Whitby Peer-to-Peer: Your Small Business Board

Wouldn’t it be great to have a supportive sounding board, a group who know you and your business, have your back and want you to succeed? Your Small Business Board is designed with ambitious owners in mind and who are ready to take the next step, whatever that may be.

What does the programme deliver?

Does running a business feel isolating and hard at times? Do you struggle to make decisions or overcome challenges? Does it sometimes keep you awake at night?

Wouldn’t it be great to have a supportive sounding board, a group who know you and your business, have your back and want you to succeed? Somewhere where you can gain clarity on your next steps and have the support you need to take action.

Following a series of fully booked and well-received cohorts in recent years, the Growth Hub are proud to be delivering a new series of Your Small Business Board cohorts for businesses located in the North Yorkshire Council region.

The Small Business Board is designed with ambitious owners in mind and who are ready to take the next step, whatever that may be. It’s suitable for all types of business, whether you are business to business, business to consumer, from arts to hospitality, business or personal services to media and technology!

As long as you are small it is for you!

What will it give you?

• It provides a place for you to think about your business rather than be in your business, to give you the space for fresh thinking, solutions, ideas, beyond what you could achieve on your own.
• Providing you with the space to reflect calmly, on where you and your business is right now, and where you might want it to be.
• Have the support of a small number of other businesses, who are responsive to where you are in the moment who will enable you to take the steps you need, be curious about when you don’t and identify your blind spots.
• Be part of a supportive community, who is there for all of you, not just your business, somewhere where you can be human and leave your business game face at the door.
• Creating long lasting connection that you keep outside of the programme, with the opportunity for collaborations and support.
• Build your confidence and resilience. When you are in the right place so is your business. When you get out of your own way your business will flourish.

What happens when you join Your Small Business Board?

Your Small Business Board will meet for an initial Welcome meeting and then once a month for three months. In addition to this you will also have three one to one coaching sessions with either Philip Bolson or Andrea Morrison, which is an opportunity to explore in depth and how you can continue to build on what you have learned.

What happens during a Your Small Business Board Session?

The YSBB follows a proven methodology designed with small businesses in mind to ensure that you get the most out of each session and leave with clear actions.

• Starts with a group ‘checking in’ on how you and your business are and explore how the group can support you
• Feedback stage, what have you done since the last meeting, sharing our wins and challenges, any impact it has had on you.
• Creating growth and resolving issues stage – one business is chosen as the ‘hot seat’ members seek to explore and understand, challenge beliefs & ideas to encourage and support the learning of the ‘hot seat’. The ‘hot seat’ summarises the action that they are going to take
• Support Network Stage: who do we know, what do we need, how can help each other? An opportunity for
  peers to connect and support each other further.
• Wrap up: Confirmation of actions, what do we need to take forward.

All of this happens in a relaxed way, over tea and coffee and sometimes cake, and whilst there is a framework, importantly the discussion is allowed to go where it needs to go to maximise the value to the group.

Feedback from previous groups

“The programme was excellent, I’m really grateful to have had a place. Andrea was excellent running the group and on the 1-1 sessions. She really helped me think about aspects of my business moving forwards I hadn’t previously considered. I feel like the course has been brilliant with the support of other small business owners who face similar issues in growing their business.”

“The programme exceeded my expectations. The structure and the support were well thought through and executed. The atmosphere during the group peer sessions was nurturing, constructive and inspiring, with actionable steps to be kept accountable on by the group. The one-to-one sessions were invaluable for mindset shifts and growth.“

“I absolutely loved the entire programme and have found it so helpful working with other people who are also sole traders and in the early stages of their businesses too. I found it very motivating and supportive. Andrea was fabulous and I especially enjoyed the coaching sessions.“

Date and Venue

Sessions will be held at Hetty & Betty Café, Whitby (7 Baxtergate, Whitby YO21 1BW) on the following dates:

• 5th December, 2024 10:00-14:00
• 16th January, 2025 10:00-13:00
• 13th February, 2025 10:00-13:00
• 13th March, 2025, 10:00-13:00
  
  (please note that this event will be held on the first floor of the venue, which does not have a lift)

Interested?

Please complete the form below to provide us with your details, and we will then be in touch to discuss your place on the programme.

About the facilitators

Philip Bolson is a specialist SME mentor, coach and consultant with over 30 years’ experience in hospitality and retail working at all levels from ‘on the floor’ through to site management, Area, Divisional, Country and Board level.

Further Details

Places are limited, so please register your interest early to avoid disappointment.

If you are interested in participating, please fill in the form on this page and we will be in contact with you. If you would like to know more, please contact joseph.midgley@ynygrowthhub.com

This programme is delivered in partnership between the York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub & Your Small Business Board

This project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

This support offer is currently only available to businesses located in North Yorkshire Council, and therefore is not open to businesses located in City of York Council area.

Places are limited, and we may not be able guarantee any individual business support through more than one of the funded programmes we’re currently offering. Please contact us if you have any queries.

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