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.

Programme information – Face-to-face

  • Dates
    • 06 Sep 2024 - 20 Mar 2025
  • DurationModular programme over eight months
  • LocationCranfield campus
  • Cost£13,250 +VAT (inc. five nights accommodation and dinners)
    Concessions available

Module dates

The programme modules run on the following dates:


September 2024  
Module 1
06-07 September 2024
Module 2 27-28 September 2024
Module 3 11-12 October 2024
Module 4 01-02 November 2024
Review date 1 13 December 2024
Review date 2 20 March 2025





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.

‘From £400k loss to £40,000,000 exit in 7 years’ – Jamie Waller, CEO, JBW Group

Join Jamie and thousands of other owner-managers and managing directors who successfully achieved the future they wanted, many of whom have become multi-millionaires as a result of the Business Growth Programme (BGP).

With over 30 years of history and experience in providing the highest level of expertise to help business owners transform their businesses.



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.

Testimonials



Business Growth Programme

Business Growth Programme brochure

Download the brochure to discover more about our Business Growth Programme.

Download brochure




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:

  • 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

Module 1 & 2 – Where are you now?

Over two weekends you’ll work through all the disciplines of business to ensure that your business is fit for growth and minimise risk.

These include:

  • Strategy - understand your market niche, your competitiveness, your capabilities and where and how to grow.
  • Leadership - assess leadership styles and highlight strengths to benefit the organisation.
  • Operations - review existing processes, systems and technology to help optimise the business to deliver as you scale in the face of rapid automation and AI changes.
  • Team - review your existing team as individual roles as well as team dynamics and culture.
  • Finance - understand the business models you have and the financial consequences ready for growth.
  • Sales and marketing - optimise these functions to ensure a scalable engine for growth and revenue

Module 3 – Where are you going?

Over one weekend you’ll look at future aspirations and where you want to take your business.

You’ll explore:

  • Personal ambition for your business, life balance and beyond your business,
  • The ambition for your business and what you want to achieve in the world,
  • The culture and values of your business,
  • What the financial impact could be on your business growth and potential investment implications,
  • How to organise your future organisation structure in order to support your growth.

Module 4 – How do we get there?

Over one weekend you’ll explore how your business achieves the vision you are creating for it.

We cover critical areas including:

  • Business planning,
  • Measuring and monitoring success
  • Recruiting into growth,
  • Sales management,
  • Getting your team onboard,
  • Setting yourself up for success.

Progress review day

The programme includes one progress review day where we review the actual progress against your plan. Throughout the programme, you will be supported by an experienced BGP counsellor who works with you on a 1-2-1 basis, and within a small group, to ensure that you get the maximum value from your BGP experience.

The benefits of BGP

The benefits you achieve from your BGP experience will depend on your particular situation. Here are some of the typical benefits that past participants have reported:

For your business

  • A faster and more managed growth,
  • A more valuable business,
  • Improved profitability,
  • A robust and rigorous plan,
  • Improved management and skills,
  • Succession planning, both family businesses and management buyouts,
  • A team that is aligned with business strategy.

For yourself

  • More confidence, focus and energy,
  • More effective leadership capabilities,
  • Work-life balance improvements,
  • Greater confidence in the future,
  • Less stress, more time off and more fun!
  • An exit plan (if desirable),
  • A life-changing and inspirational 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.

1st booking: £13,250 + VAT.
2nd booking: £9,250 + VAT.

Accommodation and Location



How to apply

Next steps

Our team of executive development experts will be happy to talk to you about your development needs, please email us or call +44 (0)1234 754500.

Apply now   Download brochure   Book a consultation   Read business growth stories   Register for webinar

This course is provided by Cranfield Management Development Ltd a wholly owned subsidiary of Cranfield University