They Did It,
So Can You

Hear from business leaders from all walks, how they got the results that transformed their business.

Jay from Ridgestone Physical

Chris Sun

How Chris launched a successful £multi-million
business starting with nothing

Chris is from mainland China and had been studying for a Masters in International Business in Newcastle.

These are the results he achieved since coming on to the programme:

  • Launched a new trading business with a focus on recycling
  • Sourced customers in China for recycled plastics to be used in textile fibre production
  • Launched a separate business trading online in small electronics items and cameras and expanded that to handbags and watches with his own label

Chris has an amazing can-do approach to trading but needed a base from which to launch business in the UK

Chris is from Fuyang and before coming to the UK had worked for a number of years in the Far East (China & Hong Kong). Besides speaking Mandarin and English he also speaks some Japanese and Italian, having been personal assistant to the CEO of a footwear manufacturer in HK that was supplying the Italian market. However retail is a notoriously difficult market to enter – there are so many suppliers and channels already in existence.

Trading went from zero to over $100k in a matter of months

To make things happen, Chris signed up for the Business Transformation Accelerator.

The module ‘Do the Right Thing for the Right Reason’ made huge sense of getting the problem broken down into its component parts. This allowed Chris to work with a number of people in a series of creativity workshops to design the solution. Lots of ideas were floated and tested and the decision was made to build a business around recycling.

Applying the Business Transformation Accelerator
really did what its name implies

From an online business in a shared student apartment to an independent operation with its own unique product lines is quite a journey.

The end goal was always to have permanent residence in the UK and to provide a substantial income for himself and his family. Along the way Chris never lost sight of that aim and continued to be creative in the ways in which he developed lines of business. He achieved that goal and in doing so now owns a beautiful house (fully paid for) in an exclusive area outside the city and has a partner and two small children. In addition a good number of people ended up being employed in a business that otherwise would never have existed.

If you are planning a complex new venture then get a solution like Chris did!

Business Transformation Accelerator will help you map out and take a journey that is aimed solely at delivering what you want. Sure you have to put in the effort but the guidance and support offered are like no other programme.

The choice is simple – work your way through all the research and make all the mistakes before you find your feet or have us help you manage your way through the process. Expert coaching on how to carry out the analysis, solution design and execution planning. So you can put your trust in people who know how to avoid the pitfalls and can help you navigate around them.

Homebase : on the move

How Homebase successfully
planned relocation of their Corporate HQ
from Croydon to Milton Keynes

Homebase is a British home improvement retailer and garden centre with stores across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1979 with its first store in Croydon south of London. For many years its corporate HQ was nearby in Wallington.

The results of taking the Board of Directors through the programme included:

  • The Wrong Problem – based on assessment of who were the ‘key’ staff – was identified and corrected.
  • Critical dependencies and business functions were identified early.
  • Risk mitigations were put in place based on thorough understanding. These included details of the recruitment challenge.

Homebase was a leading UK DIY retailer that wanted to merge core operations with another group company to achieve cost reductions and synergies.

The complexity of moving their corporate HQ had been seriously underestimated in the first instance by the Board of Directors. So the first step was to engage in a challenge process to define what the underlying problems really were. The view from the boardroom was adamant that the Category Managers (who are very senior in the buying function for any large retailer) were the most important people to retain in the move. However the company only had 10 of these roles and in fact two posts were actually vacant.

Homebase unravelled the complex problems surrounding a move of its corporate HQ to transition to a centre of excellence

Paul Loft, the Managing Director, knew us from a change programme at a different retailer and was therefore comfortable with the sorts of questioning, challenge and governance to be expected in planning and executing this complex transition.  He also knew this was going to be a struggle to get it right with only one possible shot at the target.  So he relied on us to mentor and coach his executive team and some outside consultants through the planning.

Applying the Accelerator process led to massive benefits for both employees and the company

Results:

  • Over 600 staff were eventually moved or replaced with fresh recruits.
  • The most profitable areas of trading were identified and given maximum protection from disruption.
  • Those who had to be made redundant got better packages than would otherwise have been afforded.

If you are planning for complex business change – then follow the lead set by Homebase!

Business Transformation Accelerator offers you access to knowledge and techniques like no other programme.  It’s not just planning, it’s all-encompassing in the approach to making this kind of change work first time, on time.

 

 

 

Go Solo Interview

Rob Wherrett – interviewed by Go Solo magazine on Managing Change.

What Go Solo had to say.

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The Programme

What’s in it and why it will make your transformations work.

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