I’ve had a good deal of experience in supporting small businesses, and that’s my passion. I’m a total believer in the theory of empowerment and lean enterprise, and have implemented and advised on these approaches successfully over the years, having been converted from Draconian management in my earlier career. See my profile.
Managers above all should be coaches: Decision-making and monitoring are functions that can be delegated, but only if you have competent people to delegate to, and know how to delegate. We should be focusing on developing people and processes.
Small businesses often struggle to get to grips with some of these concepts, and that’s where the business support community- both public and private sector- have an important role to play. We should be transferring and developing skills in leading and managing, not just providing quick-fix solutions. Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, but teach him to fish and he’ll feed his family for life. That’s a good analogy to bear in mind, both for those delivering support, and those making use of it.
My own freelance management consultancy- PHMC– lives up to these beliefs and values. My mentoring and coaching services and training support has been developed with the benefit of my own observation and experience, as well as feedback from clients. As well as hands-on experience of building and leading small businesses, I’ve also developed the skills to help others run their businesses better.
Direct experience in the publicly-funded business support sector has given me a great knowledge of funding that my clients now frequently benefit from.
Paul Hesp's blog 