Business Growth Programme

Creating the future you want for your business and for you.

Step back from your day-to-day to work on your business with our exceptionally talented entrepreneurial business experts.

The Business Growth Programme (BGP) is designed specifically for owner-managers to take the opportunity to step back from the day-to-day demands of running your business and access our exceptionally talented entrepreneurial business experts who can help you achieve your ambitions for the future. By the end of the programme, you will have the ability and confidence to develop and implement a comprehensive and robust strategy that will take you and your business forward.

Who is this programme for?

Typically, BGP is for ambitious owner-managers looking to scale and grow their business, that have:

• been in operation for at least three years;
• a turnover of between £0.5 million and £30 million;
• a staff of 5 to 100.

In some circumstances, BGP is also appropriate for managing directors and other senior team members of privately-owned businesses who have strategic control, but not necessarily an ownership stake. If you don’t quite meet the criteria but feel your business will benefit from the BGP, please get in touch to discuss your individual situation at mukhthair.badhan@cranfield.ac.uk or +44(0)1234 754300.

The BGP has a strong selection process that aims to ensure businesses that do come on the programme will see tangible benefits. Upon application you will first talk to an executive development advisor and if necessary may be referred to a BGP counsellor for further guidance.

Why BGP?

BGP is focused on equipping you with the knowledge, confidence, and capabilities to meet your own future ambition, whether you are:

• Seeking to grow your business more quickly and achieve increased profits;
• A business already growing rapidly where the issue is about controlling the growth;
• Needing to develop a robust strategy focused on an exit plan;
• Seeking clarification of goals and drivers;
• Looking to sharpen your management and leadership capabilities.

This programme has the experience, trust and expertise to support you in developing the dynamic capabilities to create the future you want for you and your business.

A track record of success

Here is just a small list of companies we have helped realised their dream, some of which are household names:

• Go Ape – Tristram and Rebecca Mayhew both attended BGP in 2004 and 2010 respectively and have grown their business from just 5 sites in the UK in 2004 to 35 UK sites and a dozen more in the US today. It is now an employee-owned business.
• Hotel Chocolat – Angus Thirlwell, CEO, attended BGP in 2000 with his company, known then as Chocolate Express. Rebranded as Hotel Chocolat in 2003, it now has over 100 stores in the UK and Ireland, 4 in United States and 22 in Japan.
• Vox Group – Brian Leech, CEO, attended BGP 2014 and has since grown the business five-fold to over $25M revenue in 2022. Vox Group has been now acquired by Communisis parent company OSG.
• Nosh Detox Delivery – Geeta Sidhu-Robb attended BGP in 2013, which help them cut cost by 28% and grow the business by 110% compared to the year before BGP.
• Shield Medicare – Richard Salvage, Founder, attended BGP in 2004 and went from zero profit to £1,500,000 in the first year following his participation in BGP. Richard sold Shield Medicare for a significant eight figure sum.

What you will learn

The Business Growth Programme is centred on the reality of your business – your current challenges, opportunities, future goals and ambitions. Because of this, the benefits you gain will be unique to you and your organisation.

During the programme you will:

• Develop a robust strategy and plan for your business, ready for implementation.
• Make immediate improvements personally and professionally.
• Be allocated a business counsellor dedicated to working with you and who will visit your business.
• Benefit from a non-competitive peer group, who will input, challenge and support your ambitions.
• Become part of a unique, powerful network of like-minded entrepreneurs.
• Leave the programme feeling energised and confident to take your business forward.
• Have access to market and competitor information.

Learning outcomes

The Business Growth Programme is centred on the reality of your business – your current challenges, opportunities, future goals and ambitions. Because of this, the benefits you gain will be unique to you and your organisation.

During the programme you will:

• Engage in our expert-curated content-rich programme led by industry experts and world-class faculty,
• Be allocated a business counsellor dedicated to working with you who will visit your business and guide you through the entire process,
• Develop a robust strategy and plan for your business, ready for implementation,
• Make immediate improvements personally and professionally,
• Benefit from a non-competitive peer group, who will input, challenge and support your ambitions,
• Become part of a unique, powerful network of like-minded entrepreneurs,
• Leave the programme feeling energised and confident to take your business forward,
• Have access to market and competitor information.

Course structure

BGP is designed to allow you to continue to run your business while you participate. The main part of the programme runs over 11 weeks.

1. Four two-day modules at Cranfield University.
2. In between the modules, you will be working on developing your own strategy for your business and you will be making immediate improvements.
3. Five weeks after the fourth module is the Business Plan Review, where you will present your strategy and plans to a panel made up of the BGP team and independent advisors.
4. About six months later we reconvene for the Progress Review Day when we review actual progress against your plan.

What you'll experience

The role of our counsellors

Central and unique to BGP, you’ll work closely with one of our counsellors in a small, non-competitive, peer-to-peer mentoring group of owner-managers. BGP counsellors are highly experienced and hand-picked experts who all have experience of running and working with SMEs.

The counsellor will:

• Be with you from start to end.
• Facilitate your group of owner-managers.
• Ensure you get the most out of your BGP experience.
• Share their expertise and experiences of challenges and opportunities.
• Act as a ‘flat mirror’.
• Ensure you stay focused on your priorities.
• Protect confidentiality.

The BGP counsellor plays a key role in the development – and indeed the lives – of the participants that they mentor. In many cases the relationship does not end when the programme ends, but often continues well into the future, as does the bond formed between the delegates themselves.

Concessions

20% discount (tuition fee only) for Cranfield School of Management Alumni who have attended one of our eligible leadership programmes.