackpool Unlimited and its academies, the obvious question must be, ‘does it work?’. Coastal Radio’s Paula Davies and Code Galaxy’s Mary Speakman were in no doubt.
Paula said: “It’s about getting that perspective back. I was one of those people working in the business, not on the business. Mick came in and reminded me of those fundamental basics that I just wasn't doing.
“I’d preached these things to my team for 20 years and yet when I started my own business I just wasn’t doing them. Transforming my mindset transformed the business.”
Mary said: “When you start off as a small business, you're trying to do everything yourself. And quite often you don't have the right processes in place because you're just trying to do the job rather than thinking strategically.
“Having someone who comes in with a fresh pair of eyes and asks, ‘why are you doing that?’ is so valuable because you don't know what you don't know. You really have to embrace it. You've got to get on board. But the effect for us is that we’ve diversified our products and we’ve penetrated new markets, and that’s all down to the support we've had.”
7. Connect with Blackpool & Fylde College (B&FC)
It’s often said that there’s a disconnect between the skills businesses need and those possessed by people leaving education. Mick and Richard were keen to encourage local businesses to connect with their local college to drive change.
“Are you aware that you can tell B&FC exactly what you need?” asked Richard. “Do not underestimate your influence on the curriculum. There are certain things they cannot change. But beyond that, there's an awful lot of flexibility in order to service a local market.“
8. Overcome barriers to success by asking for help
Failure is scary. It stays with you. As Paul McGee put it: “You write successes in sand. You carve your failures in concrete.” So it’s easy to retreat to safety.
But business risk is far less risky when you do it with people who’ve been there, done it, and know the pitfalls. And they can help you access the tools that can help you move forward.
As Nikki noted: “There's so much out there that business owners need to know—there's marketing, finance, operations, SEO, META (Facebook) ads. But what do you need? What will work for you?”
She highlighted the role of the Blackpool Growth Business Academy in helping businesses take their next steps by understanding and accessing the tools and support they need.
“I've worked with businesses that have scaled from £100k to £2 million in six months simply by learning how to use Meta Ads, for example. A lot of businesses have still never even explored their potential. That’s just money left on the table. So whether it’s making more of technology or analysing your financial health or freeing your time to lead and plan, we help people tackle their strategic, operational or financial problems.”
For help in growing and scaling your business, talk to Blackpool Growth Business Academy
For help in cutting your carbon and energy bills, talk to Blackpool Net Zero Business Academy
