Creating a long-term business growth plan is a key component to driving your business in the right direction.
The Australian Centre for Business Growth has a strong track record of driving small-to-medium-sized businesses to scale up and grow to new heights with its Assessment Clinic, Growth Ramp and Growth Module programs.
Alison Taylor, a Growth Expert for the Centre and the WA program lead, said the programs are made for businesses that are ready to grow and develop a long-term plan.
“At the end of the programs, we’re guiding you towards having at least a three-to-five-year business plan that you’re ready to start implementing on completion,” she said.
“You’ll be supported to stay on track and be held accountable by Growth Experts and peers to implement and execute your plan and do what you say you’re going to do.”
Alison explained the programs are not a course on management, marketing, or money, but rather about the executive team finding clarity and defining its strategy and growth plan, while increasing overall business performance.
“We help companies succeed by holding them accountable for delivering on the business growth plans they develop,” she said.
“It’s a powerful experience learning with a group of executives from other growth companies. You’ll emerge with a new network of peer CEOs and business owners who’ve travelled the growth journey with you.”
A platform to grow your company
The programs are ideal for SMEs “with a growth mindset actively looking for ways to grow the business”. “The goal is to help those SMEs to become solid medium to large businesses,” Alison said.
“I would like to see more robust businesses in WA in diverse industries that aren’t just focused on mining, but looking to other technologies and other innovations.”
She said that owners and CEOs wanting to grow their businesses require a long-term game plan and the confidence and ability to achieve it.
“Reward doesn’t come without risk. You can keep doing what you’re doing but sometimes you need to step out and take that leap to take your company to the next level,” Alison said.
“In a sense, it’s easier to take risks in business when you’re starting out but as your business gets bigger, you’ve got more to lose.
“We’re not talking about being cavalier, but growth requires investment. If you are going to invest for growth you need to have confidence that you understand what is required to grow your business, that you have a well-thought-out plan and that your team is aligned in their commitment to make it happen.”
In 2000, Alison co-founded PUMPNSEAL Australia, a specialist supplier of process pumps, pumping systems and sealing solutions, which she and her co-founders sold to a UK-listed company in 2020.
After 16 years as CFO, Alison took on the role of general manager and, under her leadership, PUMPNSEAL Australia doubled its revenue in three years.
She was integral in the business winning numerous accolades including the WBA Best Medium Sized Business and Best Business Overall in 2019, and was a runner up in Business News’ Rising Stars Awards (Medium Sized Business) in 2019.
On the right level for Sneakers & Jeans
Andy Freeman, CEO of Sneakers & Jeans, a hospitality operator with multiple venues in Perth’s CBD, is a 2019 alumni of the ANZ Business Growth Program, which the centre designs and delivers on behalf of the ANZ Bank.
Alison took Andy through the final stages of the program when COVID put a stop to interstate travel and widely impacted hospitality.
“I know the program has made a tremendous difference for them. They were really able to adapt what they were doing through COVID and to navigate that challenging circumstance.
“We had talked about being prepared for externalities that can happen in business and the importance of being able to adapt,” Alison said.
The program provided clarity and focus for Sneakers & Jeans, which manages eight venues in its portfolio, including the new Pirate Life Perth hospitality precinct, and decade-old Varnish on King.
Andy, who was listed in this year’s Power 500 as a key hospitality player, told Business News the program was invaluable for providing a clear strategy and a longer-game focus in his business.
“I had about 20 years of accidents. There was no formal education around business management, and that’s the part where I found myself snookered,” he said.
“We had a bunch of brands and venues, but I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do for them in the short-to-mid-term future.
“We had a lot of things going on, we thought we were doing OK, but I know I was really challenged on the decision on whether to push on or pull back and drop a couple of brands to make it leaner and a bit easier on me and the team.”
The opportunity came up to do the Growth program and Andy said, “I just jumped at it”.
“There were three of us in the business who went on the journey, and it was quite the journey.”
Andy said the business wasn’t put on hold while they were working on the bigger picture.
“We were constantly working on the business while on this journey. Day to day you work within it, not on it, so to actually stop, turn your phone on silent and work on the business with mentors was remarkable for us,” he said.
“What was interesting for us was that everyone in the room, whether civil companies, or digital IT, had exactly the same issues. It’s just business. We were the black sheep, the hospitality cowboys, but we did really well and had so much fun doing it.”
Andy said the clarity that came from building a roadmap and a strategic plan was invaluable.
“The clarity that came from doing the course meant we knew exactly what we wanted and exactly what we didn’t want, and we ultimately agreed on a plan of how we were going to achieve our goals,” he said.
“Building a roadmap and a strategic plan was exactly what we needed to do. We got real clarity around what we wanted and needed to do to move forward. We built a timeline of how we were going to get there, and we stuck to it.”
Andy sits down with his team to have regular strategic meetings and review the long-term plan every couple of months.
“We now share a lot more in our business than we did before, so there’s a sense of transparency, ownership and partnership, with a really strong sentiment that everyone’s along for the journey as a collective,” he said.
“When you know how to read the recipe you just tweak the ingredients. That’s what we do now. It’s a working document and it’s been very helpful.”
He added that Sneakers & Jeans has an “appetite for growth” and is looking at getting other team members to go through the program “so we can all speak the same language, skip the foreplay and get straight to business”.
“If there’s more development in our leadership team, they’ll get some exponential growth, and it means I can do my job and focus on growth, rather than training and getting stuck in the weeds,” Andy said.
“One of the things the course helped with was finding efficiency in balance rather than just working 80 hours a week.”
How do business growth programs work?
The Australian Centre for Business Growth, part of UniSA Business, has provided hundreds of companies with proven business growth programs.
It starts with the Assessment Clinic, followed by the Growth Ramp or Growth Module programs, teaching business owners and executives the knowledge, skills and values they need to take their businesses up a level.
More than 1,100 business owners, CEOs and managing directors across Australia have attended the one-day Assessment Clinic.
This leads on to one of two programs – Growth Ramp, for smaller businesses with 5 to 12 employees, or Growth Modules, for larger executive teams in companies with more than 12 and up to 200 employees.
Growth Ramp is one day a month for the business owner, CEO or managing director online via Zoom over six months with coaching. The Growth Modules involve at least three executives, delivered over nine months in three lots of intensive three-day workshops.
Growth Experts, all who have started, grown, sold and left at least one company, teach the programs and hold participants accountable to execute their growth plans.
State Government partnership
The State Government is partially subsidising a suite of business growth programs designed and delivered by the Australian Centre for Business Growth.
The Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation has partnered with the Australian Centre for Business Growth in delivering these growth programs to Western Australian companies.
Partial subsidies are available to business owners, CEOs and managing directors of WA-based companies with 5 to 199 employees, and are funded via the WA Government’s X-TEND WA Program, which is part of the New Industries Fund.
For more information about the Australian Centre for Business Growth, go to www.centreforbusinessgrowth.com.
