Feedback from 2023

In 2023, 12 entrepreneurs took part in the Scale Up Leaders' Academy.  Rating the programme 9.4/10, here's what they had to say about it.

Changed mindset   Will be restructuring next week. Getting the right people on the bus (and the wrong off the bus!). Also changing accountant to provide better financials and data that matters.  Loved the team sessions. Only really just getting chance to start implementing learnings

Bringing clarity to the goal. Getting a strategy down on paper. Learning from experienced shared by others.”  

I have appointed a SLT - which has had a HUGE impact on the amount of delivery I personally undertake and the effectiveness I now have to focus on strategy. I now have the confidence to know I have tried and tested methods which have seen other businesses flourish and that insight and knowledge makes me feel less like I am making it up and more that I am driving the business for growth with knowledge and awareness.”  

Time to reflect and look forward strategically” 

Accountability which in turn has seen us recover a huge amount of debts resulting in us having more expendable cash available to help grow the business” 

Clarity, Awareness and Organisation” 

Changing business structure, delegating more, prioritising better, improving employment procedure, having better control over finances and people”  

Our Alumni

Michael Beaton

For Michael Beaton, founder and CEO at Newcastle-based Corterum, the Entrepreneurs’ Forum’s Scale Up Leaders’ Academy gave him the ability to take a step back from the day-to-day running of the business and focus more on strategy.

Ben Tansey

Re:heat’s director, Ben Tansey, attended the Scale-up Leaders’ Academy as part of the ‘Lockdown Cohort’, starting with face-to-face sessions and completing the programme via Zoom.

The six-month Academy, which is run by the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, had a significant impact on Ben and re:heat, doubling the firm’s turnover in the past two years and seeing employee numbers increase from 12 to 26.

Steve Rawlingson

Steve Rawlingson

Steve Rawlingson founded Samuel Knight International (SKI) in 2014.

After securing seed-stage support, SKI faced serious scal-up challenges in its third year when it saw exponential growth. Revenues increased 400% to hit £10m but back at the offiice, support functions needed to be strengthened.

To learn more about sustainable growth Steven joined the Scale-up Leaders' Academy.

Gill Burgess

Gill Burgess

Gill runs Gateshead-based r//evolution and took part in the very first Scale-up Leaders' Academy.

 

Raman Sehgal

Raman Sehgal

Raman runs Newcastle-based ramarketing and prior to leaving the UK to open the company's first international base in Boston, USA, Raman took part in the first Scale-up Leaders' Academy cohort.

Joanna Feeley

Joanna is founder and CEO of TrendBible, a Newcastle-based trend forecasting agency predicting the future of life at home. TrendBible predicts how householders will live and what they’ll do at home in 2 to 5 years’ time.

 

Dominic Lusardi

Dominic Lusardi

Dominic was part of Middlesbrough-based Animmersion and took part in the first Scale-up Leaders' Academy cohort.

Louis Freeman

Louis Freeman, head of operations and business development at The Fun Shack Group, attended the Scale-up Leaders' Academy in 2019 and the course gave him a comprehensive understanding of the areas within the business that needed to be focused on.

Richard Lane

Richard Lane

For Richard Lane, Co-founder and CCO of Durham Lane, attending the Scale-up Leader’s Academy was a no brainer when considering the time it took from his diary versus the skillset he got from it.

 

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