Liz offers Total Guide to growing a business

Wiltshire’s reigning Business Person of the Year Liz Ledger shared her Top Tips for Business Growth at this morning’s meeting of Swindon Chamber of Commerce.

Liz, founder and director of Total Swindon, told bosses from a range of businesses how her five-step plan had seen the Total Guide family of websites grow from two employees to twelve over three years, and reach 225,000 unique visitors a month.

Liz founded Total Guide To Swindon in January 2012 as “an interactive and user-friendly content hub’. Total Guides to Bath, Bristol and Manchester followed.

Last year she was named Wiltshire Business Person of the Year at the Wiltshire Business Awards – a title she holds for the next week.

Her first tip was to plan, and to keep referring to the plan. Stick with it, she said, but don’t be afraid to deviate from it if it’s good for the business – like the recent launch of Total Guides news and sport mini-sites.

Her second tip was to look after the people – customers, staff, and especially yourself. “Running a business can be tough,” she said. “In my first year I thought I was Superwoman, but after a year I realised holding the business back if I tried to do it all myself.”

Her third tip was to surround herself with experts – accountants, lawyers, insurance companies. “It can be costly, but it’s crucial for a successful business,” she said.

Tip four was her passion for networking. “Getting up early, working late: it’s important to network and not just to drop in – you need to keep going, not dip in and out.”

Her fifth tip was about communication. Social media is free, and measurable, while “not advertising is like winking in the dark – you know what you’re doing, but does anyone else?”

The next meeting of Swindon Chamber of Commerce could be business leaders’ first chance to meet their new MPs.

Candidates from the main parties have been invited to attend the networking event on the morning after the General Election – Friday, May 8.

The guest speaker will be councillor Garry Perkins, Cabinet Member for Economy, Regeneration and Skills at Swindon Borough Council, who will be outlining the Politcal Vision for Swindon  for the Next Five Years. 

The event will be held at the Swindon Marriott Hotel, Pipers Way, Swindon, Wilts, SN3 1SH from 7.30am until 9.15am. Attendance costs £21.60 for members, or £33.60 for non-members.

To book a place, log on to www.thamesvalleychamber.co.uk