Boosting business performance with Help to Grow: Management

The Help to Grow: Management Course was created to support SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) leaders to increase the resilience and performance of their businesses. Delivered across 12 weeks, the course includes 12 modules, eight hours of peer group sessions, and 10 hours of 1-2-1 mentoring. The focus is on actionable learning so you will start building your Growth Action Plan and identifying the changes you need to make in your very first session.

We have consistently attracted a wide array of industries and business sizes and ages - often highlighting that the same teething issues and problems can be found regardless of the business’ nature. This cohort is a microcosm of this. For example, we have one business that’s been operating for 151 years, and one for two years - one with over 100 employees and one with five. Yet across the peer group element of the course, they have been able to share with each other their experiences and learnings from their unique perspective.

Jimi Lund – Director, STORY Film and Photography

“STORY Film and Photography are based in Little Germany in Bradford and we have just turned five. We started out doing video and photography, acquired another business last April – and now we have become a digital agency.

“We now want to undertake a rebrand, and position ourselves more clearly to our clients - so the Help To Grow course is priceless in helping with that.

“I'm finding the stories, or business challenges, of the other SMEs very insightful and useful – especially those that are offering a service, as they face similar issues to us – such as defining our USP (unique selling point). The seminars are invaluable for having these discussions.

"Our aspirations for the business are firstly to reposition ourselves in our market. When we create something for a client (such as a website, video, podcast, photography and/or animation), we want to ensure they maximise the impact of this, and have more control over the dissemination of the product – sharing quantifiable data with them as to how it’s performed.

“The Help to Grow course is really opening our eyes to the importance of clarifying our mission statement and purpose statement, and having the rebrand. We then want to try out a proof-of-concept project with an existing client as a test run and to show potential new clients evidence of what we can do.”

Melissa Latham - Managing Director, Nurture CRM

“Nurture CRM are a Leeds-based organisation that supports SMEs across the region to achieve their aims for growth through the implementation of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and supporting strategies.  After working as an individual consultant for 14 years, I set up Nurture in 2021 and started to build a bigger team.

“I decided to join Help to Grow to take time out and focus on the business, its impact and structure, messaging and policies, with a view to ultimately grow.

“Help to Grow has been incredibly valuable to both me as a business owner and for our company as a whole - and we haven’t even completed it yet! The structure of the programme allows us to dive into and challenge our existing thinking across all areas of our internal and external operations, from our values to our communications, our products to our future.

“The peer group sessions have not only been a fabulous opportunity to discuss ideas, issues and course content, they have provided the chance to build close relationships with other members of the course – a support network that I have no doubt will continue long after the course has finished.

“Having the additional support of my mentor Sharon, has also been invaluable. Whilst there is still much to learn – and a Growth Plan to finalise! -  I am looking forward not only to the remaining elements of the course, but the long term change I know it will support.”

We are currently recruiting for our 11th cohort starting on Tuesday 16 September 2025. You can view the dates for the whole course and register at the Small Business Charter website.

Watch this short video to hear from our most recent business leaders about their experience with the Help to Grow Programme, and how it helped their businesses thrive.