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NWDA: The High Growth Programme

                           

http://www.highgrowthprogramme.co.uk/the_programme/ http://www.highgrowthprogramme.co.uk/partners/

Outline:
This is a 3-year programme, funded by the NWDA and by ERDF monies, aimed specifically at high growth companies. It involves an intensive package of support targeted at budding entrepreneurs and existing SMEs who have both the desire and the potential to achieve high rates of growth.

Criteria:   
Two types of ventures are eligible; Very early stage companies and pre starts with the potential to achieve £500k turnover in under 3 years; Established companies – those that have been trading for over 12 months and whose turnover is between £500k and £10 million

Support: 
Support includes:

  •  Intensive coaching from an experienced mentor. The coaching enables the business to develop a high growth strategy and to deploy that strategy i.e. to begin to achieve profitable, sustainable, high growth. Established SMEs can receive up to 10 days coaching, pre starts and early stage ventures receive between 3 to 5 days
  • High Growth Workshops – a series of 10 half day workshops delivered at a variety of locations across the North West region. Each workshop is highly participative and focuses on one of the key challenges involved in running a high growth business – for instance penetrating a new market. Experience Sharing Networks – an opportunity to share experiences with other, similar, high growth businesses. High Growth Observatory – on demand access to a range of learning resources designed for entrepreneurs and those managing high growth businesses

Access:
Entrepreneurs and companies who wish to participate need to complete the High Growth Questionnaire / Expression Of Interest and forward it to Winning Pitch. A member of the Winning Pitch High Growth Team will then contact the company to set up an initial meeting to determine whether the business meets the programme criteria

Geography:
This is a North West wide programme – companies from all parts of the region are eligible

Timing:  
The programme started in September 2008 and runs through until August 2011

Sectors: 
Companies from all sectors are eligible other than ERDF sectoral restrictions (agriculture, food processing, retail, production of synthetic fibres, textiles & clothing, automotive, defence, banking and insurance, shipbuilding, coal and steel)

Management: 
The programme is managed and delivered by Winning Pitch on behalf of the NWDA

Contact:
High Growth Team, Winning Pitch, One Central Park, Northampton Road, Manchester, M40 5WW

Tel: 0161 918 6785

 

Winning Pitch Plc

Winning Pitch is one of the North West’s fastest growing management consultancy practices whose mission is to build high performing Individuals and companies.

Due to the company’s specialist expertise in the high growth arena, Winning Pitch secured the contract to deliver the NWDA’s High Growth programme in September 2008.

Company Profile:

Set up in 2006, Winning Pitch is itself a high growth company. The business now employs nearly 20 full time staff and has a network of over 50 specialist associates.  In April 2007 Winning Pitch, together with The University of Manchester Incubator Company (UMIC), established The Winning Business Academy to provide a range of services to early stage companies seeking to enhance their capacity for growth.  In December 2007, Winning Pitch became a PLUS Markets listed company and acquired a complementary business in Yorkshire. Winning Pitch now has offices in Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool and Sheffield.  A wholly owned subsidiary, Winning Pitch TV, was also established in 2007 to offer a range of on line and new media based learning products aimed at entrepreneurs and fast growth companies.  Winning Pitch now delivers business growth programmes throughout the UK for business support and economic development agencies such as the RDAs, several Local Authorities, Scottish Enterprise and International Business Wales.

Winning Pitch specialises in providing high calibre coaching, mentoring and consultancy support to high growth businesses.  The company has developed a series of methodologies aimed at high growth companies designed to unlock the full potential of such businesses. They include:

  • Mind To Market - a mentoring process designed to ensure that a new venture is soundly based and has real growth potential
  • The DNA Of Great Selling – a workshop based programme to sharpen selling skills
  • The 4Cs - a diagnostic and personal development planning framework to improve an entrepreneurs’ leadership qualities and people management skills
  • Accelerator - a mentoring and workshop based approach to helping young businesses accelerate their growth
  • Visioning Orbit - a visual management technique to enable a management team to build a common, shared, vision of the future of the business
  • Single Page Planning - a strategic planning framework to enable companies to develop and deploy breakthrough strategies

Winning Pitch has already designed and delivered several major business support programmes focused on key sectors of the North West economy.  They include Biostars (life sciences sector) and Envirostars (environmental goods and services).

See also the Manchester Hi-Tech Case Study

 

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